RICHARD GRAY

Age: 18
Hometown: Long Island, NY
School and Year: Fashion Institute of Technology, 2nd semester


What is fashion to you? At this point in my life, I feel as though fashion has become more than just a form of expression. Fashion has become somewhat of an instinct to me. It’s an everlasting thought that remains in the back of my head no matter where I am or what I’m doing.

Collection: "Scout" - This collection was inspired by the classic American tomboy. I took inspiration from examples such as Jean Louise “Scout” Finch from the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. She has a very loose, playful, yet awkward look in the novel. Her love for her insightful father, Atticus Finch, is what brought me to the next piece of inspiration for my collection. I took references from menswear and deconstructed them, such as the classic men’s button-up or the tuck in of a shirt at the waist. And finally, the silhouette of a young girl in her fathers clothing.

The big proportions on the small body are a silhouette I tried to project throughout my collection as well. The collection is minimal, kind of awkward, and really wearable. I put a lot of thought into many elements of this collection such as hemlines and fabric variation throughout the collection. So when it came down to a title, I thought I would go back to the collections original roots and use that as a title.

What/who inspires you? There really is no true answer to this question for me, but if I had to pick one thing that really inspires me, I'd have to say New York City. The city is what inspires me to create, to work hard, and to wake up every morning, from the streets to the people that inhabit them. The city alone can give me enough inspiration in one day to last me a lifetime. I'm so grateful to reside and work in such an amazing city.

What does Fusion mean to you? Fusion is my one chance to show my peers, the industry, and my family my first steps as a designer. I feel it’s important at this young of an age to do Fusion because it’s my time to harness all of this raw energy and skill and apply it to something I really care about. I want to surprise myself. I want to learn from myself. This would be my first independent collection as a young designer and most importantly, my first true test of skill and ability.


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