Inside the Studio: Daniel Vosovic

"I was a gymnast for 12 years and after a lot of surgeries and training and work I decided to retire and go to architectural school but I had no money for college, so I worked full time and—begrudgingly—went to a community college. I absolutely hated it, so I took a sewing course on a whim and went from making boxer shorts to cocktail dresses in a few weeks. That was when I knew that that was what I wanted to do. I didn't know that being a fashion designer was a career in Michigan though; I didn't even know any designers at that point!"

"I traveled to Istanbul, and the patterns from the mosaics [shown at top left] really inspired me. We took the pattern and removed all the color, making it more mechanical-looking, then overlaid it onto florals."

"These laser-cut pieces are made from neoprene, although they look a little like leather. They give what we like to call the 50/5. From 50 feet away they make an impact, and from 5 feet away they're still really interesting."

"We aim to dress chic tomboys. Thats the DNA of our pieces. Frida Kahlo was a huge inspiration for s/s 2014. She's the original chic-Tomboy."

"The Daniel Vosovic girl dresses for herself, not for another woman or a guy. When I think about designing something, I always consider the impact it will make when the girl wearing it walks into a room, and then whether another girl will check her out when she walks away."

"What I like about fashion is that I can create something that make people feel confident, to go for a job interview or go on a first date. At the end of the day I want to design something that causes a deeper trigger."