Jordan McCalmont

Jordan McCalmont

Jordan McCalmont.

 

He's really just another one of the wierd kids that hang out in the tiny, picturesque Silver City, New Mexico. There's nothing much to do except hang out. He's done a lot of that, but it was his creativity and drive that pushed him to start making clothes.

Jordan started sewing and designing clothes at the tender age of eleven, had his first fashion show when he was fourteen, and now...well who's ever known what they're going to be doing when they were fifteen. So long as it involves design, it seems he will be happy.

He has ideas for designing clothes, fabrics, sculptures and even his own house. I asked him a few questions about where he wanted to take his talent...

Jordan: I don't know right now. I've always wanted to just make clothes and have a few little shops.

SC: Do you plan to try to be any kind of major label?
Jordan: I think I would get up there if that just happened. If my clothes are good enough, that will just happen.

But basically you'd just try to support yourself...
Yeah, that's what I want to do. I'm going to try.

Do you see that happening soon, or are you going to wait for a while?
I'm going to wait until I have a place and A LOT of time. Then I can come up with some pretty good stuff.

What do you think about the high fashion industry today?
I think high fashion is definitely better. It just bothers me when people walk around with Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren and they're clothes that they don't even make; they just put their name on them and sell them for a lot of money. I think I'd like to make my own clothes and sell them for a lot of money, because you'd want to buy something that was actually make by the person who's name is on them.

If you look around, you'll notice that people's clothes tend to all look alike. Of course, there's not a whole hell of a lot to choose from either. Jordan wants to give people an alternative to looking like every one else. Eventually, he wants to help people personalize their clothes and help them to break out of the trends set by department stores all over the world.

Dress by Jordan

Dress designed and sewn by Jordan.

Is there any particular place that you want to set up and start doing this?
New Mexico. All around here. I really like it here.

You don't want to go to New York or San Francisco?
I want to buy some land and have a little house way out. I want to design my own fabrics, too. That's what I really want to do. I also love sculpture.

What kind of sculpture do you like?
Anything I can find. Anything. Trash art. And I go out into the woods to get stuff, too.

How supportive are your parents?
They're really supportive.

Is there anything that you'd like to say about what you are doing?
I just have fun; I just do it.

 

Article and photographs by Heather Bowden.