Andre Benjamin, Creative Director of Benjamin Bixby

LONDON, United Kingdom – Young designers, you are not alone. Even pop superstars find the fashion business tough.

Last night, at the UK launch of Benjamin Bixby, the charming and down-to-earth Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000 of OutKast) told me that starting his new menswear label was the craziest and hardest thing he has ever done. That says a lot for someone who has been heralded not only as one of the coolest musicians around, but is also a style icon, known for a dandy-ish look that turns heads.

Andre says that he has learned that merchandising is, by far, the most important aspect to get right in a new fashion business. “It’s like medicine,” he quipped. “You need to wrap it up in peanut butter to make it appealing.”

He went on to talk about the importance of getting the collection assortment right — balancing the items that will bring people into the stores with the things that they will actually buy. For a newbie in the fashion business, he seems to have picked things up pretty quickly.

As for the Benjamin Bixby line itself, it is a highly-appealing collection which picks up on American preppie and collegiate styles with unique twists of classic tailoring. Unfortunately, there was not much on display at Harrods last night as the samples got stuck in customs, but here are some images to whet your appetites.

Benjamin Bixby collection, courtesy of Benjamin Bixby

Benjamin Bixby Collection, courtesy of Benjamin Bixby

Benjamin Bixby is available at Harrods in London and Barneys New York.