What’s the process with your designs? The first thing I do is brainstorm. If I’m given a theme or character to create for, I try to categorize all the characteristics I associate with that particular thing; the colors, mood, texture or objects. Once I get that sorted out, I find a way to turn those things into a tutu! It’s funny though, and I’m sure most designers can relate, I often get started on a design and once the ball gets rolling and ideas start flowing, I end up with something other than I expected at the beginning of the process. I think of a commission I recently received for a tooth fairy tutu. Halfway through the piece I realized, “Wait a minute—fairy! She needs a tiara, a wand! Just a tutu won’t do!” Next thing I knew I was in my kitchen heating up toothbrushes and molding them into in a set of fairy accessories. Essentially, I just try to let my imagination take over and have fun with it! Who is your biggest fashion influence? First and foremost, Alexander McQueen. I love his contemporary gothic style and the haunted beauty of his designs. He was so creative in his transformation of materials and the theatrics of his runway shows. He took the runway show from simple showcase to provocative performance art, incorporating holograms, even robots, into his shows. His fearlessness in pursuing his vision, even though different, is inspiring to see as a designer. It gives me confidence that it’s okay to forge a different path, what’s important is staying true to my perspective as a designer.
Does music inspire your creations? If so, what kind? Well, its probably no surprise that there’s a lot of Gaga going on there. I love her raunchy weirdness and I think her fearlessness is inspiring. Musically, her songs hit that chord inside me that makes me just want to tear up the dance floor like an extra in Fame. It’s perfect tutu music because when you wear one, you pretty much just get fresh and boogie. When I’m feeling Parisian, I’ll put on some Serge Gainsbourg and get a little 60s psychedelic but I also love some bluesy rock like the Black Keys. Do you have a favorite blues artist? It would have to be Billie Holiday. The resonance and emotion contained in her voice and in her songs is something special and you can’t help but be moved by her melodies. The tutu I created for The Music Initiative was made with her in mind. The music-score gardenias are a shout out to the classic flowered-do Billie always rocked. -LE
Do you think that music and fashion go hand and hand? Why? Always. I think both give people what they crave most, endless varieties of self-expression. Both speak to people’s creative nature, that desire to interpret our moods and fantasies into a tangible form that we can share with others. ReTulled Tutus by Siobhan 91 Broad St. (4th Floor) Charleston, SC 29401 “music-score gardenia in blue” has been donated by the artist to the TMI charity art auction to benefit Carolina Studios. Carolina Studios is an after-school and summer program providing students with a safe environment that fosters creative, educational, and career-focused initiatives through music technology and media arts. Mark Bryan, lead guitarist and founding member of Hootie and the Blowfish, serves as the Chairman of the Board.