John Renaud

www.johnrenaud.com. Born and raised in West Texas, designer John Renaud moved to Brooklyn in 2005 in order to attend Pratt Institute, where he majors in Fashion Design. Although he will be twenty-one in a few months, John has already developed an impressive portfolio. He has worked with designer Christian Joy, costumer to the cult fashion icon Karen O, as well as performing freelance work for sassy electronica star Peaches. Yet this rapidly emerging talent has not allowed the superficiality of the fashion world to dilute his passion for politics, specifically animal rights. Resolutely refusing to use fur in his designs, John can name PETA among his past sponsors. His designs, though politically conscious in execution, draw inspiration from a wide array of sources, such as "human emotion, works of art, and from beautiful ugly things.""I find a lot of my color stories in things like old rusty watch faces, dilapidated buildings, etc." Though John's clothes have a decidedly historical feel, he counters vintage influences with modern materials and daring juxtapositions. "It's not that I'm living in the past, I just do what my creative psyche tells me to. I like to take some concepts, silhouettes, and prints from the past and rework them into something of the now."By Lauren K. Kolesinskas