July 22, 2010
Not all fashion is pretty and feminine. There is a dark side to fashion too. David Mason Chlopecki's Slick It Up label is not for everyone and is not always safe for work. Bradford Shellhammer caught up with the designer/unicorn to talk about his brand, his models, and the appropriate time to wear a hood.
When and where was Slick It Up born?
Slick It Up came to life after 30 years of keen appreciation of body-conscious clothing. Being a child of the '80s made it impossible for me not to deeply appreciate the ideal.
A mutual friend told me you were an incredible milliner, though I could barely find anything online to support this. How did you go from working with hats to neoflex?
After graduating from CalArts, I actually considered going to school for toy design. When I completed the application, they asked me to design four toys. I realized all I was interested in was action figures and the accessories that those action figures had. So I decided to go to FIT for accessory design, which incorporated a lot of leatherwork. I just made a couple hood samples and it grew from there. Originally I sold on eBay, and a client who had a credit-card-processing agency actually asked me if I wanted to start taking credit cards myself and it grew from there.
There is a definite sense of style in everything you create, from the garments themselves to the models, the art direction in photos, etc. Did you intentionally decide to incorporate more "fashion" elements into the world of fetishwear?
Absolutely. I try to deliver a fantasy. I used to do couture millinery and one-off accessories for various runway shows and designers like Moschino, Cavalli, Zanotti, and all those celebrities whose names you always see thrown around when it comes to this kind of thing.
Likewise, a sense of humor exists in your work. How do you balance that point of view with your subject matter, which by nature is darker and sexier?
Well, there is something inherently funny about spandex -- I mean, it's not "serious" clothing. It's far from tweed. I mean, it's serious business if you're wearing it, but to me it's certainly an aggressive gesture for the show ponies of the world and not something you wear without knowing how jarring it is. So I appreciate a wink and a nod while someone serves me amazing ass in spandex. It just makes me happy -- it's fun.
I try to go as far as I can before it becomes a "boner kill." So what I do is I contrast something like a slingshot thong with a hard-looking guy with tattoos or something, so there's a yin to the yang.
Where do you find your models?
I've found models everywhere. I just finally had cards made, because I see so many guys on the street who would be incredible! I've found guys at the gym; I also search the websites that feature profiles for guys with muscles, and a lot of guys come to me as well.
Does Slick It Up have seasonal collections? Do you show your work in a traditional format?
No, I work in a monthly format: I come out with one or two things a month. I don't work in a traditional "collection" format. It just wouldn't be smart for me; it's better to dole them out monthly and keep the people's interest and the orders coming in.
When is the most appropriate time to wear a hood?
Hmmmm. Anonymous sex is always a good time -- or when you're stealing the baseball diamond.
And your favorite piece in your collection is ...
Personally I have the most respect for the customers who buy the candy sling or the cobra. Both take so much nerve.
Your blog, House of Vader, is a combination of personal reflections, stylized videos, some porn, and fashion. Why do you keep a blog?
In the beginning I just wanted to reach out to people who I thought would have a similar sensibility, but now that it's grown so big it's become therapeutic for me. It's sorta like a diary. I divulge a lot, but not everything.
What is the biggest hurdle you encounter designing and running your own line?
Hmmm, material supply can be frustrating -- when you have to wait two months for your neoflex to get here from Korea, you're biting your nails in the last legs of it.
Tell me about the photos of you dressed as a unicorn.
That was just another Slick It Up marketing idea that I didn't realize would be so huge. To have 100 posters of me printed dressed like a unicorn seemed like a hard sell, but I didn't even think of the female market, and they are into it. There are so many people with that picture as their photo for Facebook. There's even a guy who has a Facebook page dedicated to putting your face on top of mine for your own unicorn photo. I've considered sending him my photo just to see if he notices.
