What are you wearing? Who are you wearing? Why do you like it? What does it tell other people about you?
For the fashion-forward LGBT community, Ben Chmura—recently of Tampa—and straight ally Jesse LeNoir of Orlando are our champions. Both men are skilled in clothing design and construction; they were also respected contestants on season seven of Project Runway (now out on DVD and BluRay). Their work earned shows at Bryant Park during Fashion Week.
It’s a great time for voices like Chmura and LeNoir. Between the dramatic skill of Project Runway and the outrageous costuming of Lady Gaga, a whole new population of fashionistas has been born. Up-and-coming designers are now getting their due, the internet is putting unique fashion a click away, and style is again at the forefront of pop culture.
LeNoir and Chmura gave us their takes on the Project Runway experience, their future, and the au courant of fashion.
Watermark: How has it been since Project Runway?
Ben Chmura: I’m doing well. Bobby [his other half] and I have moved up to New York for the business. We’ve been here for two months now. I’m in my first month as the graphic artist for Sean John Denim, the boys’ line.
Things have been moving along nicely.
How’s Bobby handling the move?
He is getting acclimated to living in New York. He’s been talking about finding some personal assistant work, but he’s relaxing right now, which is well-deserved. He supported me when I was unemployed for a year and a half, so now it’s his turn.
What did being on Project Runway teach you?
I learned to not take what people say about my work personally. If you go through art school, there’s critique. On a national show, it’s harder, because there are so many more opinions. [Project Runway judge] Nina Garcia kept telling us that, to make it in this industry, you have to grow a really thick skin.
Realistically, to grow as an artist, you need to expose yourself to other opinions, and come out a stronger creative mind.
Your style is very vivid.
Yes, I definitely don’t design for the faint of heart. I really think that my background in comic books influences my clothing. Everything to me has a sense of armor. There’s a little play on costume, but I still want the garments to be functional so you can mix them into your existing wardrobe.
Victorya Hong [a past contestant] told me my clothes definitely make an impact on the runway and in photos, but it’ll take a very secure woman to wear them. There is an edge to most of my work.
Do you have any dream jobs?
I would love to get involved with musicians, for photo shoots and tours.
Male pop stars are interesting to me, because they want to be trendy, but they can’t be too trendy.
Female pop starts have so much more liberty. They may get that “slut” label, but I still think they have more artistic leeway. Lady Gaga, for example, is pushing buttons in a really smart way. She would be a dream person for me to work with.
How do you feel about current trends in fashion?
I really like the dropped crotch, and they’re even doing a Jodhpur. A legging for men is a really interesting concept; they have this strong, printed graphic element.
One thing I don’t like is women wearing lingerie on the outside of their garments. Designer Marc Jacobs and other people are doing it. The whole idea of lingerie is to leave something to the imagination and to be sexy.
And where is fashion going?
Fashion is more of a marketing tool now. There are a lot more marketers and investment groups to make fashion happen. I worry that some of the artistry is getting lost; there is not as much passion as there used to be.
But the irony of that situation is—along with specific blogs on the internet—that situation opens up the edges for younger, start-up designers. It’s a catch-22, but I do think there’s room for everyone.
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Watermark: How do you feel about your experience on Project Runway?
Jesse LeNoir: Overall, it was amazing. I found what I am capable of and what kind of pressure I can work under. At the time, I admit it felt like, “This is my one and only shot.”
Is there anything you’d do differently?
It is a game, and I wish I’d gone in with more of that attitude. That’s one of the things I’d give [winner] Seth Aaron major credit for, is that he always went in to have fun. I got a little serious sometimes.
How much did time affect your ability to be creative?
Time was huge! Typically when I do stuff in my own studio, I’ll flat-pattern the design, and then I’ll do it in muslin, maybe. It depends on if I’ve done it before.
On the show, you have to shoot from the hip and get it right. Did you have a good idea when they first presented it? If you didn’t, or if you took a wrong step, you couldn’t recover. It either led to 10 other bad decisions, or you had to fix the first bad decision, and then you only had four hours left.
Were you surprised about how the gay community rallied behind you?
Yes and no. I know a lot of people from theatre and performance, from all my projects around town. I knew there were going to be some people, but the packed house at Hamburger Mary’s was amazing!
What are you working on now?
The transition to New York: I feel like I’m being pulled there. I still see Central Florida as a place I could raise children. But there is a ceiling; fashion can only grow so much.
Project-wise, I’ve been working on accessories. I am a little burned out on sewing.
I am doing purses and backpacks. I started working with leather for Fashion Week, and I found a good source here in town.
What are some of the current trends?
I hate the bubble dresses, with the poof around the waist and then the band around the legs. I think, “Do you want to look like you have a saggy underside?”
Pop culture is huge right now. Gaga’s fashion sense is amazing. But Kesha? I have to quote a friend; he calls Kesha “the Wal-Mart Gaga.”
I have always loved the men’s wear for women. My fall collection had a few of those nods.
Where do you see fashion going?
The 80s/60s mix —where the 80s referenced the early 60s—is coming back. Mad Men has helped bring that back. There’s a regal quality of a woman wearing a dress and the man in the suit. I’m a victim of that male mentality of a t-shirt and jeans, but I’m dressing up more sharply, and I see other men doing it too. The cut is much thinner, tailored and precise. It’s not that baggy 80s look—two sizes too large. The epaulets and borders—you’re seeing that more in women’s wear—was inspired by 1940s military. I’ve been in love with that too.
