What do you get when you mix an industrial textile and design fanatic, a cute and shy jewelry designer, and a master of calligraphy and language? Serum Versus Venom. SVSV is one of New York’s most underrated, non-branded, and most authentic clothing lines. Designer’s David Gensler, Portia Wells, and Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic are perfectionists at best; they create well-organized one of a kind American made ready-to-wear clothing, with some of the world’s most natural and rare and exotic resources. SVSV maintains the almost extinct tradition and the art of tailoring for specific clientele via word of mouth.
I got a chance to get a private tour of the SVSV showroom, also known as “The Bat Cave”. Located in the secluded Keystone Design Union (a consulting and strategic company) office, a crafty nest, buried deep and innocuous in an imaginary island of its own, right in New York City. The dimly lit cave/showroom personifies the aesthetics of SVSV, with its monochromatic and dreary color scheme of blacks, navy’s, olives, and neutrals. Aside from the current SVSV collections and archived pieces from the earlier years of the six year old line; the shiny metal and highly attractive blades from Gensler’s ever growing antic tailoring scissors collection adds to the creativity and passion for tailoring and design that both Gensler , Wells, Mestrovic share. The rows of scissors decorated to border the showroom gives the cave a dark age feel an immediate flash back to “Edward Scissor Hands”.
However; the décor of the showroom does not take away from the clothing. With a color palette to please any Goth, depressed, or “dark” lover, SVSV’s spring collection is an incredible addition to ANY man’s wardrobe. Although the color scheme is clearly simplistic and dreary on the outside of the garments many of the Fall 2009 collection includes a colorful tri-fold lining of the finest silk or silk linen combination. The timeless pieces are made from the finest and rarest materials like Qiviuk Wool from Indian Musk Ox, which is so rare because the animals are not allowed to be shaven; rather each piece of fur is collected as they shed naturally from the animal. One of my favorite pieces is constructed from traditional oilcloth, which is naturally waterproof, durable, and flexible and lined with the silk bright tri-fold design, a pattern consistent throughout the fall collection. For the more expensive and royal taste, SVSV uses the rarest South American wool, Vicuna, which was once restricted to be worn only by Peruvian royalty.  Vicuna is hard to come by, and extremely expensive per yard, but is one of the warmest wools.
Although; the entire ambiance of the KDU headquarters radiates inventiveness, it is obvious that SVSV is a unique line, birthed from a dynamic eclectic team. What makes SVSV different from other clothing lines is the designer’s attention to detail, knowledge of rare materials, and the effort and man-hours that goes into creating each piece from beginning to end. With an SVSV piece, you are guaranteed quality, and the satisfaction that they are not a factory brand, on many accounts you are purchasing a one of a kind piece.
As founder of KDU, Gensler, created the concept of Serum Versus Venom, based on the industry “You can’t have good without evil, serum versus venom”, stated Gensler. He is no newbie to the entertainment and fashion industry; as a former teammate of the original Roc-A-Fella Records (before the Dame Dash and Jay-Z split), a well traveled and educated man he incorporates all of his experiences into his clothing line. While Mestrovic, provides a Japanese flare, as his experience abroad adds to his craft as well. Japanese culture is extremely disciplined and intricate, while maintaining its simplicity, just as SVSV’s latest collection. Portia, Aerosyn-Lex, and David all have different backgrounds that mesh to form Serum Versus Venom.
Currently, Portia, the only female on the immediate team, is working on a women’s jewelry line, made of leather and metals. She is also the advocate and head designer for the highly anticipated female line from SVSV, which will hopefully launch with the upcoming collection. To maintain the echelon of old school tailoring an early American traditions, SVSV is only available via contact with the designers, you cannot find it at stores and/or online venues. For more on SVSV and KDU check out: www.svsv.net and
www.thekdu.com.
