BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO
Some people just have an eye for style, and Kate Snyder is one of them. Known for her creative flair and effortlessly individual sense of fashion, Kate is now channeling that passion into Callahan, a new collection of one-of-a-kind jackets for adults and kids. We caught up with Kate to learn what inspired her to take the leap, where she finds her creative spark, and what she’s dreaming up next.
What inspired you to launch Callahan?
Callahan came together organically. A year ago, I was in New York City for a girls’ weekend with a friend when I fell in love with a pair of jeans covered in brooches. They were a splurge, but I had to have them. Within days of getting home, half the brooches had fallen off. But the idea stayed with me.
I started experimenting with an old jacket, choosing brooches that meant something to me and told little pieces of my story. I loved making something so personal that I could throw on with things I already wore. When I wore it out, people started asking, “Where did you get that? Where can I buy one?” Friends encouraged me to do something with it, and what started as a jacket for myself became the beginning of Callahan.
You’ve always had an incredible sense of personal style. Where did that love of fashion begin?
First, that’s very kind of you to say! My mom has always loved clothes and has a great sense of style. She’s always a bit ahead of the curve. She’s also very artsy and creative, and I think some of that rubbed off on me.
In middle school, I had these bright blue Esprit pants and a matching off-the-shoulder sweater. I wore that outfit all the time and felt so cool. I would never wear that color today, but I still remember how I felt in it. I think that’s when I first fell in love with how an outfit could make you feel.
When I became a hairstylist in my early twenties, I really started playing with my style, experimenting with my hair, bedazzling tops, and cutting up shirts to make them my own. When I lived in LA, a friend and I would sit on my floor making bracelets out of beads and crystals. Whether it was hair, clothes, or jewelry, I loved putting things together and making something personal. Looking back, that creative thread was there long before Callahan.
What is it about outerwear that captured your imagination?
Jackets made sense for the brooches because they don’t need to be washed as often as other clothes. Once I started working on them, I loved the space they gave me to play. The back, the shoulders, even a little detail near a pocket can become part of the story. There’s room for something bold and sparkly alongside something small and meaningful.
I’m curious about what sparks an idea for you. Where do you find inspiration?
I mostly work with vintage military liners in army green, black, and camo. I did a small denim collection named for my hometown Wilson, WY, that included a few children’s pieces.
I usually start with one larger piece on the back, a statement brooch or a patch, and build around it. A leopard might sit alongside something softer, like a butterfly or a dangling heart. I love stars, moons, and flowers, and somehow a snake always finds its way onto my own jackets.
If I am making a custom piece where I know the future owner, I work with brooches I know will be meaningful to them also. Maybe it’s a lobster because they grew up in New England, or a musical note, because they are lovers of music. If I don’t know them well, I love to start with a small conversation where they tell me about what they love, where they are from, what they connect to. Do they have kids? What are their names? Maybe I can find a beautiful “B” for a child’s initials. That sort of thing.
Spirituality inspires me, too: tarot cards, angel numbers, angel wings, and initials. I’m drawn to symbols that mean something to me and that other people might connect with. I don’t want everything to be too structured. I want the pieces to feel cohesive, but not replicated. They all need some color, movement, and flair.
How would you describe your aesthetic? What are you drawn to when it comes to color, pattern, texture, and mixing things that might not traditionally go together?
My everyday style is simple. I am such a jeans and white tee/tank top girl. But I always accessorize. I love lots of great jewelry. I mean, my everyday look is no less than half a dozen necklaces. With a great bag, and a fresh blowout, I just feel put together.
A jacket can elevate a whole outfit. You can throw one over workout clothes or jeans and a tee, and suddenly it has a whole different vibe. I love that one piece can do that.
You’re creating coats for both adults and children, which I think is such a fun concept. What inspired you to design for both? My best friend’s daughter is six and has an amazing personal style. One
Continued on page 10
Continued from page 9
day, she came over and saw a bunch of my work lying out. She picked out all the pins she wanted for her own jacket. She made it completely her own, from scratch.
I loved watching her choose because she already knew what she wanted and what she loved. I wanted to celebrate that your sense of personal style can start so young.
Starting something creative from scratch takes a certain amount of courage, especially when you’re putting your own taste and ideas out into the world. What has surprised you most about this process?
I really love making these jackets, I feel creatively fulfilled, and I believe in what I’m doing. The support from friends who have ordered them has meant a lot.
Reaching people beyond that circle has been harder than I expected. I’m not very comfortable with technology or social media. As a hairstylist, I’m used to connecting with people one-on-one. My comfort zone is being creative, doing hair, needlepointing, and making jackets. Learning the business and marketing side has been a learning curve.
Fashion can be such a personal form of self-expression. How do you hope someone feels when they put on one of your jackets?
I hope someone puts on one of my jackets and feels beautiful, confident, and completely themselves. Whether we create a custom piece together or they fall in love with one I’ve already made, I want them to see something of themselves in it. I’m always happy to add a few meaningful pins, those little details can make it feel truly theirs.
Sometimes the strongest connection comes from the smallest piece. It might be a little pin that reminds them of someone they love or represents something important in their life. I might not even know its meaning to them, and I love that.
What would make me happiest is seeing someone wear their jacket often, in their own way, or like I do, over jeans and a tee, and hearing them say, “This is so me.” There’s something really special about making a piece that starts with my creativity and becomes part of someone else’s story.
You’re launching this business right here in a community where you’ve built friendships and connections over the years. How can people discover your designs, and help spread the word?
Sharing Callahan with this community feels very personal. So many of my friendships and connections have grown through being a hairstylist and spending time with people one-on-one. Having friends encourage me, order jackets, and wear something I’ve created has given me the confidence to keep going. Every time someone chooses a piece, it feels like they’re believing in me, too.
I’d love for people to reach out, see what I’ve been making, or talk with me about a custom jacket. That conversation is one of my favorite parts, getting to know someone and finding the details that make a piece feel like them. And simply wearing a jacket, telling a friend about Callahan, or sharing my designs helps so much. Those personal connections are how this started, and I hope they’re how it continues to grow.
Where did the name come from and why is the bee so important?
The bee on my label is deeply personal. To me, bees are a connection to my deceased father and my son, Henry, who was stillborn. When I see one, I feel close to them.
I named my first collection Henry in his honor. Callahan is my maiden name, so choosing it for the brand feels like a way to honor my dad, too. It means a lot to carry them both with me in something I love creating.
Where would you love to see Callahan go from here? Are there other pieces you’d like to design, collaborations you’d love to explore, or ideas you’re excited to bring to life?
I’d love to sell more jackets, connect with more people, and keep growing. I’d like to explore other types of styles, too. Maybe I work on a jacket line, or a flannel collection. There are so many fun concepts to play with.
But what I really want is to keep telling people’s stories. I love making these custom jackets, and I’d love to do more of them. It means so much to have someone wear something I made, that helps them tell their story. Something special, unique, and beautiful that no one else has.
We are so grateful to be a part of this journey that is just beginning for you, Kate. To keep in touch with Kate and follow her evolution as a designer, visit her Instagram page @callahan_by_kate.