When it debuted in 2006, the clothing label William Rast was primarily a denim jeans brand. The brainchild of Justin Timberlake — yes, the suave, singing one — and his business partner, Trace Ayala, William Rast started out by fusing vintage Americana aesthetics with unexpected (at least considering JT’s pop music background) references to biker culture. William Rast still produces all the skinny jeans, studded leather jackets, and aviator sunglasses that a badass could ever want, but has also experimented with women’s silk tank tops, cotton skirts, dressy men’s blazers and eyewear of a somewhat bookish quality. The inspiration behind all this sartorial creativity is William Rast, the fictional bad-boy character for whom the brand's graphic T-shirts and leather jackets are designed.