Brian Lichtenberg, fashion provocateur and friendly redhead from Silverlake, was busy preparing for his L.A. Fashion Week runway show at the Museum of Architecture and Design when we grabbed a few minutes to chat with him. A regular collaborator with M.I.A., Lichtenberg is known for his out-there, space age, 1980s-inspired fashions. But don't just file him under "hipster" and leave it at that—his unusual lines and architectural inspirations make this 28-year-old designer one to watch.Did you always know you were going to be a fashion designer?
When I was younger, I thought I wanted to be an architect. I used to draw treehouses with booby traps, like in "The Goonies," and I would map roads and buildings and do all the landscaping, adding palm trees everywhere. I realize now that it was probably more city planning than architecture.
What is the best thing about living in Silverlake?
It is close to everything, but still slightly secluded from Hollywood.
Is L.A. a good place to be a fashion designer right now?
I think Downtown L.A. is a great source for everything you would ever want to make. It is also more accessible, I've discovered, than other large cities like New York and San Francisco.
Did you take any design training?
I took a clothing-construction class in high school, and that was it. The teacher hated me because I only made things out of paper and FedEx envelopes. But after the school fashion show, when my pieces were raved about, she quickly changed her tune [laughs]. But I have no formal training. No one can teach you to be a designer. Maybe just the pattern-making skills. That I've had to learn more by instinct and by trial and error.
Are you still working with shiny holographic fabrics?
Only for M.I.A.! And I'm selling them this season, but it's definitely time to move on from the hologram for now.
What themes are you exploring in this next collection?
Inspirations from toxic waste, slime, clothing morphing and warping, dripping. How clothes can change visually, like they are melting, being eaten away.
How would you describe your own style?
Very thrift. Skinny jeans, tank tops, ankle boots, my green Hermès Medor watch. Looking at me, people would assume I'm in a band or listen to tons of rock ’n’ roll, but truly I'm a wigger at heart.
What's your favorite decade, style-wise?
Any time from the late ’70s to early ’90s. But I am fascinated with what people must have worn when the dinosaurs were around.
You're a redhead. Do you have Irish blood in you?
Yes, I do. I am part Irish, German, Dutch and Lithuanian.
Which designers have influenced you the most?
Westwood, Ghesquière, Lang and Chalayan. I'm blessed to have seen Vivienne speak at a college earlier this year in San Francisco and also to have seen Chalayan lecture at UCLA years ago. I would love to do the same with Helmut Lang and Nicolas Ghesquière.
Why did you choose the Museum of Architecture and Design as the venue for your fashion show?
I think it is appropriate to have a fashion show at a museum for art and architecture; it seems fitting for the collection.
Would you ever show at Smashbox?
I think it is funny that L.A. Fashion Week is in Culver City. My show is going to actually be in L.A.!
Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
When I was graduating high school, I filled out an application to go to Pratt in Brooklyn for fashion design, but I didn't send it in. I worried that a California-raised boy like me wouldn't survive New York winters.
from losangeles.metromix.com
