New York twins Ariel and Shimon Ovadia explain how SoHo, the <i>Zohar</i> and spirit of Mr Kurt Cobain inspired their latest collection .

Messrs Ariel and Shimon Ovadia have Brooklyn accents so thick, even the baristas in Manhattan sometimes have difficulty understanding the finer details of their “cawwwfee” orders.

The Flatbush neighbourhood they moved to from Jerusalem when they were four years old was a cultural mix of Italian, Jewish, Asian and Russian. It not only gave them their barbwire pronunciation of the letter “O”, but also the entrepreneurial zeal to establish their clothing brand – New York tailoring meets casual sportswear – in 2010 after just one year’s preparation.

As teenagers in the 1990s, they tried on various styles, obsessively collecting Polo Ralph Lauren, The North Face and Nike. Next they moved on to cashmere sweaters, tuxedo shirts, bow ties and opera pumps, before reverting to band T-shirts, vintage Levi’s and Vans.

At yeshiva private school in Brooklyn they felt constrained by their uniform, but after they convinced their mother to let them go to the local public school to join their friends, everything changed. “We broke out all the cool clothing and overnight became very popular,” says Ariel. Shimon adds: “You showed up to school just to put on your best sneakers and clothing – you wouldn’t even go to class.”

The twins got a taste for business through helping their father in his children’s clothing business, cleaning the warehouse, ordering supplies, unloading trucks – hence the name Ovadia & Sons. Their father still works in the company’s Brooklyn office, managing the family business. And the dynasty looks set to continue: the brothers, now 31, are both married and each has a son.

“We came to understand the clothing world as boys working for our father,” says Shimon. “Now we’re more in the fashion and show-business world.” Their designs are worn by NBA star Mr LeBron James, actor Mr Daniel Radcliffe and musician Mr Pharrell Williams. “But we get more excited when we see a regular person that we think is cool wearing the clothing,” says Shimon. “That’s real for us.”

So what will the Ovadia faithful be wearing this season? “This collection has a really easy, youthful vibe,” says Ariel. “It’s a mix of tailoring and sportswear, worn in a distinct way, for example jogging trousers with a beautiful shirt.” That’s the brothers’ design signature: an increasing interest in the smart but with an on-the-street style they grew up with.

To mark the arrival of Ovadia & Sons’ FW14 collection on MR PORTER, the twins share the design influences that inspired it. (PS: Don’t mess with the Zohan.)

Shimon: “If we had to choose a neighbourhood that best represents Ovadia & Sons, it would be SoHo. The buzz on the street, the stores and the graffiti all create a blend of rawness, luxury and modernity. When they tore down some walls next door to our SoHo office, they found an entire Basquiat and Fab Five graffiti wall. It was where Andy Warhol and all those guys hung out. It's impossible not to feel inspired here.”

Shimon: “We’re a tight-knit family and we get together often. Sometimes you need some home cooking and our mum is like a world-class chef. Every single Friday when we were kids she made a dish with roasted tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and spices that’s called matbucha that took six to eight hours to make on the low flame. She still cooks and bakes with precision, technique and the freshest ingredients. The recipes have been passed down for many years. There's a love you taste that can't be replicated. It taught us that good things take time and great things take longer.”

Shimon: “We have a 2014, a 2005 and a 1950s version of Bertoia’s wire chair. His designs are works of art that have stood the test of time but they were always meant to be functional and not precious.”

Ariel: “With everything going on with work, technology and the fast-paced lifestyle in the city, it’s necessary to take time out. We go out to East Hampton to recharge and surround ourselves with nature, beaches, animals and friends and family.”

Ariel: “Today, something that we learn about all the time is Jewish mysticism and esoteric thought – books from thousands of years ago that reveal the wisdom of the world and the human body. In books that were written 3,500 years ago, it says things that scientists are just discovering today. The Zohar gives the meaning of life.”

Shimon: “We’re very into a healthy lifestyle. One of our friends has a place on Sixth Avenue called The Juice Shop, so we make two special juices with them that we have in our office: a watermelon juice and a green juice of kale, apple, lemon, ginger, parsley, romaine. The juices give us energy and refreshment. And you need those to be creative.”

Ariel: “This photographer has a real eye, and the execution and composition of the photographs are incredible. It’s a dreamy fantasy world. We like things where you’re not sure if this was shot yesterday or 100 years ago. Rodney's photography is current, mysterious and timeless and that's a similarity we strive to capture in our work. The inspiration for us is to create pieces that are relevant today and in the future.”

Shimon: “His rebellious rock‘n’roll influence was big when we were growing up. There's an image in particular with him wearing a leopard jacket that inspired the feel for this FW14 collection. We took a youthful, relaxed attitude and paired it with the Ovadia & Sons sensibility. That’s what started the inspiration for the entire collection.”