Name: Luke Burrett
Age: 31
What's your background? You're affiliated with Travis from Blink-182, right?
Famous Stars and Straps is his belt company. Before he was a musician, he was always hanging out in my shop, and then he started playing for Blink-182. He came to me before he was big and said he wanted to do a belt line, and I helped him out. His big star belt buckle is actually my big star ring.
Where did you learn how to design?
I've always been a creative guy, just something in my blood. I just gave it a shot and found out I had a knack for jewelry.
Before you started designing jewelry, did you wear jewelry?
Yeah, I've always worn tons of jewelry.
Have you run across anyone who thinks it's feminine for men to wear jewelry?
You know what? No, not at all. I've never ever. No, jewelry is like another accessory. It's just something to add to our bodies. I just double pierced my nose. I get bored. I put in two silver teeth; I put my initials, “ss” for Silver Star, in them—they drilled it in. It took two to three weeks.
Did it hurt?
Yeah, totally because they took my teeth out.
So now you have fake teeth there?
Yeah. I'm not worried about it. My girlfriend gave me tons of shit about it though.
Why?
She's just not into that look.
Do you think it's hard to be the girlfriend of a fashion designer, considering how detail-oriented they are?
Yeah, definitely. I'm buying a house right now, and she's got her idea of design, and I've got mine. She wants it to be more high-class ordinary, and I want it to be more wild. If I had it my way, I'd make my house like Candyland. You'd walk in and have huge suckers and lollypops, and there'd be a big hole in the wall, and you'd shoot down it and go into a bunch of balls.
Why Orange County?
I live in Dana Point, and I consider Costa Mesa the hub—it's a necessity if you want to be anybody to be in the hub. It's the high point for fashion around here. You have everything that you possibly need when it comes to designing in a five-mile area.
Fashion designers are . . .
Very artistic.
Clothes and accessories are important because . . .
Everybody wants to look good, you know.
Do you ever go out and not think about how you look?
I always think about how I look when I go out. I always make sure my appearance is good.
What kind of music do you listen to while designing?
I listen to a bunch of different music—anything from Crystal Method to Tupac to Crazytown. A lot of techno, too.
Who's someone that has a great sense of style?
Jack Martinez [of Black Flys]. He's my mentor.
