Words by Samantha Smikle
Priestess designer Cody Ross, 30, channels Judy Jetson in his fall 2008 collection for a spin on fashion’s vintage obsession, which he calls “retro futurism.” His gold metallic reptile print fabric which he uses for ballerina-esque dresses and the exaggerated geometric silhouettes that shape many pieces from his collection tip toe the avant garde line, while his purple cropped boxy jacket with a gloc-9 print lining brings surprise to an otherwise commercial silhouette. But with a cartoon character for his muse, we were curious about what artists were on Cody’s playlist. At first thought, Cody names Kool Keith, which plays in he background, M.I.A. and Santogold as the standard marathon of artists he listens to, but ‘SUP sat down with him there in the basement of his West Village townhouse in New York City to chop it up about the tunes that inspire his designs.
Describe your personal style.
My personal style is a syncretic of glam-punk, vintage and off-the-shelf stuff from H&M or American Apparel. It’s about ‘stress-free mix and match.’ I like to wear comfortable clothes that are fun and silly with dramatic contrasts. Lately I’ve been wearing excessively-baggy cotton pants with wild African neon prints, a t-shirt and high-top Nikes. Florescent head-bands are cool too.
What gets you pumped up when getting dressed?
I’m pumped up whenever I put on my fanny-pack! I guess my personal style subsumes lots of
bright-colored 80’s era stuff with anything contemporary.
If you could collaborate on a collection with an artist/group (past or present), who would it be?
From the past, it would be so cool to collaborate with that metal band from Richmond, VA, called GWAR! They are a crazy, cool thrash metal band from the 80’s…I think they’re still together. I went to their concert once in the ‘90s and it was all about sci-fi/horror inspired costumes made of latex and Styrofoam. They were so raunchy and extreme and I was blown-away by their performance. Basically, they are about “shock-and-awe” fashion and I love that. I also love M.I.A. because she is so fashion-forward! Of course every indie designer wants to collaborate with her and that’s because she’s the embodiment of contemporary cool.
What is the importance of fashion in music?
It’s cliché, but fashion and music are inexorably linked. It’s fundamentally a symbiotic relationship… Musicians look to designers for inspiration and designers look to musicians as a mode of personal expression for their gear. Fashion and music are powerful cultural feed-back loop. The punk rockers of the 1970’s, like The Sex Pistols and The Clash, gave rise to Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rhodes. Initially this was considered anti-fashion but over time the culture converged on “glam-punk” and now Vivienne Westwood is dressing the Queen of England and Carrie Bradshaw!
What music videos inspire you?
I love the early Duran Duran videos for fashion styling, especially Girls on Film and Planet Heart. The music is great and the wardrobe–super-cool.
What influences are can we find in your designs?
Punk and glam-punk are recurring influences, for sure. I’m obsessed with Vivienne Westwood references and she was built on the edifice of punk rock. I also love those ‘kitsch-Futurist’ references that Duran Duran did in the 80’s. I love wild colors and crazy geometrics, spikes and monochrome finishes.
Name the top 5 songs on your play list.
1. M.I.A., Paper Planes
2. Eek A Mouse Ganja Smuggling
3. Santogold The Creator
4. Duran Duran Girls on Film
5. Dr. Octogon/Kool Keith Blue Flowers
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