“It’s all about knowing where to stop” – going too far can be as bad as not going far enough – a quote that dramatically affected not only Johnny Talbot’s design philosophy, but his life creed in general.

Talbot was born in 1964 in Nashville, Tennessee, where he attended Vanderbilt University graduating with a degree in electrical engineering and computer engineering. With his diploma clinched tightly in his fist, Talbot left Music City USA, relocating to Washington, D.C. where he worked for the United States government in the area of “anti-submarine warfare artificial intelligence.” After a wildly successful interview with Radio Free Europe, he moved to Munich, Germany. On weekends, Talbot would visit the glamourous European centers of art and fashion: Paris, London, Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin, Milan. He met Adrian Runhof — his future business partner — who had just finished his first collection and it became even more obvious that Talbot was working in the wrong field; he decided to radically change his life: “Fashion… now that looks easy enough.”

Now, some 25 years later, the label is called Talbot Runhof with a full range of evening, cocktail and daywear, shoes, bags and accessories. The flagship store, design studio, showroom and ateliers are located in Munich, and the product is made in Germany with impeccable craftsmanship. The collection can be found in over 200 doors world-wide including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods, and Harvey Nichols. In addition to a Munich flagship in a fabled 18th Century mansion, the brand is opening boutiques in Düsseldorf and Berlin in 2016.

Johnny Talbot has been a CFDA Member since 2014.