NFL Star Invigorates O-Town Fashion Scene
By Ryan FitzgeraldFriday, July 31, 2009
The Orlando fashion and art scene is getting a shot of life from Jeff Faine, center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and owner, president, and CEO of the Faine Group. The Faine Group is the holder of Forty VII Clothing, located in downtown Orlando. They just hosted SummerPOOLooza this past Sunday. They brought in a giant above-ground pool, constructed a cat walk that jetted out over the water, put in a stage, sponsored up, and threw a giant pool party right on one of downtown Orlando's busiest streets. "Let's put a pool where a pool's not supposed to go," was assistant manager Vince Maxwell's thought.
It rained in spurts on Sunday, but people still showed up to get wet and weird in and alongside the massive swimming pool. The music was rock-concert-loud, the alcohol was handy, and there was a sexy swimsuit fashion show. Somebody's thrown a party before. The models were mostly very tan and very blonde; they wore high heels, which made already long legs even longer. They performed all sorts of struts and saunters. Hops and pivots. Quarter turns and fanny shakes. It was all very sexual. They worked the crowd well.
A kind of running conversation was being held between random passers-by: By God they've put a swimming pool in the middle of the street, By God they have, What a sight to see, Extraordinary, Honey, look, a very generously proportioned open-faced tank is in the middle of the road, Young people are swimming in the tank, This is simply stupendous, a staggering work of genius the likes of which this city's never seen, Indeed, How do you suppose they filled up that very big and impressive swimming pool, Perhaps a bucket brigade: the way they did it pre hose-and-hydrant, Have you ever seen such a thing, Never, Once, in a photograph, You lie, I've never seen such a thing, not in the history of my own existence, nor in any existence I've ever heard of or studied or dreamt.
The pool party is just an example of the way Faine mixes lifestyle, fashion, music, and art. He also does so through the store. "I'm not artistically inclined myself," says Faine. "This is my contribution to the art form."
Forty VII Clothing, which is a play on the city's area code, is "clothing for the creative life," says Maxwell. This Saturday the store is hosting an art show. The store plays on the fusion between music, art, fashion, and lifestyle. Paintings by local artists hang on the walls next to displays of custom designed T-shirts which themselves seem like art. The post-modern theme of mixing art and consumerism is evident: the whole thing is Warholian. Like the Campbell's soup can: the line between art and product is being attacked. They work in the music by having big speakers positioned by the entrance pump out hit songs that are maestroed by a DJ in an upstairs booth.
"This is a place where you can come and show your art and we will sell it for you," says Maxwell. The store is pipelined into the local art scene every third Thursday of the month, which Maxwell says, is the city's unofficial art day.
"We support local artists -- we don't charge for their works to be up on the wall," Faine says. "There is a solid underground art scene -- especially pop art." This art scene fits right into Faine's own style, which he describes as being on the "hip side of art rather than the traditional."
Faine, a Florida native, attended Notre Dame, was drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Browns, and currently starts at center for the Bucs. Football is a passion for Faine, but this venture is more about his passion for art, "especially local underground art, music, and fashion." Faine has got a lot of passion to go around.
"He's a high energy, high output guy," says Maxwell. "He is very involved in the direction and philosophy of the store."
The direction Faine has set for Forty VII Clothing positions it as more than a retail shop: it's part art gallery, part lounge. They have a keg for customers of age. Each Thursday night they offer manicures and martinis. Ladies who come in and purchase any item can then get a free manicure and a martini. Not bad. They have lounge chairs and enough art to spend an afternoon perusing.
Maxwell notes that a common misconception about the store is that it's full of expensive stuff. Not true. "We've got lots of items for $20 and we've got more expensive stuff too," says Maxwell. "You can go get a T-shirt and a pair of jeans or a custom-made suit. We've got both."
The swimsuits worn by the models at the pool party are on display at the store. The suits are -- in parts -- studded with gems, made out of lace, with pleats that lift and separate in all the right places.
This idea of a pool party on the street is something you hear more about up north, where pool season is always fleeting. Northerners put a premium on outdoor water fun. When the rays come out in New York, they literally turn dumpsters into swimming pools. Luckily we aren't that desperate here. Floridians go swimming about as often as they eat hot meals. One could almost "swim around the city" -- following the chain of lakes and public and private pools: the way John Cheever's Neddy Merril did in the story "The Swimmer." But this is the first time we've had a pool on a downtown street corner, outside a movie theater, amongst traffic.
I asked Maxwell if Forty VII Clothing was planning another pool party: "Most definitely," he says. Faine is scheduled to report to Buc's training camp July 31, but the Faine Group is still making moves. They are slated to open "The Other Bar" on Wall Street this fall. They are dubbing it "what every other bar should be." Those are flat-out fighting words directed at any room downtown that has counters, stools, and a liquor license. This is how a guy who makes his living as a front line competitor runs a business.
It's just an example of the forward-thinking, "I'll never settle" mentality of Faine. When asked how Faine balances football with his off the field ventures he says, "I'm spread pretty thin at times, but I've surround myself with a solid team." Faine credits his football teammates and coaches as a positive influence on his leadership style. "It feels good to be comfortable and trusting of the guys around you." Faine says he has that on and off the field.
As proven by groundbreaking events like SummerPOOLooza and exciting new ventures, Jeff Faine's off-the-field contributions are definitely worth keeping an eye on.
