Up Close with Designer Natasha Herron
By Jamie Atlas, Chair, Fashion Design, O’More College of Design
Natasha Herron earned a BFA in Fashion Design at O’More College of Design and her career immediately took off in the area of costume and wardrobe design. Following two tours with the Moscow Ballet, Natasha has been traveling the world with Mötley Crüe, Austin Mohone, Drake and Chris Brown. The featured picture is of Natasha while she is out on tour with Chris Brown in South Africa.
We asked her a few questions about her career.
Tell a little bit about yourself, how you got hooked on design.
I am from a very small town and remember being so inspired by pop culture, movies from the 90s and early 2000s, as well as the teen award shows and magazines. I glamorized all of it because it seemed like such a different world than my own.
Now, it is crazy that I end up working events that I used to idolize. Last year I worked at the old Total Request Live (TRL) building in New York City. I used to watch TRL everyday after school. I also worked at the VMA’s and the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. It’s interesting how things work out.
What most influenced your choice to be a designer?
So many encouraging art teachers, growing up with a mother who sewed, having artistic family members, and drawing and painting at home.
Where do you find creative stimulation? Looking at what others create.
Whether film, music, literature or fine art.
What turns off your creative juices?
Reality. People can be too critical of ideas before they are actualized and cannot visualize the end outcome, which can negatively affect the creative flow.
What has most surprised you in your career as a designer in the field of fashion?
Honestly, what most surprised me is how many types of jobs are out there for graduates. So many different industries overlap with the fashion industry.
Natasha discussing Austin Mohone’s wardrobe with another colleague
Who is your design hero/ine and why?
Anyone artistic and creative, who has overcome not being understood in some way or another and has endured and stayed true to his or her vision.
What is one thing we can do to become better designers?
BE BOLD! I had a painting professor tell me once that not showing confidence in your work is always apparent. This holds true in all forms of art and expression. Never dumb down your work or try to make it more digestible for anyone, especially early on. It’s our job as designers and artists to push boundaries.
Natasha’s fine art work
What is the one thing you would tell anyone who wants to be a designer?
Being a designer means coming up with an idea AND a plan of execution. A designer understands and is responsible for coordinating from start to finish. Having an idea to build a red house doesn’t make one an architect …but drafting the plans and calculating all the details does. The same goes for designers of any field.
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