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San Francisco-based Nice Collective will make their Midwest runway debut next month at Saint Louis Fashion Week. Major fixtures in the San Francisco underground music scene, designers Ian Hannula and Joe Haller met on an SF dance floor in 1995 and quickly discovered their shared passions for art, music and fashion. They coined the name Nice Collective, an homage to their self-proclaimed nice guy personalities, and launched their first, menswear-only collection in 1996. They originally intended to start Nice Collective as an all-encompassing record label, nightclub, DJ agency and fashion line. But, with the success of their startup collection, their other ventures quickly took a back seat.

The FW09 collection, Time Machine, marked the label’s first appearance at New York Fashion Week, and the unveiling of its first womenswear pieces (it was about time!). Style.com called the collection “post-apocalyptic” and “post-erotic”, and highlighted the collection’s laser-cut leathers with asymmetrical seams, which were paired with layered knits or bare legs.

Season after season, Hannula and Haller stay true to their fashion-forward focus. Distressed combat boots, worn tops with drop stitching, vests lined with sweatshirt material and dinner-napkin handkerchiefs are among the deconstructed elements that define Nice Collective’s wearable, unique pieces.

A favorite brand among celebs including Gavin Rossdale, Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom, the two Nice Collective creatives were recently included on GQ’s list of the top American designers, and have provided clothing for Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins and The Police tours. If you can’t wait a whole month to see this killer cult label in person, then get a quick fix now at barneys.com.

Images via Michael Kelley at Nice Collective