NARCISSIST: Tell me about your brand and who you are.
NICHOLAS: Nicholas is my last name with an H added to represent my mother’s last name, it’s also what I prefer over my first name, Justin. I am a first-generation Mexican-American born and raised in Los Angeles. After getting into fashion halfway through high school, I decided to pursue a career in the industry. I attended a community college in order to expand my knowledge of fashion design and received invaluable education, experience, and opportunities during my semesters there. Concurrent with my educational journey, I began crafting my brand’s identity through many product launches and rebrandings. In 2020, NICHOLAS TECHNOLOGIES (NTECH), was created, a brand that revolves around hypothetical futuristic technology that can accurately predict or replicate clothing when given an input prompt. This principle allows NTECH to create everything from futuristic forward-thinking items to the reproduction of past-era trends. NTECH’s main goal is to create clothing that evokes the feeling of another reality while incorporating such quality that they’ll hold up and spark conversations decades after production.
Tommaso is wearing a futuristic oversized workwear jacket with a pair of black wool trousers. The jacket is constructed from heavyweight waxed denim and silver fireproof Oxford cloth and is completely reversible. The use of sharp diagonal seams contrasted by the two-tone colorway gives the jacket a traditional futuristic sci-fi look which can further be toned up or down through the use of attachable extras. A device can be mounted on the left chest which offers an alternative way to close the jacket through the use of a cable lacing method as opposed to buttons or zippers. An included computer screen can also be mounted to the back of the jacket which can display pictures or video of the user’s choice. The jacket may also be worn without any attachments for added versatility. The pants are constructed from medium-weight gabardine wool and use large single pleats at each leg to create a loose fit, an extended length is also added which drastically improves its appearance when paired with boots. 3 Trapazoid-shaped pockets are added to the sides and back of the pants and use a shiny black satin lining to accentuate the sharp corners.
NARCISSIST: From the initial sketch to the final stitch, how do you envision and create each piece in your collection? Could you give us a peek into your creative process?
NICHOLAS: My creative process consists of 30% brainstorming and 70% sample-making. The first step is determining if a single idea has sufficient potential for a collection, if so, a prompt is created to allow for more creative interpretation. Brainstorming usually takes a couple of days in which I either gather inspiration from research or completely imagine something from scratch; I usually find that pulling inspiration from dreams yields extremely creative results. I don’t often transfer my ideas to paper as I tend to directly move onto patternmaking and mentally reference the idea along the way. When overwhelmed with ideas, I sketch a low-detail croquis containing only the larger details and annotate the smaller ones. The rest of the process consists of drafting patterns, cutting muslin samples, and correcting errors. It is not uncommon that 3-4 samples are created before the final version is cut and sewn. The end result is a refined, well-thought-out product that proudly exhibits the NTECH logo.
Matteo is wearing features an experimental style wide-shoulder blazer with an asymmetrical hem and color-matching flared pants. The jacket attempts to mimic a digital render through exaggerated proportions at the shoulders and upper body. Alternatively, the jacket can be worn without extending the shoulders for a more casual look. This item is constructed using upcycled materials from 5 different fabrics including 2 pairs of pants and a coat. These fabrics are strategically placed to accentuate a series of sharp diagonal seams which contribute to the overall tech styling. One of the seams that run across the right side of the body contains a hidden inset pocket that uses a nut and bolt as an alternative to the traditional button closure. The flared dress pants are belted and reuse the same houndstooth fabric seen on the backside of the jacket which creates a Tetris-like illusion when worn together. While fitted at the waist, these pants contain an exaggerated flare in order to complement the top half of the jacket’s silhouette, providing a balanced overall look.
NARCISSIST: The balance between commercial viability and creative freedom is always delicate in fashion. How do you maintain this equilibrium in your collections?
NICHOLAS: Though I would certainly love instant commercial success for all my items, it is not a realistic expectation when dealing with experimental designs. Avant-garde futuristic clothing is tailored to a specific type of consumer which at the moment accounts for a very small percentage of the market. Creating collections exclusively with items from past decades like the 50s, 60s, and 70s provides a solution to this dilemma as there will always be an interest in vintage clothing driven by nostalgia. With enough product variation, natural commercial interest and success are guaranteed. So while some collections may contain only experimental outfits, I ensure to create a balance with vintage-inspired garments in consecutive collections.
Anna is wearing a two-tone trucker jacket and a matching two-tone skirt directly inspired by the menswear version of the outfit. Both items are made from the same fabrics, silver satin twill, and black cotton twill. Reversible construction on the jacket allows for alternating styles with black as the primary color on side A and silver on side B. The wrap-around style skirt contains various diagonal seams which integrate all shaping darts, providing a sleek and futuristic look. The right side of the skirt contains a stylized diagonal detail which contains a hidden inseam pocket and dart all in one. A single vent on the back allows for an asymmetrical hem with one side of the skirt being longer than the other, further adding to the jagged technological styling.
NARCISSIST: Adapting to trends while staying true to one’s design philosophy can be challenging. How do you navigate this dichotomy?
NICHOLAS: The only trends I follow are those necessary to recreate accurate clothing from past eras. Every futuristic item I make (set circa 2030s and beyond) is where my design philosophy kicks in. Instead of following trends, I have to look at where clothing is headed and in a sense creatively predict how clothing will look in order to be ahead of the curve. The purpose of my brand is to be the basis from which potential trends will stem, therefore I am not worried whether my items align with what’s “in” at the moment.
NARCISSIST: What, according to you, sets a great fashion designer apart? Is it creativity, technical skill, understanding of the market, or something else entirely?”
NICHOLAS: A great designer can be defined as an individual who, above all, possesses a steady stream of ideas for any given situation. In essence, to find inspiration in anything, including nothing. For example, a designer should be capable of not only drawing inspiration when given a prompt, palette, or fabric swatch, but should also produce consistent quality work when given a single keyword, color, or theme. Equally as important is the ability to draft and manipulate patterns in order to transfer those ideas into the 3rd dimension. All else including market prediction, sales, and production, can all be handled by separate individuals who specialize in those fields. A great designer innovates without being told when, creates without being told how, and provides unparalleled inspiration for future designers and artists alike.
NARCISSIST: Fashion has the power to shape identities. How does your work help individuals express their personal style and identity?
NICHOLAS: Say a customer sees a film set in the 70s and decides they want to adopt that specific style into their personal wardrobe, NTECH will likely have accurate garment reproductions from that era spanning across various collections. Shirts won’t just be shirts, they’ll contain precise silhouettes, details, and construction methods in order to convincingly appear like they’ve been pulled from the past. These factors add up in the mind of a potential buyer and ultimately allow the customer to feel like they’re living the era which they desire. This same level of attention to detail applies to all products, past and present, a characteristic that makes NTECH a brand like no other.
