E85: The Pel NYC Interview

Hamilton Perkins Collection

Pel is a decorated military veteran turned entrepreneur and creative director focusing on art, fashion, and graphic design. Raised in Queens, New York, he received a degree in Computer Science. While serving as a United States Navy F-14 Avionics Tech, Pel worked on radar, navigation, and communication for fighter jets. After turning his career to his passion in art and fashion in 1997, Pel held various strategic director positions for apparel firms along with serving as a consultant as a logo designer for New York City Public Schools.

In 2008, Pel founded PELNYC, a firm focused on bolstering the artist community and providing art and services to the art and fashion industries. Later, he founded 'Idea Pharmacy,' boutique apparel and graphics consulting firm. Today Pel consults and directs an outstanding team through his established companies providing art, design, fashion, and brand development expertise and support. His roster of clients' brands including Uniqlo, 10 Deep, Joseph Abboud, Azzuré, Sean John, Rocawear, Universal Music Group, RP55, Wax Poetics, Mighty Healthy, Entree, Reebok, Fila, Diamond Supply, Talkspace, Sony, Umbro, Starter, Jordan, Nike, and Kappa. He is also a subject in Netflix documentary Underdogs.

The artistic visionary is frequently sought-after for his fine art and satirical cartoons. He has participated in Miami's 'Art Basel' and contributed a full-page monthly satirical cartoon in PENTHOUSE magazine based on his daily Instagram cartoons. His unique outlook is the common thread to his tightly knitted narrative. Whether through the use of a pen, marker, or paint, he has mastered the ability to have in-depth conversations with the viewer.

In his own words, Pel describes his work as being "An ambidextrous painter that uses the news and pop culture as my brushes, and the world as paint… through which I have a conversation with the canvas of your mind."

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In 2014, Hamilton Perkins founded Hamilton Perkins Collection, an independent brand, designing and producing unique and award winning bags and accessories from recycled materials.

Hamilton Perkins Collection exists to create timeless limited edition bags made from recycled plastic water bottles, pineapple leaf fiber, and billboard vinyl. The result is that no two bags are ever the same.

Our first design, the Earth Bag Premium, was created so that our customers would not only carry a bag that was stylish but carry a bag they could be proud of. We surveyed more than 1,000 consumers to obtain their thoughts and feedback for each component of the Earth Bag Premium, which soon became one of our most popular designs.

Perkins was the winner of the Virginia Velocity Tour hosted by the Governor of Virginia, and the recipient of a HUD Community Development Block Grant. The non-profit B Lab honored Hamilton Perkins Collection as a "Best for the World Overall" B Corporation in 2017.

Hamilton Perkins Collection has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Money Magazine, and The Washington Post.

The brand is currently offered in nearly 100 leading department stores and specialty stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe.