Todd Oldham Talks Design
Todd Oldham is out of the apparel business, but he is still immersed in design. And that’s enough to keep his fashion fans interested in his endeavors and progress.
That was apparent during Oldham’s Jan. 18 appearance at the California Market Center fashion theater. The crowd listened attentively to the latest installment of “Inside the Designer’s Studio,” as the designer recounted his career to Otis College of Art & Design fashion chair Rosemary Brantley. Proceeds from the event will benefit the school’s design programs.
The 43-year-old designer was once the rising star of the New York runways. His eclectic style and down-home appearance pushed him to the upper tiers of 1990s pop culture. He hosted MTV’s “House of Style,” made acting cameos in Tracey Ullman’s “Tracey Takes On” and Roseanne Barr’s “Roseanne,” and led the charge of designers into mass production.
About five years ago, he abruptly left the apparel industry to concentrate on interior design, photography, writing and philanthropic activities with nonprofit organizations such as PETA and AIDS Project L.A.
In an about-face, Oldham went from selling high-end products to teaching consumers how to get style on the cheap. He is now designing a signature line of furniture for La-Z-Boy Inc. and is about to release his second book, “Handmade Modern.”
Oldham candidly told the audience that he had been turned off by the fashion industry’s politics and excess. “The politics was thick, and I wasn’t up for the ride. It was too compromising of my spirit,” he said.
Oldham said he valued fashion as a self-esteem enhancement, but when he started selling $1,800 blouses, he questioned the thought process behind it. Eventually, he took his design prowess to the masses by producing clothing for the Target Corp. That partnership expanded into home furnishings and interior design. He said he would likely never return to the apparel industry.
“I don’t know what I can bring to [fashion] now,” Oldham admitted. “But never say never.”
Oldham is not totally detached from the industry, however. He said he admires up-and-coming designers Esteban Cortazar of Miami and Wendy Mullin of Built By Wendy fame. Oldham said he does not differentiate much between apparel design and other media. His view is that design is merely a process, whether it’s for a dress or a lounge chair. “You use the same tenets and tools of expression,” he said.
Born in Texas, Oldham spent time on the West Coast before moving to New York. He said he appreciates the “breeziness” of style in Los Angeles.
As for home deacute;cor, Oldham thinks it has taken on more importance in the 21st century, perhaps even more than fashion.
“As we become nesters, the home becomes more important,” he said. “Fashion has a different place in people’s lives. When I was in it, it went from the high-end to the streets. Design is more diplomatic and accessible now.”
At the same time, he said, design is more fractured.
“There are so many different points of view,” he noted. “Years ago, there were only about seven or eight shows during New York Fashion Week. With world culture as it is, fashion doesn’t have the priority it once had, but it’s an enhancement that brings happiness.” —Robert McAllister
