T Lo Interviews WesFeld

We're so proud of our little gay pretend nephews!

Darlings, when we announced that S5 Project Runway contestants Daniel Feld and Wesley Nault won the Plastics Make it Possible design contest with two stunningly beautiful dresses, we knew we had to set the little nippers down and have a chat. So that's what we did.

Congratulations on winning the Plastics Make it Possible design contest!
DF: Thank you.

WN: Thanks so much.

Can you tell us a little bit about the dresses? Like where you got the inspiration for the designs?
DF: Sure, one of the first winning looks was inspired by a trilobite, which is a fossil and definitely there’s a little bit of a seahorse inspiration. So we definitely studied those structures and made them into panels and we wanted them to look pretty so we used a plastic interface and heated that up so it could curve. It comes from millinery so it really gave us the dimensions we wanted.

It must have been difficult to make the garments entirely out of plastic. Was there ever a time where you wished you could switch out the materials?
DF: Absolutely. But specifically for this dress it was definitely more of a good thing because we wouldn’t have been able to get the dimensions we wanted without the plastic on top. I mean the interfacing is kind of the key for the texture of the dress. We really wouldn’t have changed anything as far as that goes.

WN: We started the two dresses before we even heard of the competition. It just so happened that they would be entirely made out of plastic and then when we heard about the competition we thought it was perfect for us.

How long did it take to make these dresses?
DF: The gray one took about three weeks because each piece is hand stitched onto the dress; it took a lot of work. And the other dress took about 2 weeks.

And who does what in the design and execution process or do you both just trade off tasks constantly?
DF: We actually both get really excited with the inspiration and we both kind of went off with it and we looked at books and did research on the web and we were both like, “Why don’t we do this,” or “Why don’t we do that,” and then we just both worked on it as a team. So we work really well together.

Okay, we have a question that we want each of you to answer. We’ll start with Daniel. What does Wesley bring to your collaboration?
DF: Definitely the excitement over the inspiration and design. I mean, we both get really excited, but it’s a nice thing because with him there, it’s like, this is not just a crazy idea because I know I have someone there who’s just as excited about it. That’s probably the best thing because it gets us both motivated. I feel like we bring a balance to each other, which is a great thing.

Wesley, same question to you. What does Daniel bring to the table?
WN: Well, I look at things more mathematically, and Daniel is a bit more free about things, like draping. It’s actually a complement because I can be very restrained with stuff and he kind of loosens things up and make them more free. He’s a little more whimsical.

We were pleasantly surprised when we saw the dresses because neither of you were on Project Runway long enough for us to get a sense of you as designers. Do these dresses represent a step forward for you two or is it just a case of finally getting to show the world what you’re about?
DF: Well the thing is, when you’re on Project Runway you have like six hours to make a garment. I take my time and I’ll go back and change things and being put under that kind of pressure, I mean, for me it’s hard to work like that. At times I thought it would be a piece of cake, but I can be indecisive; I’m constantly questioning things until I get to the point where I’m happy with it, and even then I wind up questioning.

It’s hard to show what you really can do on Project Runway, at least for me.

Tell us a little bit about your label WesFeld. How do you see it?
We definitely see it as clothes that you would have a conversation over. We want to get people to talk by showing something interesting with a story behind it, like what it was inspired by, or about the fabrics or the structure.

You guys have a new studio now, correct?
DF: Yeah, we have a studio in Brooklyn, which is a great place to work and a great space for us.

Tell us about the collection you’re showing at Gen Art.
DF: It’s inspired by things that was up on the shore and get bleached out by the sun. If you ever look at a seashell, you can see the calcium deposits whiten up under the sun. They’re these muted tones that look kind of like they’re decaying under the sun. You get these muted grays and purples and ivories. So we were inspired by that color palette as well as the things you find on the beach. For instance, one of the dresses was inspired by a conch shell and it’s very structured but at the same time the structure we created for it is very flowy. The way we constructed the dress and the way it moves and the ruffles cascade almost make it look like it’s frozen in movement, the way the structure of a seashell looks. There’s also a lot of gradiated colors, so you’ll see a lot of ombres. And then we have some pieces that were inspired by sand and a piece that was inspired by sea urchins.

WN: We’re almost creating personalities for each garment.

How many pieces are you showing at Gen Art?
WN: We’re going to be showing ten looks all together.

DF: Ten looks for the show and then an outfit for Molly Sims. [T Lo: Molly Sims is hosting the Gen Art event.]

Oh, and then we’re also doing a dress out of condoms for Lifestyle. I think that’ll be in the foyer at the event. They shipped over 4,000 condoms. We’ve been working with the latex and dying it and stretching it to see what kind of different properties you can get out of it. It’ll be fun.

Who needs fabric?
WN: Not when you have plastic and condoms.

So, are you all done and ready for the show?
[laughter]
WN: There’s your answer.

Well we can’t wait to see the collection and meet up with you next week.
DF: Awesome.
WN: We look forward to meeting you in person. And thanks so much!
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And not only are WE going to the Gen Art event, thanks to the fine folks at Plastics Make it Possible, so are two of you. And those two people are ... Megatron and Brooklyn Bomber! Congrats, ladies! You are not required to wear plastic to the event but we would think it was really funny if you did. We of course will be there, twittering our asses off. Expect a post next week looking at all the dresses at the event, including the WesFeld collection.

Dress pictures courtesy of Plastics Make it Possible

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