2025 Designer Profile: Alberto Martinez

Alberto Martinez is a first time MODA Designer and a member of the Designer Boot Camp. He’s a second year Computer Science and MAAD major, and I’ve gotten to know him a bit through MODA and because we have the pleasure of taking Kawaii Culture in Japan and the World together this quarter. He gave the following responses in an email interview.

Walk us through your mood board.

Honestly, my mood board is less related to the designs that I made, but more of an aesthetic that I was really drawn to- and even then, I don’t know if it really translates. For some time, I was really interested in the idea of computers coming to life through the intricate design of wires, chips, the motherboard, and everything else that is connected to make a computer work. It reminds me of the human body, our veins, tissues, cells all organized in such a way to make us alive. The idea that computers could be alive and serve a purpose, to serve our needs has a religious element to it especially when you think about us being its creator. Anything to boost my god complex is cool :3 That’s why you see some religious elements combined with parts of the computer in my mood board, but you also see some cute little Chao creatures from Sonic Adventures 2 and Captain Unohana from Bleach. These are just things I thought were cool, but I also really love the Bleach aesthetic and the way the gowns flow and sit on characters is so cool to me.

What are your design inspirations?

I wanted to incorporate what I was talking about in my mood board a little bit into the designs I am making. I am trying to imitate the idea of clothing coming to life though the individual threads that make the whole thing come together. But also, I wanted to make sure that these clothes only come together based on the person that is wearing them, in a way that is more personal to them. The gold threads visible throughout the outfit represent the hidden fibers that bind the black garments, symbolizing the wearer’s life force keeping this garment together. Tying this back to the mood board, in an episode of Bleach, Unohana was telling the main character that his clothing represented how much spiritual energy he had in his bankai release state. I took some inspiration from that.

What was your design process like?

I wanted to make garments that I thought could be worn in the winter, and something that I would personally wear on a daily basis. For the dress however, I wanted to design something that I thought my friend would enjoy wearing in the winter to formal events, which is why it fuzzy. 😊

Progress pic! Making a mannequin for one of his models

How has your Designer Boot Camp experience been?

My DBC experience has been so great. I really enjoy working with other designers and seeing their ideas come to life. It's really inspiring and I would love to thank both Mikhail and Parth for giving me this opportunity to learn how to sew and make my ideas come to life. I would also like to thank Janelle, our instructor, for guiding us through the process of garment creation during this bootcamp. Without her I wouldn’t have made any of these designs today.

What has been your favorite moment of your MODA Designer experience?

My favorite moment was probably the photoshoot. Seeing all the other designers in their dope outfits was something surreal. I’m not going to glaze them too much now, but I was also glad they provided us some food- there is a picture of me eating a croissant.

Here is that picture. Courtesy of MODA Digital’s very own Otto Reed.

What are the similarities between your day-to-day style and your designs? Or are they totally different?

I have  poor taste in styling myself to be honest [writer’s note: this is not true]. Y’all will catch me wearing the same thing over and over again, but the thing that I will stand behind is wearing black. I love wearing black or an all-black fit. Y’all can’t take it fr. But with my designs, I wanted to incorporate my favorite color. Is it obvious it’s my favorite color? Be honest.

What is your favorite thing in your closet?

My favorite thing in my closet is my black bag that I carry around with me everywhere. It's just a simple leather laptop briefcase bag. I love bringing my MacBook and using it any time I get a chance to. So a bag that matches its measurements perfectly looks to me as if it was custom built for my laptop. AND IT'S BLACK?? Can’t get better than that.

Do you believe in the concept of having a favorite color?

Okay so while I DO have my favorite color, I don’t think it’s something that applies to everything. Right now my favorite color is black, but do I want to see it everywhere? No. For my bedding, I love white comforters because it makes me feel like I’m on the clouds. I also don’t have any decorations that are black. If I have black bedding, the material HAS to be rough or coarse in order for me to sleep on it, if it ain’t then I don’t wanna see it.

Anything else you’d like to share with the masses?

HELLOO EVERYBODY!!! :D