Morris Hubbard is a lifestyle brand established in Brooklyn, NY in 2011, whose roots began circa 1986 in a southern New England town, by Kellyn Leveton and Arielle Chorney. Two young school girls met in Miss Miller’s class unaware that 25 years later, they would not only still be friends but would be building a business together. The name itself is a combination of the streets the pair grew up on.
Arielle Chorney (Morris) and Kellyn Leveton (Hubbard) spent most days as young girls and teenagers together. There was a brief period in their early twenties where the two lost touch. The friendship was made to last as Chorney and Leveton later discovered each had settled only blocks from each other in brownstone Brooklyn. Their friendship picked back up again as if no time had passed. Their core values remained the same and their experiences and interests had grown parallel to each other. Each of their personal styles nod to the past with a keen awareness of the modern. The recognition of this mutual aesthetic and desire to find ways to spend more time together led to the birth of Morris Hubbard. Leveton is the creative force behind Morris Hubbard. She is an accomplished menswear designer having designed apparel for well-respected lines including Bill Blass, Perry Ellis, Austin Reed, Lyle & Scott, Aura, and Dr. Martens. Her designs can be seen around the world and have been featured during New York Fashion Week. When it comes to designs for Morris Hubbard, the look and feel is rooted in her daily Brooklyn, NY lifestyle. When not designing, she’s busy loving cheese, theater and dancing to pop hits from the 1980’s. Leveton can also recite the entire movie, “Clue.” Don’t be surprised if elements of the Morris Hubbard line are later inspired by Mr. Chorney, the daughter of a retired antiques dealer, spent much of her childhood exploring antiques shows, flea markets and tag sales. Today, she still spends much of her free time being fascinated with memorabilia, artisanal trades, mid-century furniture, and mission and arts and crafts styles. She spends her days marketing modern day brands, having held leadership positions at a number of leading marketing companies and advertising and public relations agencies. She has worked with clients in all industries from luxury to consumer packaged goods. Her professional motto has always been “Don’t get yourself in a pickle.” This focus on planning and execution to create best-in-class work is brought to the business side of the Morris Hubbard brand. She also really loves pickles. Chorney and Leveton’s shared love of Brooklyn’s collective respect for vintage and artisanal products and trades led to Morris Hubbard’s debut product. The “eureka” moment came one humid Brooklyn summer day. That was the day the Morris Hubbard Sweat Rags and Schvitzing Cloths were imagined. Leveton and Chorney imagined ladies patting their brow with a Morris Hubbard Schvitzing Cloth while sipping a Tom Collins in a Boerum Hill garden and gentlemen pulling out a Morris Hubbard Sweat Rag from their back pocket while biking to McGolrick Park in Greenpoint. Each Sweat Rag and Schvitzing Cloth is constructed of a Morris Hubbard designed fabric in rotating limited edition prints.
