George McCracken is a New York based independent fashion designer. His clothes utilize high end tailoring and elevated fabrics, but his designs speak in a casual minimalist voice, even across a range of garments, from high-end suiting to his new line of japanese-made denim.

I personally experienced George’s clothes for the first time last summer when my husband and I commissioned him to design two of his exceptional bespoke suites for our wedding. He did an amazing job, taking our needs and preferences and incorporating them into his beautiful, careful designs. Over several meetings and fittings we discussed cut, color, fabric, buttons, and countless other nuanced details, including the specialized pockets designed to hold our wedding bands.

After this experience, I knew I wanted to shoot a fashion story using George’s clothes (coming soon), but I also wanted to document George’s process. I spent time with him in his studio as he created the design and pattern for the Mad Max inspired motorcycle jacket that would be the centerpiece of our fashion story. I also photographed him meeting with another friend and client, Ira Wolf Tuton, who had commissioned him to create a shearing coat. Ira is the bass player in the band Yeasayer. He wanted a fashionable garment that would also stand up to, and in fact, be improved by the chaos of his life when the band goes on tour next year. I overheard him say to George something like, “I want to be able to wake up on the bus, throw this coat over a tank top and be ready to go.”

These are the “process” pictures I shot of George working. Look for the fashion story we collaborated on to be featured on East Village Boys this weekend.

What is your design philosophy?

Although I allow myself a wide variety of aesthetic influences and reference points , I avoid designing thematically. Rather that designing ‘collections’ or ‘looks,’ I treat each piece that I design as an autonomous, self contained object. While designing, I focus on materialistic concerns, such as how the inherent structure of the piece will harmonize or fight against the fabric or material that I’m working with. The details that embellish my clothes, tend to be functional, and thus often allude to military or outerwear garments, but I avoid using military or outerwear as themes.

What made you want to design clothes?

I’ve been wanting to design clothes since I was in high school, which was at the apex of 1990’s fin de siecle minimalism, which has been an influence on me ever since. After Helmut Lang and Jil Sander essentially retired in the middle of the last decade, I felt the void open for the understated and intelligent, but simultaneously aggressive clothes that they were known for. They’ve been a strong influence on me, and after a few years of designing modern clothes against the New York men’s fashion backdrop of boiled wool heritage nostalgia, I feel more confident than ever with my aesthetic trajectory.

What inspires your work?

I’m often inspired by just a beautiful fabric or color that I come across. But I’m also inspired by books, music, visual art and films. My most recent points of inspiration have come from Bladerunner, Mad Max, and Hype Williams music videos for Missy Elliot and Busta Rymes.

Why is there a Boba Fett action figure on your work table?

Like many others of my generation, Star Wars has been a big influence on me. The Boba Fett action figure lives in my studio to amuse and inspire me.

When designing a garment for a specific person, what kinds of factors do you consider?

I start with their personality and physical attributes. I partially design in order to bolster their appearance, and consider what fabric will harmonize with their skin tone, how the proportions of the piece will work with their own proportions, etc. But I also probably project the way I feel about them into the piece that I design, which sometimes matches with their idea of themselves, but often pushes them in a direction that they hadn’t previously considered.

What makes a great garment?

For me a great garment is defined by the experience of wearing it. It may not look like anything special on the hanger, but it’s integrity asserts itself when it is worn. It augments the appearance of the wearer, and gives him confidence, but is also a pleasure to have on. A great garment should also get better with age, rather than deteriorate.

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