Jeremy Franczyk on his Passion for Fashion
For as long as I’ve known you, you have been in love with fashion! Let’s take a deep dive…
I have loved fashion for a very long time now! I’m excited to share my passion with you!
Was there a moment or a series of events that lead to your obsession with fashion?
Embarrassingly enough, one of my first experiences with fashion came through watching America’s Next Top Model with my sister when I was young. Originally, I thought it was a “stupid show” (exactly how I described it to her) but after watching a couple episodes with her, I became obsessed. This is the reason why I love the modelling industry as much as the fashion industry. Both go hand-in-hand and work together!
After this, I began watching fashion shows online and reading about designers, models, stylists, etc. I still remember being obsessed with a few fashion shows from that time, most notably the Issa London and John Rocha Fall/Winter 2011 fashion shows in London.
What was it about fashion culture that made you want to be involved?
I simply think fashion is fascinating. I am also very interested in history and what’s incredible is that fashion has always been prevalent in every culture and society throughout time. Fashion is a reflection of the times people are living in and provides a great context for how people lived their lives.
Specifically for the fashion culture in our present day, I love how fashion thrives on “weirdness” and “being different.” Being unique is a trait of being successful in fashion, and I love that. Since my interest in fashion began, I wanted to be a part of a business that celebrates these traits, while allowing creatives individuals to showcase their talents.
Who were your first favorite designers?
There are a few that made a big impression on me at the beginning. Frida Giannini, who was the creative director of Gucci from 2006 to 2014, was a designer I loved. She took the reigns from Tom Ford, who designed for the brand previously, and created a Gucci girl who was both sexy and sophisticated at the same time.
I also loved Christopher Bailey, who was the creative director for Burberry from 2009 to 2017. His Fall 2012 collection will forever be one of my favorites, as he perfectly encapsulated the British heritage of the brand into the collection while making the clothing feel updated and slightly sexy.
Lastly, I have always loved the iconic Ralph Lauren for his signature American style.
Do you favor women’s fashion over men’s? Vice versa? Equal? Maybe you favor androgynous fashion? What kind of fashion do you look at most often? Do you try to get a variety?
Hmmm that’s an interesting question. I think for a long time, I was much more interested in women’s fashion over men’s. I still loved men’s fashion but I never watched menswear fashion shows and didn’t read upon menswear designers. Now, while I know much, much more about women’s fashion, I have become more interested in men’s fashion.
I think part of this reason is due to several designers combining their men’s and women’s collections into one fashion show or fashion presentation, which has provided me with more exposure to their menswear lines. As an example, I love the menswear from French designer Jacquemus. His menswear is always light, breezy, and attractive. I think in terms of fashion, I definitely like to look for a variety of styles.
Whenever February and September come up and New York, London, Milan, and Paris fashion weeks begin, it is such an exciting time to be interested in fashion, as you see every designer presenting their newest offering for their brand. Fashion week allows you to see a multitude of styles; from Versace’s sexiness, to Isabel Marant’s French chic, to Valentino’s classic glamour. It is so fun to witness!
I remember you being very knowledgeable about current models, do you think you were more interested in models than designers in high school? How has that evolved?
For most of my fashion-loving life, I would say my interest in models and the modelling industry surpassed my interest in fashion, although I still obviously loved fashion and style. What I love about models is their ability to transform the clothes they wear and create a story that makes you, as the viewer, dream. Some of the best models, like Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell (supermodels of the 90s), made fashion so fun because they were almost like actresses. They changed their walks, their looks, their personalities, etc. for different fashion shows and advertisement campaigns and always made sure to bring their best. As a result, modelling has been a huge interest for me and this propelled me to intern at a local modelling agency for two years.
With regards to how this has evolved, I am still very much passionate about the modelling industry and love it will all my heart. I think there was a period in the mid 2010’s which made me slightly lose some of this interest in the industry, as there were cycles of models that I was not a huge fan of…mostly due to them behaving and walking like zombies. Luckily, in the last few years, a number of models, with very diverse backgrounds, have risen to prominence and are becoming the new supers of our generation.
Some of these models include Imaan Hammam, Rianne von Rompaey, Vittoria Ceretti, Adut Akech, and Sora Choi. Now I am interested in the modelling industry more than ever!
Who are your current favorite designers? What was their best collection?
A designer I have come to love over the years is Gianni Versace. Sadly, Gianni is not alive today, as he was killed in 1997, but I will always cherish his collections in the 90’s. One of my favourite collections from Gianni was his Fall 1991 collection, which showcased incredibly sexy mini dresses in a wide range of bright colours, gorgeous tight leather pants, and colourful tartan prints on jackets, shirts, and skirts. As well, this show had an incredible ending, with supermodels Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford walking down the catwalk together signing George Michael’s “Freedom 90!” This was a moment that helped solidify these models as supermodels and strengthen Versace’s position as a top luxury fashion brand.
