Kareem Dimitrious Collie, left, and Donald Ray Franklin II, right.   (Photo: Jake Chessum)

You look fantastic.
KAREEM, left: We're heading to a presentation, so we want to look sharp. I'm doing my Professor Collie garb. We try to stay on top of our game. We're businessmen, and we're icons for our business.
DONALD: Kareem represents the creative and I represent the business side, and I think our style reflects that.

Have you been partners a long time?
DONALD: No, but we've known each other since college. There's a whole lot of trust.

Describe these outfits.
KAREEM: These are herringbone slacks by Yoko Devereaux, paired with a nice cream turtleneck sweater. I was afraid of looking too Euro, so I put on this little straw hat that I usually wear in the summertime.
DONALD: This is a blue Ralph Lauren blazer that I bought and then changed the buttons. They were gold with a sailor emblem, and now they're silver with crests. It's a Rod Keenan hat—rabbit fur with an alligator strap—a Paul Smith scarf, a Brunello Cucinelli sweater, and an Armani watch.

Do your looks help your business?
DONALD: When people meet us for the first time, before we even open our mouths, they get excited. They want to work with us. It's a certain atmosphere that we bring, a certain aura. It's all very connected.
KAREEM: I had a client walk into a meeting one day and say to me, "If you had come in here dressed any other way, I would ask to see your portfolio. But I can tell by the way that you're dressed, that you're sharp, and that you're on it. Let's just do it."

Related:

• Archive: “Look Book”
• Articles by Amy Larocca
• Table of Contents: Apr 23, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!