Along with TV doctor and race car driver, Patrick Dempsey can now add clothing designer to his resume. The actor joined forces with his friend Lyndie Benson (the founder of sustainable luxury clothier Bleusalt, which counts Cindy Crawford and Kris Jenner as fans) on a capsule collection of six pieces inspired by his guy-on-the-go lifestyle.
Having essentially lived in Bleusalt’s ultra-soft modal knits while filming and around town, Dempsey, who had no previous design experience other than years spent working with costume departments on set, saw the collab as a natural fit. “Lyndie give me a lot of freedom to create, she was very supportive,” he tells Us. “I could not have asked for a better partnership as far as creating a line.”
With his own intercontinental lifestyle serving as a jumping off point, Dempsey dreamed up two trouser styles that feel like sweatpants but can easily be dressed up or down, plus a European-cut blazer and cap. Oh, and there is a slightly more tailored version of the blazer for ladies, too. The pieces are meant to be comfortable enough to wear on the plane but stylish enough to attend a business meeting, and each piece is named after one of Patrick’s favorite spots in his adopted hometown of Malibu.
While Patrick hasn’t committed to a future in fashion, he enjoyed the process and hopes customers like the pieces as much as he does. “If anything was surprising it was how quickly we were turning things around from idea to the first piece to refining to the final pieces,” he shares. “I hope people get as much enjoyment from the clothing that I do.”
In addition to dipping his toe into the design waters, he also produced and directed a short video for the collection with Antony Hoffman. “We sat down on a Monday, came up with the idea and shot on a Friday. It’s the best way to work, quickly, efficiently and with people you know and trust,” Dempsey says. “It was really a creative workshop, between designing and shooting. The location was north of Malibu — a very dramatic setting and nice roads for driving and cycling.”
Priced between $50 and $350, the collection is available on bleusalt.com. Watch the super stylish clip below, and keep scrolling to shop all the dapper designs!