Eye on Style: Respoke
by Suzanne Daub
Chris Bartick describes the path he’s followed from art, graphic design, sailing, fashion, and back to art as a “wild and winding road…nomadic, yet rich in beauty and experience.”
Bartick has recently become the sole owner of the unique luxury brand Respoke upon the retirement of his co-founder Michael Tonello. The Respoke shop on Nantucket’s Straight Wharf has become well-known for its gorgeous one of- a-kind handcrafted footwear, home decor, and apparel made with repurposed designer scarves such as Hermès, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton.
Chris recently took some time to reflect back on his journey from being an “art kid” to a creative entrepreneur running an esteemed fashion company with multiple locations.
His artistic talent and long-time interest in painting led him to earn a BFA in Fine Art, with an emphasis on graphic design for practicality. “It’s difficult to have a career as a painter,” he explained. Right out of college, he was offered a job at Target in New York City, where he worked for two years before shifting to a job at a small design firm. “I was making money by being creative!”
With the boundless energy that keeps him going even today, while working as a graphic designer in New York, Bartick started a sailing charter business on the side that he ran after work and on weekends. “I grew up in a boating family: I had sailing in my blood,” he explained. “I offered lessons and charters in the Hudson River.” He and his business partner also chartered and sailed a 42-foot sailboat around New England.
Upon becoming a full-time freelance artist and designer in 2012, Bartick found the time to paint a series of 50 paintings called Moment of Sailing. Each canvas is painted aboard boats in different locations with the completion location noted in latitude and longitude with the signature. During the process, he decided that when he purchased the boat of his dreams he would name it Moment. Just a year later, he accomplished that goal: “I found the boat in Annapolis, Maryland—it was a wreck, and I spent a year restoring it as I continued to work in graphic design.” Bartick explained that “taking the boat from something in great need and turning it into a wellrespected charter” prepared him for the many challenges of the business world. His successes “did not just happen… I’ve been under a boat covered in everything, with resin dripping on my face at 2 in the morning…I read, talked to people, learned to restore the boat—all while working in graphics to afford it…The challenges of MOMENT prepared me for the challenges of Respoke —it forced me to become nimble and learn to pivot to stay afloat and expand.”
“When the boat was finally ready, I thought I’d be based in New York. But after about a month, I left the city and sailed to Provincetown, where I started my charter business, Moment Sailing Adventures.” The Moment, a 1981 Stevens 47, is still running charters, though now Chris is only occasionally at the helm.
It was during his early days as a captain in Provincetown that he met Tonello. “He was the only person I knew who lived in town, I was living aboard the Moment, building the charter business and working in graphic design and branding remotely. Michael initially helped me promote the boat with some flyers and word of mouth. After a summer in Provincetown, he approached me with his idea that eventually became Respoke. “I was intrigued: I had been looking for an amazing product that I could market and grow while remaining remote and not having to report into a physical place… Little did I know!”
Bartick and Tonello worked together to find the mountain village workshops in Spain that could execute their ideas to incorporate scarves into quality footwear. “Our first break was in Bergdorf Goodman in New York City: from there we launched into other high-end specialty boutiques,” Bartick explained. As it would turn out, storage was very necessary to house the product, as Respoke was expanding and Provincetown seemed like the most logical place. Bartick managed to find a storage space that also happened to be a front-facing retail space “as a test.” The showroom revealed just how essential a brick-and-mortar location was to growing the business— their clientele loved experiencing their Provincetown showroom, browsing through the one-of-a-kind shoes, and finding their fit and their favorites.
“After a really great first year (2018), that fall I sailed to Nantucket—because I love Nantucket—and it occurred to me that the island has a great summer vibe that could be perfect for Respoke. After looking at options and numbers,” Bartick explained, “the location on Straight Wharf was calling to us. We agreed to lease it, COVID hit, and we had to scramble and pivot.” To step on-island with some good will, they opted to donate the space to the Artists Association of Nantucket and a portion of web sales to Nantucket Community Sailing. They finally were able to open their Nantucket store in 2021, which resulted in a grand success.
Respoke now has four locations in addition to Respoke.com: seasonal shops on Nantucket, on Martha’s Vineyard, in Provincetown, and a year-round shop in Charleston. In the midst of opening their store in Provincetown, they started a new division, embellishing clothing. “That was the start of different pathways: we now do furniture, and I launched a collage series with remnant off-cuts of the shoe-making process and acrylic paint—keeping the theme of iconic designer scarves and celebrating iconic scenes in each of our locations,” said Bartick.
Just this month, Respoke has launched a new line of Sport Loafers. “We’ve been doing sneakers for years… these are more like a loafer, but sporty and non-marking for boat decks. They have a vulcanized sole and are lined in French terry with a removable insole… very comfy…most are white, some are black and all are constructed with designer scarves. We use as much natural and sustainable material as possible in all of our products.”
Bartick is always trying to refine his company and loves the concept of “art for your feet” and “fashion is art.” He’s been exploring new collaborations for Respoke, such as their recent Respoke X Imp of the Perverse jackets: “they’re in lilac and sapphire blue for men and women, and they’re insane!”
“It’s been a wild and winding road: I love the idea of beginning as a painter, becoming a graphic designer…restoring and living on a sailboat… and taking a product- driven company to the moon. The initial expectation was an online business, yet discovering the importance of client contact, which yielded four brick-and-mortar locations that conveniently now double as four galleries where I can show my work . It’s like a full circle… I found my way back and so much more.”
Respoke is open daily at 41 Straight Wharf and online at respoke.com
