FEATURE Joshua Homic: Winner of Fusion Fashion Show 2014
Thinking Inside a Golden Ratio Rectangle by Shyam Patel
Post Joshua Homic’s victory, the Fashion Institute of Technology leads for the most “Best Overall School” awards earned at Fusion, an annual fashion show “The traditional mindset at FIT that focuses on dressmaking and tailoring really benefits students, especially if they can adjust them to their own niche,” Homic explains. He attributes the competition readiness of FIT designers to the technical skills they hone in the classroom. Their competitive edge comes from fashion art and design, patternmaking and the many other strenuous courses they undertake. “I love a good concept and a thought provoking idea, but when you’re presenting something visual like a fashion show that concept can become muddled in its presentation,” he points out. The technical skills FIT students cultivate in the classroom help them clearly present their aesthetic standpoint. According to Homic, Fusion is a lot about self—discovery. “You come in with a certain perspective or perception of who you are and as you start to work on your collection and you start to see other people’s work from Parsons or FIT, you start to think about things that concern your own design process,” he said. Through conversations with his Fusion colleagues, Homic began to think in terms that helped him edit his work, challenge his preconceived notions and make his vision clearer. The most challenging part of Fusion: simply letting go. “There are lots of moments in the competition where you as a designer have this really grandiose idea. You have to take the greatness of that vision and condense it into elements that are straightforward for the audience to understand,” he says. Although compromises were made in the process of condensing his ideas, the end result was nonetheless arresting. Adapting to the space in Parsons, taking on ill—fitting shoes and adjusting to lack of runthrough time was all a part of letting go and letting Fusion unfold. “With small things you have to understand that they’re happening, but you have to let go,” Homic wisely stated. Styling agency Brandon Maxwell
contacted Homic a week after Fusion eager to see a lookbook. Unaware of their styling for Lady Gaga, Homic hurriedly compiled and sent a lookbook after much editing on the part of his mother and professional photographer Angela Homic. “They said, ‘We’d like to move forward with this. We like these pieces.’ They chose images of every single look that was in Fusion and I thought, ‘What does — we want to move forward with this — mean?,’” Homic recounted. Around this time Lady Gaga released her music video for “Guy” and in a completely unrelated incident Homic watched it. As the credits rolled, the name Brandon Maxwell was credited for styling, “I thought that name sounded familiar!” he laughed. Soon enough Homic looks were on Lady Gaga’s Pacific/Asia tour. With having won Fusion and dressed a celebrity Homic has decided to take a year off to work on his brand. While he will continue to work at Pamella Roland he sees this coming year as an opportunity to further develop his brand and create a buzz about it. Fascinated by the neolithic lifestyle and garments, captivated by Japanese culture and reverent of monoliths and Rick Owens, Homic may have one of the most intriguing pools of inspiration. “The perfection of a golden ratio, black rectangle: it’s absolutely the zenith of any lifestyle in my mind. It’s divinity! It’s everything!” he exclaimed. For him the use of black is not only tied to monoliths from “2001: A Space Odyssey;” it signifies the search for serenity in our chaotic world, its use lends the mind to perfect form over color and its simplicity stands for the minimalism that Homic so deeply reveres. “I have always had a fascination with Japanese culture and the way that minimalism has stemmed from it. I don’t mean clinical white rooms, but more perfecting the form and using black, looking at the precision of nature through practices like ikebana,” he articulated. He also highly regards Rick Owens. “It’s amazing to see how an honest idea can become such a fantastic vision in the scheme of the commercial fashion world. When Rick Owens
“TAKE FROM THIS ISSUE’S PHOTO SHOOT WHAT YOU WILL, BECAUSE IN THE WORLD OF HOMIC THERE ARE NO RULES.” is appreciated it gives me hope that there’s still a market that’s willing to experiment and take the risks,” he gushed. From Homic’s viewpoint being a designer is about solving problems. He often begins his design process by noticing a lack of what he wants to see in the marketplace and experimenting with his own wardrobe. “My ideal customer and I are having the same problem. They’re having an issue finding things that compel them and they think that’s important in today’s market: finding garments that move you,” he explained. When asked what keeps him passionate about design and the industry, Homic provided a rather unconventional answer: “An absolute ‘Eff you!’ to the industry gets me invigorated. Today’s culture can be so misogynist and redundant with side seams and raglan sleeves forever!” he grumbled. “The industry provides you with so many guidelines. I have a problem with authority sometimes,” he confessed. “I like to be the authority and when that’s challenged I have an issue with it.” This issue’s cover is a reflection of the Homic image. Homic believes that through an image you’re providing the most ambiguous platform for viewers to see fashion. Take from this issue’s photo shoot what you will, because in the world of Homic there are no rules.