Michael Mann: Fashion showcase
Michael Mann is a transfer fashion design major from Mt. Washington, Kentucky. Photograph by Crosby Ignasher.
Written by Charlytte Morrone
What is the process from inception to completion of your collection?
I started with a sketchbook over the summer that acted for me more as a journal. I didn’t want to go straight in with a concept for the collection. I began each section of the sketchbook by short stories or thoughts and found images that I found or took myself that fit. I then abstracted those ideas into silhouettes and design details. Eventually I began draping with a sleeping bag, a belt and a jersey, which is where most of my final silhouettes came from.
What was the experience of senior year like for you?
My experience has been great. I loved seeing everyone else’s process. It’s almost as if this for us [and] is the culmination of our four years here at SCAD, so everyone’s really showing their true colors. It’s also fun because everyone at SCAD becomes so interested in you (i.e. this interview) and makes you feel like a rockstar.
What inspired your senior collection?
My collection was inspired by how we hide our true selves day to day to defend ourselves from the world. For me, it was more personally about my coming out process. We build up layers of people that we’re not, padding ourselves, say mean things, try to dress to look tough. It’s about what we reveal and what we keep away from others.
Describe your aesthetic. What are you trying to accomplish?
I would say that my aesthetic is more about making a farce of serious issues. I find myself somewhere in between terrifying and playful. I want people to see something they’ve never seen before and challenge their ideas of what’s normal.
Are you nervous about the show?
Everyone keeps asking me this and I’m like, “My job is over.” I know that I’ve done the best I can do and the rest is up to whomever I’ve turned these garments over to. I’m proud of the work that I’ve done and that’s all that matters to me.
Has this year prepared you for the future?
Not really. I think my whole experience at SCAD has done that.
Have you had any professional experience?
Yes. I spent last summer at Tommy Hilfiger and the winter break at my dream company, Thom Browne. They were both very different experiences, but both very beneficial.
When did you decide to pursue a career in fashion?
I didn’t really. I never wanted to do fashion. Growing up, I had been raised to always look presentable. As soon as I woke up I had to get dressed. I wasn’t allowed to wear pajamas around the house. When it was time to go to college, I went to a liberal arts school in Kentucky for two and a half years before I came here. I went in wanting to do something in science or biology, like pre-med or something. That was way too much school for me I decided. So I got into costume design and shortly—once again—decided maybe not for me. So that’s kind of how I ended up in fashion. Fortunately, I was good at it.
What are some of most pressing issues facing today’s fashion designers, models and accessory designers?
Pay. Nobody’s getting paid. There’s so many talented young designers out there that are being taken advantage of by great design companies. We go in and do a six-month-long internship with promises of getting a job and none is ever given. It’s so wrong. Even as a designer in school and doing internships you are never paid. Sometimes it can be even as bad as companies that have more interns than employees.
Advice for future designers?
Stick to your guns. Go in with a vision and don’t let anyone change that. It’s your collection. You’re paying for it, so just do it.
What is at least one regret you have while you were at SCAD?
I wish I had taken more time to get my stuff photographed and just self promotion in general because, in the end, getting a job is difficult when you don’t have all that.
