A Student Feature: Phil

Meet this issue’s student feature, Philip Gabriel. Inspired and unique, Philip’s designs are sure to make one think. Style Line had the chance to delve deeper into the mind of this up and coming designer by asking his take on fashion, style, trends, and working in the industry.

What does fashion mean to you and your life?

As cliché as this may be, fashion is expression. Fashion shows worth. Fashion is a craft. Fashion is beauty woven together in a T-shirt. Fashion has brought me a lot of opportunities and experiences that may not have been available if I didn’t step foot into a thrift store. Being able to create connections with people from a pair of shoes I’m wearing, or a bag I’m carrying, builds a community of people that I can collaborate with as well. Fashion has shown me new ways to create and how to expand upon a simple idea.

How would you describe your personal style?

As an extension of where my mind has been and where it’s going. I absorb a lot of ideas and inspiration from going out into the world experiencing life with all its twists. My personal style comes from being in these different environments and paying attention to everything from the odd color palettes of buildings to the clothing homeless individuals are wearing. It’s become second nature for me to do this because style and art is in everything and everyone; even if these particular elements aren’t intended to be. I believe that my style is a representation of the chaotic, beautiful things that I’ve seen that others do not.

In your opinion, what skills are most important to be successful in the fashion industry?

Confidence, high work ethic, and imagination are three skills I believe are essential for being in the fashion industry. Before anyone decides to learn the technical skills it takes to become a designer, historian, or buyer I believe that they should take a step back and access themselves from the inside out. It’s easy to learn to sew a pair of pants, but the real task is creating a pair of pants. Creating is something I feel most early birds have trouble with because their drive needs a tune up.

How do you keep up with upcoming trends in the fashion industry? How much do global/ national trends play part in your designs?

I stay away from trends as much as I can. I don’t like the feeling of being in the same room with someone with the same jacket, or hat that I’m wearing.

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Tell us something about yourself that you want people to know when they look at your designs?

I want people to know that I’m human and that I’m trying; simple as that. As a young, black man from West Philadelphia, thoughts of sewing jackets and petticoats would be at the very last thing I would think about if I were still in that environment. I would like individuals, especially the youth following me, to realize that life will not always be in your favor, but the ability to create something refreshing for yourself will. I would like people to know that my work comes purely from a place that seeks to inspire whomever views it, so that the next person after them that witnessed their work feels the same way. My work seeks to create an endless cycle of creativity that this harsh world needs right now.

“CREATIVITY THAT THIS HARSH WORLD NEEDS”