Perth’s own Jason Brickhill is catching the attention of New York City’s fashion and club worlds with his eye catching designs. Jason tells OUTinPerth about his journey from WA to the Big Apple.
What was your journey to get from Perth to NYC?
I planned to move to New York City as soon as I finished High School. So after working a year after graduating and being accepted into college – that’s what I did!
It didn’t really hit me that it was a huge step until after I said goodbye to family and friends in Perth, the extremely long (multiple) plane rides, and finally, my arrival, spending a cold, snowy night alone in a tiny room with no sheets or pillow! (Should have thought about that prior). But, after a month, I began to get a hold of things and knew that NYC was definitely the place for me.
What’s it like living in NYC?
Living in New York, after almost three years, is all that I thought it would be and much more! For me, every season holds a new adventure: opportunities left and right, and of course, many distractions. I could be working on one project one month, and the next, be in a whole new place and complete different direction. But as fast-paced as it may be, it has given me the opportunity to grow immensely and really figure out who I am – this is ongoing.
What’s been the inspiration for your fashion designs?
Fashion has always been a way I express myself. Somewhat disappointed by what is available in the mainstream today, I’ve always liked to create my own personal looks – that way they are truly individual and exactly what I want to wear! It started in Perth, cutting, painting and dying
clothes, but really escalated in NYC. The nightlife has been a particular inspiration for my designs. New York nightlife is like nothing else! If I have nothing to wear in my wardrobe, I whip out a shirt I already own, cut it to pieces, spray some glitter, and I’m ready to party! I could go on and on about my inspirations, but really I just do what I think up – I don’t care about what’s acceptable, what might be “tacky”, too much, etc. It’s about standing out, having fun, not caring, and inspiring others to do the same too!
At the moment you have lots of work based around mosaics – what do you have planned for the future?
“We are all a mosaic of those who have affected us; touched us, inspired us, hurt us, loved us. The pieces of our mosaic are supplied by others, but we are made by ourselves.”
This is the message behind my Holographic Mosaic clothing. Every piece of the mosaic represents one person who has affected us and helped shape who we are today. Why holographic? Because of the beautiful reflections of light it produces. It is to celebrate the individual pieces of who we are, beaming our light to those around us, encouraging them to celebrate themselves too!
Now, what’s next? GLITTER! No matter where I go, there will always be a trace of glitter. Glitter is incredible! It captures the good energy around us and intensifies it no matter where we are. So, you can expect PLENTY of glittery pieces soon! And I’m not just talking sprinkles of glitter – I’m talking layers of it!
Your blog highlights that you get to meet some pretty amazing people, like Paris Hilton and Amanda Lepore, what’s the secret of getting to go to so many great parties?
New York City is full of amazing and very interesting people, and the nightlife in the city is where all these people come together to dance and have fun! I’m a HUGE fan of Susanne Bartsch’s parties, which she hosts multiple nights throughout the week – this is really where I have the most fun, and is very unique and exclusive to NYC. Here, the beautiful Amanda Lepore is a regular partygoer, amongst many other amazing people. But in terms of one-time private parties with many celebrity guests, it really depends on who you know, and various opportunities. There could be a party on tomorrow night which I do not know of yet, which I may be invited to or may not be.
But in saying all of this, New York City is an amazing city, and is full of many, many great opportunities, and also many distractions. Some could say that the nightlife is one of these distractions, yet it is one of my biggest inspirations for my clothing designs. I always knew that NYC was the place for me and am thankful to be here! Who knows what’s around the corner.
Check out more of Jason’s work at jasonbrickhill.com
