Executive Director of Blanche Macdonald’s Fashion Design Program Tyler Udall understands why students for his fashion designing courses can be nervous before their first one-on-one meeting with him. After all, his reputation as one of Canada’s top international stylists and creative directors precedes him.
Having honed his sense of style in the offices of Marc Jacobs in New York, Tyler moved to London where he became Senior Fashion Editor for AnOther Man, Executive Director at HOBO Magazine, and a core contributor for fashion bibles including Dazed and Confused and AnOther. He went on to be a Contributing Editor for Teen Vogue, Vogue China, L’Officiel, The Daily Telegraph, Le Magazine Double; styled celebrities like Joaquin Phoenix, Daniel Radcliffe, M.I.A. and Bjork, while consulting for brands including Levi’s, Nike, Topshop, Sonia Rykiel and J. Lindeberg.
“I’m not pushing an aesthetic on anyone. I want students to figure out what their aesthetic is. I’ll help them refine and elevate that and make it marketable.”
But Blanche Macdonald’s designers soon discover that Tyler’s not going to give them an Anna Wintouresque critical mauling. Far from it.
“I can understand how students would be intimidated,” admits Tyler, “but it couldn’t be a more disarming experience. For me it’s a pleasure to figure out what makes each student tick with their fashion designing courses. The ability to capture and harness their authenticity is precisely what will make them stand out. I’m not pushing an aesthetic on anyone. I want students to figure out what their aesthetic is. I’ll help them refine and elevate that and make it marketable.”
Tyler understands what it’s like to be a newcomer in the fashion industry. He was a professional dancer with the renowned New York City Ballet / School of American Ballet when a back injury forced his retirement at only 21.
“When my dance career ended, fashion was the only other thing I knew. At 18 I’d been scouted by a modelling agency – although I was a horrible model, so self-conscious in front of the camera. I always had a strong sense of my own style but I felt I desperately needed to catch up.”
Looking to get a foothold in the industry, Tyler enrolled in fashion school in New York. The education was good but his real break came when he secured an internship with Marc Jacobs.
“I was working on PR and on design, which eventually evolved into handing out clothing for celebrities to wear and buying vintage items I thought were interesting and would inspire the team. Because it was such a small company there was no hierarchy. Everyone spoke to everyone else with respect, from the janitor to Marc Jacobs himself. Everyone ate lunch together. Marc would take the garbage out if he was leaving the building.”
It was here that Tyler made the profound discovery that there’s no such thing as a formula for style.
“Venetia Scott was Marc’s creative right-hand person. Her way of looking at clothes was amazing. An outfit would come in that was so ugly, everyone would turn up their noses. She’d look at it, roll up the sleeves, alter a hem, remove one thing and add something else. These subtle differences would create something incredibly beautiful. Learning to see a piece’s potential was a big lesson for me.
Magazine and personal work.
“I was being exposed to items and ways of digesting information that I didn’t have access to before. Marc’s best friend, Sofia Coppola, would constantly drop by with something she’d bought from the market that she thought he should reproduce. I didn’t know who she was. I just thought she was a really cool person. Then I saw Virgin Suicides and understood that she was real. That’s when I started getting interested in makers, not just products.”
Challenges with his US visa led Tyler to London, where a planned year building his résumé turned into six years at the forefront of global fashion.
“I was straddling styling and editorial. Writing fashion pieces got my foot in the door with AnOther Magazine and Dazed and Confused. For anyone looking to get into the fashion world that was a skeleton key to the industry.”
“I was straddling styling and editorial. Writing fashion pieces got my foot in the door with AnOther Magazine and Dazed and Confused. For anyone looking to get into the fashion world that was a skeleton key to the industry. You had that powerhouse taste level that got you in anywhere. After two months interning, AnOther Man started and I was brought in as Deputy Editor. These magazines’ ability to identify talent and pour fertilizer on it was unprecedented. It was exciting to be around like-minded people in a city where art, fashion and culture were at the forefront. At the time I was more overwhelmed than thrilled. My first styling shoot for Dazed and Confused was with M.I.A. I knew I was in it!”
After six successful years in London Tyler returned to New York as his career continued to soar.
Personal work.
“I was working as a Creative Director with an agency called Fred and Associates. We specialized in fusing luxury fashion brands with fine artists for special projects. A big part of my work was research. I would scour the planet on behalf of clients and present them with a basket of golden eggs; ‘your font should look like this, your clothes should look like this and your ad should look like this.’”
“I work with students from my fashion designing courses today like I would any designer. I’ll mentor them and give them research projects until we flush out what their collection is going to be.”
It turns out that life at fashion’s cutting edge isn’t entirely the bed of roses you see in the movies.
“I was travelling around the world, working non-stop and was kind of miserable. My parents had moved to Vancouver, which I knew was the best place for me to recharge my batteries and feel grounded. When I was visiting Blanche Macdonald heard that I was in town. I was invited to guest speak and that turned into a job teaching the styling and communications classes.”
It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
“I work with students from my fashion designing courses today like I would any designer. I’ll mentor them and give them research projects until we flush out what their collection is going to be. Taste can’t be taught but it can be refined, massaged and nurtured. It’s about being discerning. Students think it’s a magician’s act, which is the same thing I thought when I saw Venetia Scott doing it at Marc Jacobs, but really it’s instinct.
“I like being in the shadows. Venetia Scott and Sofia Coppola were Marc Jacobs’ secret weapons. I like being a secret weapon. I want to be a fashion ninja too!”
“I’m teaching at my fashion designing courses, how to reimagine and reinterpret fashion. A lot of designers are amazing at making a piece but less amazing at putting them together in a way that’s cohesive, has a narrative and is easily digestible for an audience. Seeing how happy students get when pieces start looking stronger than they could have imagined is a great feeling. The confidence we give students ripples through so many other aspects of their lives.”
Tyler has demonstrated his style superpowers around the world. Just don’t expect him to shout about it.
“I like being in the shadows. Venetia Scott and Sofia Coppola were Marc Jacobs’ secret weapons. I like being a secret weapon. I want to be a fashion ninja too!”
