2025 Designer Profile: Gavin Reid
“My name is Gavin Reid, a junior at the University of Chicago studying Economics and Public Policy. I’m originally from New York City and I love to play soccer.”
How did you get into fashion Design?
I originally got into it because I was looking online for a pair of pants and I couldn’t find anything that replicated what I was looking for. And I said, you know what? I already have pairs of pants and kinds of clothes that are 90% there, but are missing that last 10%. Let me learn how to alter clothes. Altered my first pair of pants, and I fell in love with it. And from there, it just kinda spiraled into me buying a sewing machine over the summer, learning how to sew, and then starting to bring the fashion designs that I always had to life.
Having designed both men’s and women’s clothing. Which do you find easier?
I found for the designing process the women’s side much easier because a lot of aspects in fashion are tied to women’s fashion, and when I was doing research in terms of my designs and was looking at fashion shows for reference, a lot of the women’s designs really caught my eye, so it was a lot easier for me to draw patterns and designs for them. But men were a little bit more difficult because men have a lot more of a muted style. You can either go the very avant garde very experimental route, or you can do the ready to wear route which is kind of a clean cut, very minimal. So I wanted to try and find a balance between the two, so that was a bit more challenging.
What were some sources of inspiration for the collection?
I have always been interested in architecture growing up in NYC, so that’s always been a thing I reached to when I was looking at a design of any kind. My inspiration for this collection actually came from my CIV class, my first year, where I was learning about Egyptian empires. And one topic we stumbled upon in class was Assyria and the culture and their architecture. For me, this was really eye opening because for one of our assignments, we went into a museum here on campus and I got to see that firsthand. That really gave me the courage and instilled me with passion to go make my designs inspired by that. So, for me, the theme of my designs is that you want to feel like you’re walking through the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a mythological place which is believed to have been in Assyria.
Who do you have in mind when you’re designing?
When I’m designing a piece of clothing, I love the idea of somebody being able to see themselves in your piece of clothing. I feel like that even though I've gotten more into fashion, that’s something I still struggle with in terms of what is considered a good design if I can’t see myself wearing it. I want people to be able to look at my designs and sit, “you know what, I might not wear all these designs, but this one piece is really nice.” Or “I would wear this one.” “I could see myself wearing this to dinner or to hangout with my friends or to the beach.” That is something I really wanted to peer through my designs.
Have you ever done fashion design work like this before? How did you find the design process?
No, absolutely not. I never envisioned myself doing any of this, but being able to experiment over the summer and buy my sewing machine, really instilled within me the confidence that although this may not be a career for me, I really enjoy this hobby. I didn’t find the design process too bad. I didn’t have any experience with physical patterns, or pattern books and drawing them up, I had to learn Code 3D, which is a pattern making software. And then, at first with the sewing machine, it’s like trying to learn anything else. I was taking in youtube videos one by one, but once you stick with it and are resilient with the process, it rewards you. And I feel like I have definitely been rewarded with the process of running Code 3D because not only have my designs turned out really well, but I have been able to help others do the same. The community around me has also helped me tremendously along the way. The community through MODA is filled with so many great people who have given me support and instilled me with the confidence to continue my designs.
What are you looking forward to most about the show?
I’m the kind of person that once I’m engrossed in something I don’t easily give up, so I am most excited for people to see the hard work that I have put in. My vision will come to life with these clothes. Starting the whole process I was very worried and wondered if I was equipped to do this and if people would be able to see what I am going for. But, as I have gotten closer to the deadline and the clothes have started to come together, I feel more confident in them and I am very excited for people to see what I’ve made.
If you could give any advice to your pre-designer self, what would it be?
The one piece of advice I would give myself is: Don’t give up. There were many times where I was trying to thread the sewing machine or I was trying to put together these pattern pieces and I was like oh this is too complicated, maybe I’m out of my depth. So, what I would say to myself in those moments is: “Just keep going forward, remember there is no pressure, this is something you enjoy and you’re doing it because you enjoy it. So have fun with it, rely on other people and learn from your mistakes.”
