Our Story

“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.”

Clarke & Barba is an L.A. based company established in 2009 by wife and husband Melissa Clarke & Silvano Barba. Inspired by a mutual love of fashion and their unique take on everyday classics, they created a line of fine handcrafted leather goods and accessories that combine elegance with edge, and solely create each product from start to finish.

A little history about us:

Silvano is a musician and artist and has always been a hands on type of person who comes from a creative background.  His father had his own handyman business and also made & upholstered furniture. His grandfather was a jack of all trades, including making leather shoes & horse saddles. As a teenager Silvano worked alongside his uncle in the swap meet airbrushing t-shirts and later started getting hired to paint murals. (Fun fact Melissa had him airbrush Robert Smith of the band The Cure on the back of one of her jackets when they first met in 1993, but that's a story for another time 😉.)  Also playing guitar and keyboards, he later went on to start the band Brutus Gets the Girl with his younger sister.  He eventually worked many retail jobs and started getting more involved in the fashion industry.  By working in various positions from stockroom/shipping to customer service, sales and marketing...in 2015 he felt he had enough well-rounded knowledge to leave the corporate world and focus on Clarke and Barba full time to fulfill his dream of having his own business while simultaneously satisfying his creative outlet.

Melissa has always been intrigued with the darker more unique side of things, and loves expressing herself in her look. Whether it's putting her own twist on everyday outfits, being her own hairstylist, making her own Halloween costumes, or having a deep love for Aerial Arts; she's always on the hunt for unique items that stand out. "I've always just bought what I've liked, trendy or not...and price and labels were never a driving factor.  I love putting things together most people wouldn't think of wearing a certain way.  There's just so much fun in fashion!"

Reconnecting again on Myspace 😅 in 2005, they were married in 2009 and together with their creative ideas and artistic skills they put their talents together & created a collection where elegance meets rebellion in timeless sophistication. "The designs we come up with and the image we put forward follow our motto Elegance with Edge. We want this company to have the same values that we live by. Fashion is about confidence. Wearing something that makes you look good on the outside will make you feel good inside. What you wear is a form of self-expression; anyone can buy what’s on the mannequin and follow trends. Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn! We want to share this way of positive thinking with the things that inspire us in fashion. To share the confidence, share the fashion, share who we are, Clarke & Barba.”

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