Behind the Design: Ryan McCoy

This feature has been a long time coming but summer is...well...summer and it is sometimes hard to find time to put things like this together. 
Ryan designed and created a prom dress to be entered in JoAnn's Prom Dress Design contest this spring. And thought I've never had the opportunity to meet Ryan, I heard all about this dress he designed for my friend so I just had to interview him! It's also a collaboration with Susannah from Susannah Flautt Photography who provided the images-- thanks girl! 

1. Tell us a little about yourself--

 My name in Ryan Phillip McCoy, I am 18 years of age and the second son of Randy and Patti McCoy. I strive to devote myself mind, body and soul, completely and totally to Christ, my Lord, savior and friend. I enjoy a wide variety of activities, some more masculine than others, and some on the more artistic side. But what I enjoy more than most things is a good conversation. I enjoy talking to someone who can make me think, and challenge my intellectual abilities. I also enjoy being able to counsel people younger than myself, by giving them advice based on my experiences.

2. What first brought you into fashion design & how long have you been working on it?
To be honest, what got me into clothes was Lord of the Rings. Yes I am a Geek, and proudly bear the title. T was inspired by the level of dedication that the Weta Workshop put into every single costume, and the quality of costume that was produced because of it.

3. What inspires you most and how would you describe your personal style? Typically, I tend to be most inspired by the styles of the Victorian and the industrial revolution periods. I love the elegance, and grittiness found in these periods, as well as some old western influences.

4. What inspiration brought about the design for this dress? Is it your first time to enter this contest? 
 I was inspired by a dress I saw, and later fabricated, in the Couture exhibit at the local art museum in Nashville. I took the general shape, then altered the construction method to work with a different fabric than the original. This was the second time I entered the contest.

5. Do you have an current designs in the works? No, as I am going to school in the fall, and so am not taking on any new projects.

6. You just graduated from highschool, do your plans for the fall include fashion design?
No, God has been slowly moving me away from that path for the last year, more specifically in the past six months. I feel I am being called into the military to minster to a group of people that desperately need him, and so I am studying Psychology, and minoring in Military science. I am also enrolled in the Army ROTC program at MTSU where I will be attending. God willing I will be an infantry officer in the U.S. Army Rangers. But as He has changed my plans before nothing is set in stone, i wait on his call so that i might answer.

7. What are some of your other interests?
 I enjoy writing, when i have time. I enjoy the thrill of combat simulation sports such as airsoft, paintball, and full contact foam weapon sword fighting. I do enjoy drawing, though I prefer to create things physically instead of hypothetically. Hiking, camping, and fire making are things i so very much enjoy. I am a collector of miniature figures, boasting a civil war collection of two hundred, a Halo collection of over thirty, and a starwars collection of over three hundred and thirty figures. I plan on starting a collection of Warhammer 40k figures when I have the time and money to do so.

8. How does your relationship with Christ play out in your work?
 I acknowledge first and foremost that all my gifts and talents come from God, and I think him for blessing me with such a high level of awesomeness ;). All narcissism aside though He gets all the Glory for what I do, and create. I am constantly inspired by His creation and the complexity in every detail. 

9. You work with both ladies and gentlemen's fashion- what have you found to be the pro's and cons with both?
 First, the ladies, for ladies should always go first when a gentleman like myself is involved. The pros of women's fashion, is that it is women's fashion. Who wouldn't rather look at a girl's fashion than a guy's fashion?! Not me. The forms and shapes are much more pleasing to the eye in female attire. Cons of women's fashion, is undoubtedly the female body itself. As a member of the male gender, I do greatly appreciate God's craftsmanship, indeed one might say I am a fan, in as pure a way as possible. But it is sometime incredibly difficult to get fabric to correctly mirror the shapes and size of any one girl's body. Men's fashion- pros, very few things look as sharp as a nice suite on a studly dude. Also, construction of most men's wear is much easier than the construction of a dress. With the major exception, and con, sleeves.... I do not, and will not pretend to enjoy the process of putting in a sleeve onto a suite, it is more aggravating than putting zippers in.