Fashion
What do you believe makes a
quality article of clothing?
Uniqueness and durability. If it looks
like what everyone else has, then it
probably is, and that’s lame as f***.
You know who has a black suit?
Every man ever. Change up. If it
doesn’t last, I find it pointless, so
it has to be durable as well.
What was the first article of
clothing you ever designed?
T-shirts I believe. I did have that line
first, so it had to be the original
design for my first order ever made.
It was an elephant in the center.
I worked on the concept with my
graphic artist at the time.
Tell us about your design process.
It depends on the piece. It can take
any where from three to six weeks,
depending on what I’m doing. I was
using a tablet for a while, but
I found that it wasn’t as precise
as pencil and paper, so I stopped
using it. It’s been dead for months
actually. My electronic drawings
sucked anyway. The smell of pencils
and the crispness of paper is a dream
for the senses. It helps me focus on
work, instead of a Facebook pop-up
coming on the tablet every 20
seconds. It gets way too distracting.
I can thin and thicken lines a lot
easier than with a tablet and a
stylus; thus, my drawings look a lot
more crisp and “professional”. The
only thing I miss about the tablet is
the ability to zoom in and get even
more details. With paper and pencil,
what you get is what you have.
What are some of your
accomplishments as a designer?
Winning Philadelphia’s “Best Men’s
Clothing”, and “Best Tuxedo”, from
PHL 17 with over 60% of the vote.
If that isn’t an accomplishment for a
brand, I certainly don’t know what is.
Is there a designer who you favor?
Karl Lagerfeld. He is a genius. His
working is so prestige. Some people
just don’t get it. I also like him
because he speaks his mind, while
most other brands or designers
hold their tongue.
Where do you purchase your
fabrics?
I am working with a few mills around
the world, which provide me with
the fabrics I want and need. I also
have been visiting Fabric Row in
Philadelphia. There are a bunch of
shops you can go to in order to find
new and exclusive stuff.
How do you prepare for a fashion
show?
To be honest, I don’t know. My last
show was my first show, and I
actually almost cried backstage.
I was so f***ing nervous. I never had
a fashion mentor or anything, so for
me to successfully launch, I had to
make sure everything was on point.
After I did everything I could, I had
to leave it up to my make-up artist,
models, and photographer. I was
backstage just trying to remain
calm. After it was over and I walked
on stage, I could breathe again.
People were cheering and clapping,
some people were whistling. That’s
when I knew that from now on it
would be less of a headache.
How do you select your models?
I like beautiful women. I like to put
beautiful women next to my suits.
Their height, weight, hair color, etc.,
doesn’t matter. My perspective of
beauty has such a big range that
anyone can do it – as long as the
photos come out properly. I got tired
of going to suit stores and seeing
all male mannequins and male
salespeople, so I told myself that
when it was my turn, it would all
be female. Beautiful clothing, and
beautiful people. Confidence is key,
however. If you don’t have that it
won’t work.
What advice do you have for
aspiring fashion designers?
Be yourself. Try new things out and
don’t be afraid to fail. Just be
yourself and fear not. The worst is
that your ideas can be rejected; but
I’ve been told that once the idea of
the airplane was rejected, and the
same with the earth rotating around
the sun.
What are some of your goals as
a designer?
Paris and Milan. I have to get to both
ASAP. I obviously want to conquer
NYFW (New York Fashion Week) too,
but Paris is where I’m headed.
What is most important to you as
a fashion designer?
Creativity, and I truly appreciate
that. There are places in the world
where you can’t wear what you
want to.
Do you consider yourself an artist?
Fashion is an art, so my designs do
become a form of a