Henry became interested in fashion through art, screen printing his drawings on t-shirts and selling them at the local skate shop was his entry point to making clothes. An adoration for thrifting vintage clothing naturally became a form of research and fabric sourcing. These passions lead him to RISD where he studied Apparel Design. At RiSD he refined his craft in class and while interning for master cutter and tailor, Philip Sawyer. By senior year teachers regarded him as a denim encyclopedia.
His debut collection,“Patent Paradise”, expands upon ideas from the 1880s-1900s, Patent Era. During this time Levi Strauss and Co patented riveted waist overalls. In response, competing workwear manufacturers invented fascinating patents to contest the durability of those rivets. At this time only laborers wore denim, and longevity was the selling point. Many of these rival inventions, to Henry’s surprise, struck the elegant balance between adornment and functionality – two areas he explores within this collection. His fabrics celebrate the ever-changing life of a garment. Up-cycling post-consumer denim incorporates worn stories with each imperfection. Thrashed painter’s drop cloths are immortalized as wonderfully reconfigured abstract wearable paintings. By incorporating traditional tailoring techniques with 100-year-old sewing machines, Henry strives to revive long-forgotten craftsmanship and quality of design within each of his pieces.
After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Henry was selected as a finalist for the Supima Design Competition which was shown in New York Fashion Week on Sep 5, 2024. For the Supima Design Competition, For his second collection, “Patent Soiree”, Henry interpreted his distinct workwear language into womens evening wear.