Fashion

Designer Christopher John Rogers empowers fantasy and diversity


While Black History Month is a time to celebrate visibility,
representation, and achievement within the black community, the month-long
fashion calendar offers up new emerging designers to be splashed across
social media daily, but rarely are they people of color.

Christopher John Rogers seems to have come out of nowhere to stage one
of the most talked-about shows in NYFW, receiving standing ovations for his
fruit-colored, ruffled, voluminous gowns and separates. A line of fans
files around the block for his appearance at The RealReal’s flagship store
in Soho to hear him speak on the five years which saw him go from starry
eyed fashion student to dressing Rihanna, Cardi B, Michelle Obama, and
Lizzo.

Born in Louisiana, Rogers discovered fashion in fourth grade through
Project Runway, which inspired him to research the world of design, and
devour Youtube for shows of his two idols Alexander McQueen and John
Galliano. “Addicted,” he states. After studying at Savannah College of Art
and Design, he moved to NYC, began designing for DVF before winning the
Vogue Fashion Fund and showing at New York Fashion Week. It’s quite a
series of power moves, but that’s what drives him. “I was always interested
in the idea of clothes giving someone power, whether that came from comic
books and sketching fantasy characters, it was always really appealing to
me,” he says, and still approaches fashion in the same way. “I think about
my friends. I think of that oversized neon green sherpa coat that spoke to
me, that I had to have, growing up in Baton Rouge. But now since I’ve moved
to New York I’ve found congregations of people that feel similarly.”

Christopher John Rogers’ success at NYFW

He speaks of a tribe, all “communing around what we’ve found,” of the
importance of followers who “identify with your specificity.” One thing is
certain, this community believes in dressing up, of evoking the diva
glamour of decades past even if you’re only an intern and all you do is run
errands. Although Rogers designs womenswear, Gen Z and millennial men wear
his garments for self-expression not gender. “We got into fashion because
we liked the idea of clothes and fantasy,” says Rogers, “It’s supposed to
be fun.”

Designer Christopher John Rogers empowers fantasy and diversity

Although known for high statement looks, Rogers says he loves to put a
puffed sleeve taffeta blouse with deadstock denim cargo pants. “In the past
designers have only given you full fantasy but we’re trying to merge the
pragmatism of 2020 with the fantasy of why we got into fashion.” His small
team has been with him from the beginning, offering time, energy, and
support, such as Christina from Kentucky, who’s “super polished,” and the
many friends who come to his shows in drag. “There’s a commonality among us
but we don’t all need to look the same. This is our language.”

Despite diversity initiatives across casting and runway presentations,
the fashion industry hasn’t shed its hierarchical attitudes quite yet
towards people of color. When buying zippers it is not unheard of that
Rogers will be directed to the freight elevator. Finding himself at market
appointments or dropping off a garment to Vogue or Elle
when no interns are available, he still gets the aloof treatment, despite
being the creator of the gown which had just been photographed for the
pages of the magazine.

The RealReal promotes diversity during Black History Month

But he believes it’s important to occupy space confidently. “My parents
placed me in spaces where I had the opportunity to be around other types of
people and my best friends growing up were Korean and Jewish and I had to
pronounce their names correctly,” he says. “Not everyone has this
opportunity so it’s about allowing people who don’t look like you into the
spaces you have access to. Luckily we’re in a time of diversity and
accepting people is celebrated but even if it wasn’t we would still do it.
That’s how I was raised. This is not news for me.”

The $400,000 Vogue Fashion Fund prize allowed him to get a studio, pay
himself a salary, access to making clothes how he dreamed and to go to
market in Paris, but it doesn’t come without its pressures. “It’s like gag,
now I need to sell some clothes!” he jokes.

Remaining creative, relevant, while not burning out has to be a concern,
especially considering both of his aforementioned design heroes suffered
enormously from the rigorous demands of the fashion system. Aware that
there is a dark side to success, he prefers to dwell on things that make
him happy about design, his fixation on garbage bags and the 1970s for
example, over what others are saying or doing. “Focus on the things you’re
obsessed with and what you want to say as a designer. When everyone else is
looking to Celine, look at the things you think you shouldn’t be looking at
and obsess about why it is you like them.”

Rogers’ collection sells in a couple of boutiques nationwide, but mostly
through Net-A-Porter. He believes the expectation to produce fresh,
feasible garments can be challenging rather than limiting, and explains,
“My customer is quite intelligent. They don’t need to be told what to wear.
I can propose something which may feel more advanced, but now that they can
see how people are styling this less familiar thing, they feel more
empowered to try it. I don’t need to make a simple black trouser when The
Row is doing it better than I could. I don’t need to be someone else or
reference other people. People are interested in the specific, and the
thing that takes a lot of time to make and is responsibly crafted.”

Addressing the many students in the audience who can only dream of a
trajectory such as Rogers has enjoyed, he advises patience, perseverance,
and even cold-calling and emailing. “What you think will happen probably
won’t,” he says, recalling his own experience. “We studied the designers
who succeeded right after school, like Proenza Schouler, and did everything
they did. We emailed buyers our beautifully shot lookbook, and thought
we’re doing this all correctly, people are going to buy it. And no one
responded.”

Instead he took risks, sneaking off on his lunch break from DVF to ship
his own garments or to network during work time with stylists and editors.
When he applied to the NYFW calendar he and his friends were still making
clothes in his living room, and when he was let go from his job, he was
forced to get a summer job in order to be able to afford to make the
collection he would submit for the Fashion Fund.

“You try to do the right thing,” says Rogers, “but make the sacrifices
to be where you want to be.”

Fashion editor Jackie Mallon is also an educator and author of Silk for
the Feed Dogs, a novel set in the international fashion industry.

Photo: FashionUnited & Christopher John Rogers AW20/21, Catwalkpictures



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