In terms of other designers, I currently love Jacquemus (mentioned earlier) for his sexy yet easy-breezy take on men’s and women’s-wear. I am also loving Jeremy Scott’s vision for Moschino, which he has been the creative director for since 2014. While some may find his designs tacky, I think Jeremy Scott has a lot of fun with fashion and plays around with some amazing ideas. Watching his fashion shows is always a blast!
What was the best year/span of years for fashion in your opinion? Where are we today in comparison?
Funnily enough, while the 2000's are known for producing some of the tackiest clothes ever, the creativity seriously flourished during this time. If you ever want to watch some iconic fashion shows, looking at collections from the early-to-mid 2000's will provide you with some amazing insight. Versace, Dolce & Gabanna, Louis Vuitton, and many other luxury fashion brands were on a high-note during this time. In terms of today, I think there has been a shift in what people want from fashion.
While in the 2000s people wanted sexy, revealing clothing, nowadays people value comfort and sustainability. You can see this transition easily by comparing designer clothing from, let’s say, 2018 vs. 2008. As well, I think the emphasis on making money has overshadowed creativity in recent years and thus, designers have played it more safe with their designs. While fashion is still fun and exciting in our current age, I hope we can get back to the playfulness of the 2000s.
You started a digital fashion blog/magazine called The Platform. What was the tipping point for you to start it? How have you found keeping up a momentum for this project? What keeps you going on this project?
I had wanted to create a digital magazine for the last few years and never knew where to start. I remember I had an internship in the summer of 2017 and I frustratedly spoke about this idea with my boss many different times. Finally, in the summer of 2019, I figured out what I wanted to do with some help from the amazing Fang Wan, my professor for a branding class I was in that summer. Since September of 2019, I have produced three issues of The Platform for Instagram and it has been a total blast. My passion for fashion, as well as having the opportunity to meet well-known and interesting Winnipegers, has motivated me to continue working on it.
While it does take hours and hours to create, produce, edit, and plan the content for social media, it is well worth it as the end of the day and has made me feel incredibly proud of myself and the individuals who have worked with me on it.
How do you feel about fashion being a stereotypical “gay” interest? Do you think being gay / somewhat feminine has influenced your fashion interest? How so? How does that whole idea make you feel?
While it is obvious that not every guy who is interested in fashion is gay, there is a large majority who are. I think people of the LGBTQ+ community are attracted to fashion because of its celebratory nature of being different and being unique. Many people in this community are also highly creative individuals and they can showcase their incredible talents in this industry, whether its as a designer, stylist, makeup artist, etc. So at the end of the day, I don’t find fashion being stereotypically “gay” as a bad thing. I think its wonderful that there is an industry that has made LGBTQ+ people feel respected and wanted for years.
In terms of how being gay has influenced my fashion interest, it has definitely made me more interested in women’s-wear, as I like the eccentric feeling that comes from certain women’s-wear. Funnily enough, though, my own personal style is very tame. Recently, I’ve compared myself to US Vogue Editor Tonne Goodman, who almost always wears a black turtleneck and white pants. Similarly, if I could wear a black turtleneck and black pants everyday, I think I would. There is something about this outfit that always makes me feel confident and strong, so I don’t mind being an outfit repeater if it makes me feel like this.
These days more straight men seem to be openly into fashion — mostly street wear, do you have any recommendations (designers, websites, blogs, Instagram) for more “masculine” men who might want to get in to something more than street wear or a dress shirt & pants?
I think “masculine” men who want to become more well-versed in fashion should look into buying magazines that provide them with insight into designers, stylists, and models. Magazines like GQ and Esquire are great examples of this. Having articles combined with fashion imagery is a great way to learn more about the fashion industry and these magazines are tailored to a male audience. As well, going on the ‘Business of Fashion’ (BOF) website is a great way to become more up to date with what is happening in the fashion industry.
Where do you want to be in 5 years in relation to fashion? Career wise, personal style wise, skill wise…
In five years, I would love to be working for either a fashion publication or a fashion brand. In terms of the actual job role, I am very open to many possibilities at this moment. On one hand, I would love to be a part of the fashion department and become a Fashion Editor. On the other hand, my love of the modelling industry also makes me want to pursue being a Casting Director or Bookings Director. With all of this in mind, I could also see myself in a Marketing role, as I just graduated with a Marketing and International Business degree. Regardless of what happens, I know I will be fulfilled as long as I can enter into the industry I love.
Fashion has been a part of my life for quite some time now, so having a role in this industry is the biggest goal I have at this point. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens!
Thanks for taking the time to answer some of my pressing questions Jeremy!
