Is it true you started making clothes in your grandmother’s apartment?
Yes, when I was studying at Ryerson University in Toronto. I used to make clothes for all these rock stars and, of course, my grandmother would be there, casting her eye on me making all these jackets for Marilyn Manson.
What did she think of that?
She didn’t know who he was until she mentioned it over lunch with friends and basically got an earful of “he’s the son of the devil!” She never judged what I was doing, but she decided that she wouldn’t mention who my clients were to anyone again.
Do you design for rock stars or regular people?
Rock stars and regular people wear my clothes, but I think if given the choice, most people would like to be a rock star.
Why did you settle in London?
I always wanted to study at Central Saint Martins, a famous college in England, so I started to save my pennies. Many, many, many pennies and over 10 years later I’m still here. Sometimes I sit out on a terrace with my pint, looking down the river at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and I think, I’m sitting here in London. I can’t believe I’m actually here.
You’ve said that you wish you’d designed London’s Tube map.
It’s a real piece of art. You don’t realize it at first glance, but you can’t use it as a city map because it’s geographically not to scale. Making London fit into a square was a feat of clever design.
With Phoenix, the documentary on you, touring festival rounds, are you ready to be famous?
I’m going to take things one day at a time. I have a lot of famous friends, and I see what they go through. I mean, Marc Jacobs probably can’t walk down the street without being accosted. Sometimes I just feel like taking the Tube home.
Be honest. Do you ever wear sweatpants?
I do at home. But they’re Yohji Yamamoto.
Age: 35
Profession: Fashion designer
Location: London, U.K.
Claim to fame: Designing clothes for the world’s biggest rock stars, including U2, the Rolling Stones and Marilyn Manson
Latest project: The release of Phoenix, a documentary about him, and a collaboration with Christian Louboutin
Last vacation: Guanajuato and Mexico City
Next vacation: St. Moritz
Favourite souvenirs: A kangaroo paw bottle opener from Sydney, Australia
