F  L  A  U  N  T

While the fashion industry is backed by an insatiable appetite for the new, we find ourselves in a current climate of trying to stay well-fed, while simultaneously reminding ourselves the importance of sustainability. These three young designers have found a way to bring forth something innovative, while also holding themselves accountable. We have Bethany Williams, conceptualizing clothing with a focus on social issues, Christopher John Rogers, designing for those influencing radical change, and Emily Adams Bode, sourcing from the past to create something for the now. * * * **Bethany Williams** -------------------- _Interviewed by_ Mui-Hai Chu  Photo courtesy Bethany Williams **What drew to design?** My love for fabric construction, and how design can be used to find solutions. **I read your mom help knit and create pieces for you. Was she ever in fashion as well?** She used to be a pattern cutter for factory in Liverpool,  and now she does soft furnishings and she also does my netting as well. **Obviously your family is really important to you. You grew up in Liverpool?**  I was born in Liverpool but then I grew up on the Isle of Man. It’s such a small tight-knit community. Loads of things are locally produced and there weren’t many main stores growing up. **How do you describe your design process?** It always starts with an issue I am trying to solve and then we work with a charity that tries to talk about that issue. **What issues are you looking forward to promoting?** I think for the next collection I’m working with a charity that makes temporary housing for women and children. **Who would you say are your inspiration or muses?** I love other designers like Walter Van Beirendonck I’ve been a massive fan girl for a while. **Do you have any type of life inspiration outside of fashion?** I do like artists like Egon Schiele. I really love his work. My inspiration is probably my family.  **What do you think are the bigger challenges you face trying to be sustainable?** I think sourcing is a massive one, as is pricing, and having things available. **How do you decide to up-cycle a piece? How does the process come about?**  It kind of depends on the project we’re doing. We will be doing the collection and there are staples that we always upcycle. I’m trying to introduce more and more. **Where do you hope to see yourself in the next five years?** I would like to start my own social manufacturing project in the UK.  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[](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.squarespace-cdn.com%2Fcontent%2Fv1%2F56c346b607eaa09d9189a870%2F1572647159784-8WHVXGEEM0KIUQJDSG7B%2FFlaunt-Bethany-Williams-Backstage-16.jpg&text=Flaunt%20Magazine%20-%20Photo+courtesy+Bethany+Williams) * [](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.squarespace-cdn.com%2Fcontent%2Fv1%2F56c346b607eaa09d9189a870%2F1572647159784-8WHVXGEEM0KIUQJDSG7B%2FFlaunt-Bethany-Williams-Backstage-16.jpg&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.squarespace-cdn.com%2Fcontent%2Fv1%2F56c346b607eaa09d9189a870%2F1572647159784-8WHVXGEEM0KIUQJDSG7B%2FFlaunt-Bethany-Williams-Backstage-16.jpg&description=Flaunt%20Magazine%20-%20Photo+courtesy+Bethany+Williams) * * * **Christopher John Rogers** --------------------------- _Interviewed by_ Corrine Ciani   Photo courtesy Christopher John Rogers **To start at the beginning, what drew you to design?**  Anime, manga, and cartoons—especially people with special powers. The ability for clothing to help people self-actualize and to give them a newfound confidence. **You grew up in Louisiana. What effect, if any, did growing up in the south have on your creative evolution?**   A real sense of polish and refinement is found in the South – especially in the Black Church. Spending time with my mother and grandmother in church helped me curate an eye for the finish and cut of clothing and has been an inspiration for me ever since. **How would you describe your design process?**  I'd describe it as visceral. Although I try to be strategic, I'm ultimately extremely influenced by my intuition, emotion, and heavily inspired by color. **As a recent graduate, what is the best advice you've received from your mentors at SCAD?**  Work hard and stay true to yourself. There are always people that might be more talented or more privileged than you, but hard work and humility know no bounds.  **Where do you find inspiration?** Everywhere! Debris on the side of the street, mid-century couture, things my friends are wearing, et **You've dressed people from Cardi B to Michelle Obama. Having worked with so many influential figures, is there a lasting moment with one that stands out to you the most?**  To work with a woman that's equally revered for her intellect and passion, as well as her individualistic sense of style, is definitely a highlight. My family was also extremely proud of me, so that's a plus! **Where do you see the fashion industry headed in the next 5 years?**  A sense of increased accountability and transparency that's come with the proliferation of social media. I think we're going to see a complete upheaval of the traditional ways of showing and interacting with fashion. **Tell us about your fall collection.**  Stonehenge, quinceañeras, and Dr. Seuss. **What's next?**  Everything! We're working on our Spring 2020 collection and are also finalists for the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, so we're working our tails off!  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My parents were from Massachusetts, so I spent a lot of time in Cape Cod. I have this juxtaposition of New England and the South. The effect Atlanta had on me was not only the southern hospitality, but a lot about celebrating craft and culture. **Tell us about the moment you knew you wanted to become a designer.**   In high school, I was taking extracurricular art classes, like how to draw, technical fashion. I also took a croquis drawing class, and it must’ve been junior year that I knew that I wanted to be a designer as a career choice. I went to Parsons for menswear design and I went to Eugene Lang for philosophy. **In what ways does the study of philosophy and your interest in fashion design connect?** I think it’s primarily the way that I come up with a narrative for the season, and what sorts of questions in culture—my culture, other people’s culture and tradition—should be asked and should be addressed. How to talk about the historical narrative around clothing, and dressing. **You’re known for re-contextualizing materials in a lot of your garments, many of which are vintage textiles. How did you get into the textile portion of it?** Since I was a little kid, I had been interested in buying antiques and all of the historical narratives alongside that. We would go to all of these antique markets in Atlanta, and flea markets in New England, in and around Massachusetts. **Why design menswear?** I went to school for it, but I’ve always been interested in designing for someone outside of myself. **Tell us about your fall collection.** That collection was inspired by a narrative around gallerist Todd Alden, who is an ephemera dealer in downtown New York. I worked with him and talked to him about his life, collecting, what sorts of things inspired him to collect, where he lives, history of that location, his family history, how he came to become a curator, and the moment he opened his own gallery. **Where abouts do you find inspiration?** Following the life of someone and their relationship to objects, the domestic space, and the traditions that have shaped their lifestyle. **Do you ever see yourself getting into womenswear?** Not right now. We have a bunch of stores that pick it up as women’s, but it is traditionally a menswear brand. In the future maybe we’ll have a different conversation around that. **What’s next?**  Right now, we’re working on production, but really building out our own manufacturing space. Most of the collections we make in New York is made in our own studio, so building that out is the next step.  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Images courtesy Christopher John Rogers. Images courtesy Emily Adams Bode.