Sunday, April 29, 2012

E.O.C Week 3: Chapter 3 Exercise

Most designers and merchandisers that have an establishment name have been working for a while in the retailing, manufacturing, or design industry. Identify someone who you feel reflects the type of fashion brand you would develop and write a 750-word essay on his or her career. How has each of that person’s experiences helped them develop a successful brand? What do you think the future of their brand will be?



The designer that i identify myself with is the rock n roll fashion designer Ray Brown. Ray Brown is a huge inspiration of mine and his stage costumes and marvelous clothing reflect my self identity. Which is a very hard thing to find. Ray brown has a fascinating story. He discovered his talent at an early age very much like me. 
It all began back in Brisbane, Australia, with a fifteen year old Ray Brown casting himself as a slicked-back "greaser" kid hugely dissatisfied with the so-called tight jeans in the local stores which were, of course, completely vital to the look. And so, in a very unrocker-like manner he took to his mom's sewing machine and re-designed the jeans. He turned out to have an aptitude for working with fabric, and thus was born a career which would take him across the world and leave a lasting mark on the world of fashion. (raybrownfashion.com) Ray Brown is a very creative man, he embraced his gift and showed the world the most lavishing rock n roll clothing in history. His designs scream out rock n roll. They are original and innovative outfits made of the strangest material, but strangeness definitely attracts the strange. Over the coming years Los Angeles would stake its claim as the hard rock capital of the music world, but ironically Ray's next clients would be transplanted Brits – first it was Ozzy Osbourne, then it was Judas Priest. But then the locals started to catch on, and his client list began to grow at a very fast pace. Image was becoming critical in the rock world, every band wanted a striking look which would both open eyes and mark them apart, and Ray's ingenuity was constantly being challenged to come up with something new for his latest high-profile clients. Some of them had clear ideas of what they wanted, and Ray proved to be a master at translating their visions into reality; he was no less skilled at satisfying the clueless ones who just wanted Ray Brown to design their outfits because...because he was Ray Brown, and everyone used Ray Brown. Well, not quite everyone, but there was a time when nine of the top ten videos on MTV featured acts cavorting in Ray Brown designs (raybrownfashion.com) Ray Brown is a genius in translating musicians visions into reality, which worked for him. He made lavishing over the top clothing with attitude and was immensely inspired by music. If he wasn't designing clothes for musicians, he was hanging out with them. The world of rock n roll was being glamorized and backed up by Ray Brown. His clothing was being worn by the most talented musicians around the world. He was designing for huge bands that included Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Megadeth, Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, Poison, Alice Cooper, among several more. This shows the respect and integrity that Ray Brown had with the rock n roll community. They were loyal customers and they recommended him to everyone. Ray Brown built a brand with his own hands by socializing and maintaining his place in the rock n roll industry. Ray wouldn't have achieved as much as he did if he had not been such an innovative designer, with an eye for the details which made all the difference. The look was so important, and Ray consistently delivered. In fact a number of his ideas have crept into mainstream fashion over the years,Ray has also been featured in numerous exhibitions and books focusing on the style and fashion of rock and roll, perhaps most notably four of his outfits featured in Tommy Hilfiger's 'Rock Style'. More of his iconic outfits can be seen in numerous Hard Rock Cafes around the world, and several fashion and museum shows devoted to the era have leaned heavily on the Ray Brown collection to make their point (raybrownfashion) Ray Brown is the master craftsman of rock musician’s stage clothing who defined an era with his indestructible garments that would look as good at the start of a world-tour as they did at the end. This man is a huge part why i decided to pursuit the fashion industry. We share the same ideas in collaborating with music to create something unique and innovative to reflect your true self identity. Clothing that is out of the box and daring. Clothing that is not like anything out there, clothing that will make you a mogul in the music industry and the fashion world, the combination of the two. Like Ray Brown, I want to design clothes for musicians. Awesome stage clothing that will be put on displays in museums just like he accomplished. I want to achieve that success and that respect and reputation.

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