Celebrity designer John Varvatos is considering launching his own record label after years of hosting free mini-gigs in the New York space formerly occupied by fabled punk venue Cbgbs.

The rock 'n' roll fashion mogul took over the old club, which once served as the home of acts like The Ramones and Blondie, in 2008 and revamped it as a clothing store in a bid to preserve the legacy of the building in Manhattan's Bowery neighbourhood, and he has welcomed the likes of Guns N' Roses and Cheap Trick to perform at the place.

Varvatos, who has also worked with Paul Weller, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop and Green Day on ad campaigns for his menswear brand, is now keen to expand further into the music industry by establishing his own label.

He tells the New York Daily News, "I'm actually considering doing a very boutique, very special nurturing kind of label, working with just a few artists.

"We have the store in the Bowery... and we promote music in that store constantly. So I find the label thing is an interesting, intriguing thing from this point in time."