Benjamin Bixby

Tuesday night there was a special event at the Holt Renfrew flagship store in Toronto on Bloor. It was a meet and greet with music and fashion icon Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000 of Outkast fame. He was in town to promote his new clothing line, labeled Benjamin Bixby.

This is his second full season of designing men's wear and much of it bears his trademark look. Brightly coloured polos and button down shirts, khakis and blazers and nice accent pieces like suspenders and ties in patchwork prints. Mr. Andre 3000 took the time to address the crowd of about 150 fashionistas and break down the clothing line.

First he explained where the name of the line actually comes from. Those of you who are fans of the show punk'd will recognize the story. Ashton Kutcher arranged for a Maybach that Outkast had borrowed for the weekend to attend some awards shows to be trashed and turned on its side. When he arrived at the scene a "representative" from Maybach approached him and asked his name. Not wanting to tell him his real name, Andre 3000 spit out - Bixby. When it was time to name his line, he recalled the story and paired that with his family name. After that he explained the logo of the line - a hot air balloon. To him it represents the adventure that the clothing line will take every season. He spoke about his favorite pieces in the collection, many of which are inspired by early 1900 American Football and some of his influences in the fashion world. After he was finished promoting his line he took a minute to speak about his upcoming music endeavours. At the end of March, his Outkast partner, Big Boi is set to release a full length solo project which Andre 3000 appears on. Then in the fall Andre 3000 will release his own solo album and is currently working with Big Boi on another Outkast album.

After he had completed his presentation to the crowd, Andre 3000 took time to mingle with the star-struck crowd, many of whom took photos with singer turned designer. Very friendly and open with the crowd, this fashion loving crew will no doubt be rocking the fresh gear come spring.