When it comes to a fast paced fashion week (8 days to be exact), Providence does an incredible job capturing all the must see styles from talented designers in the Northeast region. The Providence Biltmore 17th floor was packed with editors, buyers, bloggers, designers, and fashionistas trying to take a glance of the Fall 2015 Collections. I attended the last runway show and was overwhelmed with the very last designer to parade his line, Jonathan Joseph Peters. Quirky, romantic, lovey dovey but powerful collection called “Modern Madonnas” exhausted my heart. The models wore intricate, stunning headpieces created by House of Cach. I was inquisitive to know more about Jonathan and his energy of imagination. After all the hustle and bustle was over, I had the opportunity to interview Jonathan.
photo credit Jamie Coelho
Me: What is the inspiration behind this collection “Modern Madonnas” ?
Jonathan: The inspiration behind this line was Renaissance and Rococo art. It posed the question-if the female figures in these two dimensional art works came to life and had to navigate the real world, what would they wear? How would they accessorize? My feeling is that they would be somewhere between the excessive embellishment of the period and becoming infatuated with modern cuts, silhouettes, and styling.
Me: Would you say there is a different customer for each line you create?
Jonathan: My designs are always bold, expressive, and on the risky or avant-garde side so that remains constant about my customer. However, I do find myself exploring different characters each season. Some are bold and quirky while others are delicate and romantic. I like doing so many different things that I am not ready to focus completely. I’m still playing to a certain extent.
Me: What does fashion mean to you?
Jonathan: Fashion means a lot of different things to me. Fashion is art, expression, and something that is literally very close to an individual. It is the only art form that we carry around with us daily and wrap ourselves in. Beyond that-fashion needs a large dose of sense of humor and imagination or else it just becomes “clothing”. Fashion is the step beyond the basic utilitarian clothing we wear. It’s an unknown, unusual, aspect, almost a feeling, that can polarize peoples’ opinions about what they are viewing or wearing.
Me: How is Providence, Rhode Island motivating you or are you motivating Providence, Rhode Island to become one of the fashion cities?
Jonathan: I am motivated by the act of creation-not a specific place necessarily. I would like to think that Providence will become a notable fashion city. I believe that if we-as creatives-move forward as an unit instead of striking out on our own we can create a larger impact that will grant us all success in the long run.
Me: Looking into your crystal ball, what do you see for the future for Jonathan Joseph Peters?
Jonathan: At some point, I will have to splinter off a line that is produced for me. I have a feeling that I will create this line along side of my custom work at first so I can continue to hand make bespoke pieces for my clients. That is my short term goal. More long term-world domination!!!!!!!
photo credit Laurie Carcieri
