Boy Kloves

Christopher (Boy) Kloves, who originally hails from Los Angeles, California, is a fashion student at Central Saint Martins (CSM) in London. After two years at UChicago, Chris decided to drop out, follow his passion, and pursue a degree in fashion at CSM. MODA’s Writing Editor, Olivia Jia, discusses with Chris his design inspirations, his creative process and the ways in which fashion has played such a pivotal and formative role in his life.

Olivia Jia: When did you first become seriously interested in fashion? Did you have any background in design before starting at CSM?

Christopher (Boy) Kloves: I was always really interested in art when I was younger and got increasingly more into fashion when I was a teenager. Before starting [UChicago], I took a few classes at Otis College of Art and Design in California while I was in high school, and interned for VFILES, Band of Outsiders, and Juan Carlos Obando in my spare time. After my time at the University of Chicago, I worked at Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta in New York and Paris.

OJ: You’re currently pursuing a degree at CSM in London, but you started your academic career at UChicago. Do you remember a distinct moment during your time at UChicago when you realized you wanted to switch to art school or was it more of a gradual process?

CK: I always knew that I wanted to go to Central Saint Martins, but it was always a matter of when, not if. When I first applied to college, Central Saint Martins and the University of Chicago ended up being the two schools I was deciding between. They stand as polar opposites on the spectrum of education, one being the epitome of traditional liberal arts academia, the other a much freer arts education, but they both spoke to parts of who I am. The University of Chicago is an amazing school and my family was excited that I had an opportunity to study at an institution of that caliber and really championed it as the choice I should have made, so I ended up picking it. I had always intended on reapplying to Central Saint Martins after I finished my degree in Chicago, but midway through my second year that changed. During freshman year,

I became close with someone who became a great friend of mine who shared a similar passion for fashion and art. She, like me, was excited to explore [fashion] after her time in academia and because of that we were able to relate on a level that I wasn’t able to with people who didn’t have the same interests. In the spring of my sophomore year, she passed away shortly after finishing her degree. It was surreal and difficult to come to terms with, but I think there is always something positive even in the worst of situations. For me, that positive was a wakeup call and a new beginning. I realized that it was time for me to stop waiting to do what I really love to do, so I reapplied to Central Saint Martins and started over.

OJ: What are you currently studying at CSM? In what ways does the pace, expectations and culture of art school differ from your experiences at a school with a more traditional, liberal arts focus?

CK: I’m studying fashion design at Central Saint Martins. Specifically, my course is called Fashion Design with Marketing. We focus on design with an emphasis on brand creation and creative direction. The pace is incredibly different from that of UofC. If you think that Chicago is tough, try one week of art school and you will be crawling back to the Reg. It is exhausting and nonstop creation. Because of the reputation of the school, the small student body, and the influential alumni, the expectations are incredibly high of students at Central Saint Martins. I think what is most different between UofC and Central Saint Martins is that we operate on a tutorial system. What that means is that I don’t have specific classes, but instead I’m assigned projects and expected to return at regular intervals to show the work that I have done. It holds you accountable to make your own schedule and forces you to learn and grow on your own.

OJ: Now that you’ve studied fashion and design at an advanced and intensive level, how has your relationship with and/or perception of fashion changed?

CK: I wouldn’t say that it has changed incredibly, but you definitely think about it differently when you study it everyday. I would say that first and foremost, my perception of fashion is most informed by my work experience, but when you’re studying it on your own, it’s a little different. When you’re working at a company, you’re working to help create an overarching vision that reflects the brand, but in design school, you’re branding yourself, so it’s slightly more personal and the stakes at times can seem a little bit higher. While St. Martins boasts the best reputation and alumni of any design school in the world, there are just over 100 students studying fashion per year, so I have definitely felt like there’s pressure in defining what my brand is, given the honor it is to go to a school like [CSM], which is something that I never really thought about as intensely as I do now.

OJ: Describe your creative process for us. Is there a continuous focus throughout your design work at CSM or do you draw inspiration from a variety of sources each time you start a new collection? If so, what are you inspired by?

CK: It changes depending on what I am designing. I would say that I am often drawn to reference Americana, but it really is contingent on the project at hand. Research is really key in design school. I’ll fill up an entire binder just on different types of shirt cuffs for one project. It’s thorough and obsessive. When I’m setting out to design a collection the research is usually really streamlined. I’ll pick one thing and try to understand it in the most exhaustive and complete way that I can. I recently worked on a project on eastern European fencing uniforms from the 1940s, and researched everything that I could to understand everything within that realm. I researched seams, closures, wear of the garment over time, gender differences, club insign as, affects of sweat on fabrics, common scars and injuries of the sport, and much more all specifically applying to that time frame. It’s about narrowing down your research at first and casting the widest net you can once you’ve done that.

OJ: What has been the hardest part of adjusting to life as an art student abroad? Conversely, what are some of the most rewarding and exciting parts about studying abroad?

CK: I think that living abroad is something that everyone should do at some point in his or her life. I think that when you are younger, you expect the world to be exactly like what you have become accustomed to in your upbringing, and living abroad tears down that notion in a beautiful and at times terrifying way. It’s important to feel like a newcomer, an outsider, and completely uncomfortable at some point in your life. I think that I have become incredibly more aware of people and conversely myself after living abroad for the past two years. Being in Europe, and in particular the United Kingdom, in a time where the political impacts of Brexit and Trump are questioning the roles of nationhood and how we relate to people beyond our own calling cards has been an amazing experience in itself and has really opened up my eyes to seeing the importance of being a citizen of the world, rather than a citizen of a country.

OJ: Why is fashion important to you? How does it shape your identity and your interests beyond the context of a classroom setting?

CK: Fashion is the one thing that I can’t picture myself not doing. I can’t imagine it not being in my life. I think we all have something or some things that we can’t help from consuming us, and fashion is that for me. I think about it constantly. I often view the world around me subconsciously applying it to fashion. It’s a part of me.

OJ: What’s next after CSM? Are you interested in starting your own fashion label, or are there other roles within the fashion industry you’d be more interested in pursuing?

CK: I have put predicting my future on the backburner after seeing the unexpected paths my life has led me in the past few years. I never would have expected to have lived in Chicago, New York, Paris, and London in the four years since leaving Los Angeles, so I am happily waiting to see where I land next. I intend on starting my own brand—where and when that will be remains to be seen. OJ: Do you have any advice for UChicago students or aspiring artists in general who are interested in pursuing their craft at a more serious level, but afraid to take that first leap?

CK: Get involved, and not just at the university level. Make things and make them again and again. You learn from trying things and retrying them another way. I think that the greatest advice I can give anyone, pursuing creative ventures or not, is to be wary of comfort. It is easy to be seduced by the confidence that builds from mastering your life in your own comfort zone, but it is also shortsighted. I think one of the most amazing feelings in life is to feel uncomfortable, uneasy, and scared at a new situation, to be the person in the room that knows the least, knows no one, and is completely on new footing. It opens your eyes up to things you would not have been able to see before and helps you grow and evolve as a human being. You really don’t know your strengths as a person until you test them.