April 28, 2008
“Make it work,” is more than the au courant catchphrase that
30-year-old fashion designer Mychael Knight, a season three
finalist on Bravo’s hit reality television series “Project Runway,”
heard the show’s resident style guru Tim Gunn say week after week.
It is timeless advice which he has tailored to his life and career.
He shared this advice with St. John’s students in his lecture,
“Entrepreneurship: Breaking into the Fashion Industry” which he
delivered at the Queens campus of St. John’s University on April
24, 2008, as part of the University’s Academic Lecture Series.
The Academic
Lecture Series, created in Fall 2006, presents students and
faculty with lectures on topics ranging from politics to religion,
athletics to science and gives students the opportunity to not only
attend a lecture, but often to meet and talk with the lecturer. The
final event of the Spring 2008 Academic Lecture Series, Knight’s
lecture was sponsored by the Division of
Student Affairs,
Student Programming Board (SPB), the Fashion Club and Discover New York.
Knight’s lecture allowed the 40 students attending to hear his
insights on the determination necessary for succeeding in the
fashion industry: “I have always wanted to be a designer. I started
watching ‘Soul Train’ one day and a dancer’s outfit caught my
attention. I thought ‘I can do that,’ so I started sketching.
One sketch became two; two became four.” After completing his major
in fashion at South Georgia University, Knight moved to Atlanta to
begin his career in fashion.
“Making it work,” Knight created opportunities for himself in
Atlanta fashion where there were few. Atlanta did have a vibrant
music scene and musical artists needed clothes and stylists for
their videos. Combining his interests in fashion and music, Knight
started making clothes which he then placed in music videos as a
wardrobe stylist: “I started designing for music videos, making and
using my clothes for shoots.”
Still, Knight felt as though his career in music video fashion
plateaued, and that was when he saw the first season of “Project
Runway” and thought to audition for the show. While he did not make
the cut on his first audition, he succeeded on his next attempt and
joined the season three cast of “Project Runway” where he became a
finalist and won the “Fan Favorite” Award.
Answering the students’ questions about his experiences on “Project
Runway,” Knight described how he has made those experiences work
for him: “Project Runway helped me. I was on the show trying to
win. It also gave me opportunities for public speaking, a campaign
with Starbucks for t-shirts, things I never imagined.”
In addition to career prospects, Knight’s “Project Runway”
experiences also helped him fully realize his identity as a
designer: “My experience on Project Runway was amazing. I’d do it
again. I can’t believe I was there. It was such a learning
experience. Meeting Heidi Klum and the guest judges like Diane von
Furstenberg and Zac Posen, those people understood me. I learned
who I was as a designer.”
While “Project Runway” introduced Knight to high fashion’s elite
and contributed to his growth as a designer, he credits his belief
in his talent and ambition for advancing his career beyond the
show: “I know that I have enough talent to move beyond ‘Project
Runway.’ I’m a go-getter. You have to play the cards you’re
dealt, make it work. You have to hustle.” Currently, Knight
is working on fragrance and intimate apparel lines.
Talking about his latest lines and other projects he’s
developing, Knight describes how he deals with a fast-paced and
demanding career, “I’m doing it at a level I can handle.” He
explains to the students that there isn’t a one-size fits all style
for success: “Figure out what’s right for you. For me, in
Atlanta music was big, so I started there. Follow your gut and
respond based on your situation. Just work.”
Knight believes you can make who you are and your situations
work for you because your experiences inform a creative vision that
is your signature. He speaks on how being a German-born, U.S. and
European-raised black man working in fashion has shaped his own
sense of style: “I’m inspired by everyday women who I see on the
street here, but I’ve also lived in Europe. Italian fashion and fit
also inspire me. Travel shapes my design sense.” Being a
black man in fashion, Knight describes how people’s expectations of
his designs have actually worked in his favor: “Right away you get
attention because people expect you to make jeans and t-shirts. I
make a point of being visible because there are not many black
designers. I’m glad to participate.”
According to Knight, expressing a unique and personal vision in
your work can speak to others and be commercially successful: “What
your mind can imagine, you can make it fashionable. I just saw
Tonka-truck jewelry in Vogue selling for lots of money.
You can mesh things together in a marketable way.” His
belief in himself, in the integrity of his work, and how his belief
has motivated him to work hard in a challenging industry is an
inspiring model of success for St. John’s students who are seeking
excellence and quality experiences in their professional
careers.
Knight followed his lecture by hosting St. John's Fierce Spring
Fashion Show which was part of the University's
Sping Fling celebration.