Designer Alexander Julian is known for his innovations in menswear and his use of color and fit to create modern looks. His work ranges from clothing to housewares and more, and he continues to practice to this day with wares available on his website and at select retailers across the eastern half of country.
At 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, the five-time Coty American Fashion Award winner and member of the Fashion Hall of Fame will speak in Kirkwood 112. The talk will be followed by light refreshments and the chance for conversation with the designer.
Kathleen Rowold is the curator of the Sage Collection, a collection of both museum-quality clothes and clothing used for study, and professor in the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design. She said the school invites a speaker as part of the Bill Blass Fashion Design Seminar Series every year.
“I have never heard Mr. Julian speak, but I have known about his skill for decades,” Rowold said in an email. “Through our email correspondence, I’ve come to believe that he will be an engaging and lively speaker.”
Andy Mallor of Andrew Davis Clothiersin Fountain Square Mall, is responsible for connecting the school with Julian who, along with other awards, is also a recipient of a Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Fashion Critics Award.
“Mr. Julian’s experience in the design world began just as designers in the United States were achieving recognition and were becoming celebrities in their own right,” Rowold said.
Julian also knew Bill Blass, an Indiana native and fashion designer who made the lecture series a tradition in 2002 with his monetary support of the series, Rowold said.
Though some in the fashion world had trouble bridging the transition into modern fashion, Rowold said Julian’s designs adjusted well to the changing times.
“Mr. Julian understands the fashion industry and was able to reinvent himself to fit into today’s fashion and retail environment,” Rowold said. “He foresaw and was a leader in menswear innovation, introducing the use of unexpected colors and textures in menswear fashion.”
Julian’s work includes menswear, sports teams’ uniforms, racecar colors and home furnishings, Rowold said.
“His artistry with fabrics set his creations apart from other designers, and he is using those skills in his home furnishings line today,” Rowold said.
Rowold said the historical moment at which Julian’s work became popular is important to understanding his contribution to fashion.
The Peacock Revolution, so named for its celebration of colors, took place in the 1960s and 1970s and was a time in which the colors and textures Julian embraced and continues to embrace in his design aesthetic grew to popularity, Rowold said.
“Over the decades, he used that sensibility in his design of professional basketball, baseball and hockey uniforms, as well as Paul Newman’s racecar colors,” Rowold said.
The team uniform designs Julian is most famous for include North Carolina’s Charlotte Hornets’ purple and teal and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels’ distinctive blue and argyle.
The celebrity culture surrounding Julian began when the designerrose to prominence in the ‘70s, Rowold said. The assumption nowadays that the designer always had that social status is incorrect.
“Mr. Julian represents the generation of designers who made clear the importance of U.S. fashions worldwide,” Rowold said. “Our students have much to learn about the entrepreneurship and personal motivation that is necessary to be successful in the competitive world of fashion.”
