What’s in the name: Silber Fuchs

Silber Fuchs NYC, the New York City based clothing label started by Donald Muzio and Denis Kohler, is bringing their unique brand of fun to your Pride celebrations. “Silber Fuchs means silver fox in German,” Denis says. “My parents are immigrants from Germany and since I’m gray haired and have been called a silver fox, I asked my mom for the translation. Turns out, we can play off of it quite a bit.” I caught up with Denis to talk about the line and what Pride means to him.

What was the impetus for starting your line?

My husband and I have both been in the corporate world for our careers. I’m a graphic designer and a creative director. We’d been playing around with the idea of doing a T-shirt collection and came up with some designs. We realized when we looked at all the designs that there was a story and concept in our ideas so we figured we would give this a shot. We started small with five designs and printed 36 of each shirt. We had no clue what we were doing; we didn’t even know how many of each size we should order. But we launched and people seem to life it. We’re growing slowly, adding new designs and ideas.

You keep a tongue-and-cheek sensibility that takes monikers within the community and makes them fun. Why is that?

My husband is very witty and tongue-and-cheek. He has a dry sense of human and I feel like he’s the voice of the brand. I work with that voice in the design. I think that together, we’re a perfect partnership to match images with words. It all works. I wish I could say I have a grand scheme that’s intentional about the design, but it’s just developed on its own in a very organic way.

Why do you design? What continues to drive you?

This is a way to put out something that’s really just our own and see how that gels with the world. I’ll be honest, it was scary to do and there were worries about whether or not people would like it. But thankfully, it’s going pretty well. It’s fun to get my own stuff out there.

As someone creating for a primarily gay market, what does Pride mean to you?

My husband said the other day, Pride is more important now than ever. I think everyone was resting on their laurels after making such progress and then certain events happened in the world. Pride is continuing to fight and never getting too comfortable. We’re proud of who we are and we will continue being ourselves and loving each other.

I’m proud of how our community has come together in the face of uncertainty. I’m proud of how we support each other. On a personal note, I’m super proud of my marriage and all the love and support I get from my husband. I’m happy that we could create something of our own and continue to learn and grow together. And, I’m especially grateful for all the people in the world that have gotten FUCHS’D. The love and support from our followers has really helped us take this from a small side project to an actual business.

What’s next for Silber Fuchs NYC?

We’re partnering with one of our shops down in Florida to create swimsuits and that’s our next thing. This is also the first time we will be manufacturing something as opposed to buying an existing shirt and printing our designs on it. I would like to bring my own personal style into the brand and we are taking baby steps toward that.

How does this challenge you in a way you’re not challenged in your daily life?

It’s something I don’t have any knowledge of so I have to ask a lot of questions. It’s pushing me through that fear of not knowing how to do this. At the end of the day, it’s entering the unknown that’s challenging but everything has worked out just fine.

Get your hands on the clothes at www.silberfuchsnyc.com today!

Interview by Ryan Brinson