HOW would you define your personal style?
My personal style: custom-fitted, laid-back, and street ready.
Do you find that you follow fashion trends or do you play by your own rules?
I watch the trends but follow my own sense of style. In fashion, rules are for taking, breaking and remaking. Fashion is both cyclical and inventive. Originality is of the highest order.
Are there any colours that you tend to shy away from, and if so why?
I’m open to the spectrum but fluorescent colours are just way too much for me. They’re too gaudy, too invasive for my taste. Still though, if used more discreetly, fluorescents can have a cool effect.
As a child were you always into clothes or did you grow into your own fashion sense?
I was rocking polka dots and boot cuts from age ten. Ha!Ha!Ha!
What are five things that every man should have in his closet?
Clean dark underwear, a crisp white fitted tee, a sharp, black, buttoned down, custom-made denims, and a pair of quality footwear. At home, a pair of nice shorts is also a must – but that makes six!
What one piece of advice would you give to someone wanting to start a career in fashion designing?
Love it, or leave it. An artist is always on. Work, play, life, all the same one thing – experience. So approach it all with love, or leave it alone.
What inspires you?
A better question would be “does anything not inspire you?” The form and aesthetic of the roosters in my backyard recently inspired a graphic icon I’m currently working on. Everything serves the artist, naturally.
What is the best perk in being a designer?
Rocking your own gear first.
Where do you like to shop for fabrics?
I’ll work with what I have wherever I am, always staying open to more of course. I’ve found good fabrics many places including here at home. I’ll have to travel more.
What do you wish you had known before entering the industry?
From a business standpoint, I wish I had known that home here is not the money market regardless of the high interest and admiration. It’s more like bootcamp. It is a preparatory place for the global fashion market where the vision and financial value for fashion really is. If I had been clear on that I would have focused more strictly on designing here and building a working base outside for a period of time.
What matters to you most as a designer?
That I keep an open mind and a drive to excel myself. An open mind allows me to explore, experiment, and innovate. With that, producing greater work is certain to occur.
What do you believe makes a quality piece of clothing?
A quality garment isn’t hard to recognize. It’s in the feel and durability of the fabric, the precision of the crafting, the balance of the form, and the clean beauty of the finish. Ultimately a quality garment inspires the wearer beyond the label it carries.
What trends do you see being big for 2011?
In menswear for 2011 into 2012, I envision a curious blend of the classic colours browns, black, greys and white. The strong, bright colours will take on a position as accents rather than maintain the dominance they currently enjoy. But as it goes with fashion, anything could happen.
If you could choose one colour that should be in every wardrobe, what would it be and why?
That single colour would be black. It looks good on everyone and you just can’t run out of cool ways to work with black.
