Growing up in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, Travis Austin was raised in a small town by southern parents. As a young boy, he played baseball and continued to play through college, even competing professionally after graduating. With the desire to try something different and challenging, Austin moved to Los Angles and started modeling for well-known designers. He soon realized he did not want to work for these wealthy and successful designers anymore but instead become one of them.
On Black Friday in 2014, Austin bought himself a camera, colored pencils, and a notebook. He proceeded to teach himself how to draw, paint, and sew. Travis' passionate, entrepreneurial spirit drove him to research everything needed to succeed in the fashion industry. He started with leather jackets and, in 2015, had sports celebrities in LA wearing his designs. Austin now refers to leather as his "canvas." He established his first clothing company, Layrs, and officially launched his journey into the fashion industry.
After several years of hitting walls and learning lessons, Layrs dissolved, and Austin moved to Dallas, Texas. In Dallas, Travis Austin Customs was born along with its first showroom, containing 2,000 of his leather jackets. He started working heavily with the music industry, specifically Texas Country artists. Travis desires to mix art with fashion and outlaw couture. The term "outlaw" usually holds a negative connotation; however, it simply describes the people who stand out in this world and break societal norms. These are the people Travis is trying to attract to his brand. He states his main goal is, "I want to put 1000 dollars on your back."
Travis started cultivating essential connections and relationships that he valued immensely as his company grew. He attributes these relationships to the majority of his current success in the fashion industry. In 2019, Travis was on the road for three hundred days out of the year doing pop shows, festivals, and hat tours, working on getting his name known by everyone possible. Borrowing friends' vehicles and renting U-Hauls for events, he started creating custom hats for customers and taking orders for leather jackets. In 2020, Travis moved to Nashville, TN, where he designed and opened his flagship gallery and showroom in the heart of downtown Nashville. The space contains glass enclosures of his fashion, and the walls display his paintings. The custom hat bar is the most incredible and unique feature of the entire art gallery-themed showroom. At the hat bar, people can custom create their hats guided by staff members, using everything from paint and ribbon to iconic photos of celebrities. The showroom also contains a fully stocked cocktail bar accessible to all. The theme "Outlaws Never Die" is evident throughout the showroom, from the fashion to the building's construction.
Nashville is primarily known for music, hence the name Music City. However, Travis wants to make fashion just as significant. Being an incredibly confident person himself, Travis found that clothes play an essential role in one's level of self-esteem and confidence. Knowing this, he firmly believes in creating custom pieces for his clients as it brings them a unique sense of beauty and confidence in wearing something specifically made for them and no one else. Even the famous designer Karl Lagerfeld said, "fashion is a language that creates itself in clothes to interpret reality."
Travis holds vast aspirations for his company and is making extraordinary headway. In 2023, showrooms will open in New York and Paris, with ten additional locations opening across the globe in the next five years. However, in the next six months, Travis Austin Customs will become an official fashion house with women's and men's clothing lines, shoes, and more. Travis is determined to create a space for outlaw fashion in Haute Couture and is succeeding every day. For more information about Travis Austin and his custom creations, visit his Instagram at @travisaustincustoms or his website, www.travisaustincustoms.com
