Spotlight On: Local Designer Ryan Moore
You've probably seen me post about Ryan on my other social media recently. We first met when I DJed at Pins and Needles back in August, and he participated as a contestant. He was sweet and friendly, and we connected over his choice of music for his collection (Glitch Mob, yes, okay!). I was hoping to work with someone to create a custom item to wear to STLFW this fall, and so I reached out to Ryan. He's designing me a pretty cool dress that I cannot wait to see finished!
I thought instead of keeping him all to myself, I'd ask him some questions and share them with you! I hope you enjoy getting to know him, and stay tuned for our collaboration! Here we go!
SOSM: Did you study fashion design in school? If so, at what school?
RM: I contemplated going to school for Fashion Design, but I actually ended up going to Webster University to earn my BFA in Costume Design and Construction.
SOSM: Did you know when you were a kiddo that you wanted to be involved with fashion?
RM: I didn’t always know, I originally wanted to be an actor. My high school theater teacher saw a different type of creativity and talent in me, and guided me into the world of costume design.
SOSM: If not, what was a pivotal turning point in your interest in being in the fashion world?
RM: Costuming and Fashion have many parallels, but it was really my internship at Vital Voice Magazine in their fashion department that really sparked my interest in the fashion scene.
SOSM: First time showing a collection?
RM: The first full fashion collection I showed was at the Pins and Needles Upcoming Designer Competition in August 2015. I had costume designed a number shows before then, but that was my first strictly fashion collection.
SOSM: Favorite piece designed so far?
RM: One of, if not my favorite piece I have designed would be the Berlin Wall jacket/ look I designed for Missouri Style week. The entire look is just very much my aesthetic. It’s very textured, grungy (but not dirty), has a somewhat punk rock edge to it, and also somewhat blurs the gender norms. Here's a blog post about it!
SOSM: What got you into working with leather so much?
RM: Leather to me is just such a fascinating material, dating back thousands of years, where people were using it as function as opposed to fashion. It is such a functional material, that can be manipulated in so many different ways to yield a number of different products. Many people
are scared or hesitant to work with leather, but many weights are finishes are just as easy to work with as some fabrics.
SOSM: Has retail work experience affected the way you think about/design accessories/clothing? RM: Working retail has definitely given me insight as to what the customer is looking for in a product, in terms of design, but also how the store environment, employees, visual merchandising, and styling come into play.
SOSM: Why ready wear for women?
RM: I think in this current day and age, women have many more options when it comes to fashion. There is more to play with, more to fit, more shapes, more textures, more colors, and more silhouettes.
SOSM: Biggest goal for 2016 with your work?
RM: I would love to launch my online store featuring a number of different styles in a range of colors. My current plan is to start small with a few leather accessories, and a few styles of handbags, and a few other items.
SOSM: Five year dream for your work? Go as crazy as you want!
RM: A five year dream? That’s thinking way far ahead! So my online store would be up and running, and I would like to have expanded into a bigger studio. The dream would be running a studio where a handful of my friends and I can work in a studio together and just create beautiful things all day. I have such creative and talented friends and I would love to be able to pull from their perspectives and designs to make our designs even better.
Rapid Fire Funtime!
SOSM: Leggings as pants, yes or no?
RM: Yes
SOSM: Coffee or tea?
RM: Coffee
SOSM: Mountains or beaches?
RM: Beaches
SOSM: Cats or dogs?
RM: Dogs
SOSM: Favorite place to vacation?
RM: Camp Hatteras, on Hatteras Island, NC
SOSM: Biggest fashion pet peeve?
RM: Socks and Sandals, I just don’t get it.
SOSM: Biggest personal pet peeve?
RM: When people don’t answer the phone when I call them, like why even have a cell phone?
SOSM: Most precious personal fashion item?
RM: Most precious? Hmm, I would have to say my Buffalo-David Button jacket. My brother bought it for me probably 7 or 8 years ago, and I have almost completely worn it out. I’ve worn it everywhere, If you’ve known me, or seen me anytime over the past 7 or 8 years, you’ve probably seen this jacket. It’s a nice fall weight zip up corduroy jacket. The lining is faded, some of the texture of the corduroy has worn off, and it looks just very “lived in”, which it has been, obviously.
SOSM: Who's your current fashion icon?
RM: Kyle Krieger. He is a hairstylist based out of LA, but has a huge following on Instagram and Twitter, go follow him @KyleKriegerHair. He has a great sense of personal fashion style, but I also love his visual aesthetic, and he just seems like a beautiful soul, like a fun person to be around. I would love to design clothes for him to wear.
SOSM: Current Favorite Fashion Item?
RM: I have been obsessing over Coach’s new Wild Beast print for a few months now, and I found out last week that the print came in a few men’s wallet styles. So it was totally meant to be. Their new designer Stuart Vevers teamed up with LA based Illustrator and cartoonist Gary Baseman, to bring a fun and whimsical approach to a collection. The Wild Beast print stems from one of Baseman’s creatures Buster Le Fauve. Dripping paint is something that is just so my aesthetic that I couldn’t pass it up, and it’s a different approach to a classic leopard print.
Thanks so much to Ryan Moore for humoring me and allowing me to introduce y'all to him! I can't wait to show off more about what we're working on together - look for a post on that soon!