INSIDE ASHTON MICHAEL'S HEAD
EXCLUSIVE:
Fashion Odds caught up with the outspoken and talented fashion designer Ashton Michael (in the middle of him finalizing his collection to be shown at this years’ LA Fashion Week!), at his intimate Hollywood studio - whose long list of clients include Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Will.i.am, Gwen Stefani and more. We chatted on A.M. not following the hype, the ups and downs of this industry, and how he wants to change the world of fashion for the better.
FO: You’ve have worked with a great list of celebrity clients over the years , and are known for your quick turnaround times, with that said, could you tell us about the look you created for Beyoncé at the 2016 Super Bowl?
AM: Well a lot of talented designers actually submitted their work for that, and was honored to be included amongst them...it just kind of worked out in my favor ultimately! But, as you know fashion is very in the minute, then it’s gone! I sketched out an entire look for her, and we made the look in 48 hours. My team and I were super excited because it brought to life the feel of Women Empowerment, and Black Panther inspiration, like everything just worked. But you know things really can change at the last minute, in this case, things were revised and we ended up only doing half of it, and the other half by D Squared - which ended up bittersweet...and beautiful, but all in all an incredible placement for the brand.
FO: In this day & age where social media is crossed with brand reconigition, you have designers/CDs such as Olivier Rousteing being besties with the Kardashians and Kanye, supplying the family with unlimited Balmain gear which they wear and shamelessly promote over social media. How do smaller brands such as yourself counter this?
AM: I actually don’t want to counter it, because countering it would be feeding into it. Olivier is f-ing super talented, and I am all for brands having support from all avenues. I just feel like there was a hype train that came along with it . I still think the brand is incredible regardless of who wears it or not. In this case I just felt like the hype between the two parties made the brand less special, and more trending.
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT