God, I hate him. Seriously, that was the most pride filled interview ever!

Well, good for Johnny for doing the interview. I thought he might not.
Maybe he didn't intend to knock off the Lanvin. Who knows? The editing certainly made it seem so. I don't like it when they deliberately try to smear someone in the editing or try to manipulate the viewers into disliking someone.
He does have an impressive body of work and resume.
His attitude about Angel is still a little shady. Of course she is envious Johnny, they all are. There would be absolutely no reason for her to sabotage your work regardless.

Long time reader but first time poster. Many designers have pissed me off in the past both on TFS and PR but this is the first time I have ever felt compelled to express my disdain. [Edited]

Over him.

Such an ugly collection. Blech. some of the Grandma's Glock stuff is fun in a self-righteous Indie Chick way, but House of Bare and the decoy collection? Fussy. Ugly in an ugly way. No.

Johnny's cute and obviously very experienced in the industry. I think he has a good eye and has fun with fashion. Not everyone is tailor made for reality tv. He's probably cool to hang out with, but I don't think he was thinking too much about how he'd come across as a character.

While it's clear that these shows put the participants in incredibly stressful environments, how one responds to stress is telling. I thought he responded with weakness, and would say anything to cover that up.

I hope he learned something from his experience there and moves on to something better.

This interview sheds more light on Johnny and his resume is indeed impressive, but I still couldn't stand his personality on the show, so whiny and bitchy. But I do think that Angel kind of sabotaged him, or at least let him go down the wrong path when he chose the wrong kind of fabric to go underneath his dress. There's that moment in the work room when they're discussing it and Angel's muted response all but confirms it. Not that I blame her, after the way he treated her.

Aaron

the clothes looked chip in a chip way

Actually Aaron, it is unclear how much Angel knew about Johnny's design when they were at the fabric store. If he already had the huge shoulder poof in mind, he would need a fabric with body like taffeta or net to line the chiffon with to make it stand up. Having the taffeta also put him in a perfect position to differentiate his dress from the Lanvin. He could have made the lining close to the body and had the chiffon floaty and away, or any number of things, but he didn't.

Overall my opinion of Johnny hasn't changed. Don't hate him exactly but definitely he displayed actions that needs to be called out on.

Some of the things he said in the interview I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt about in regards to mentioning other actresses and the dress starting out differently. I guess we'd have to go back to the scenes in the workroom.

His comment about Reco's dress I can give a pass on since Reco and others have made equally indiscreet comments. And it is clear editing has made the contestants worse then they actually are

That being said I think he should have owned up more about his treatment regarding Angel. Not as much earlier but certainly during the judging. Pushing the blame on her like that was infantile and his less than enthusiastic response about being paired with her.

Honestly I dont think he's the worst designer I've ever seen on reality tv but he definitely came across as 1 of the poorer contestants.

Frank

I really hope he *gets* how bad he came across in the show. Sometimes you just need a kick in the pants to go 'ooooh... that's I bad trait I didn't know I had.'

Because, obviously from his past and current industry experience, he sounds like he knows what he's doing.

Design-wise, he never particularly interested me. I just don't see 'edgy' or innovative or really urban chic. I see 19-21 year-old girls who are getting a lot of financial support from the bank of mom and dad or retail positions. That's about it.

As for Angel... it wasn't *her* job to aid in the design and offer tips. Sewing? Yes. Helping with draping? Yes. He never seemed to ask her opinion or treat her with respect so he screwed himself on that one.

M'eh. Let him go back into Urban OutfitterLand.

He's still passing the buck, I see.

And wtf, who doesn't know that a show featuring fashion design would require sewing? But I suppose that he thought tat the show would have "the little people" whip up something fabulous for him right away!

Begone, Deputy Dog. May we never hear from you again.

Fug. He made me sad. "I didn't mean to knock it off" Please. If only Nina would have been a judge.

TLo, I totally agree with your pre post about the kids needing a MENTOR!!! If Isaac, in a mentor role would have been able to say "Whoa Johnny! Lavin!" we would have had a very different outcome. Maybe not as snarky TV, but still.

Do you really think that James Paul's dress was as terrible as they made out? I actually didn't hate it, but perhaps in person it was a real stinker...thoughts?

@ Sewing Siren: He mentioned Maggie's Lanvin dress, and then his dress ended up magically looking like--the Lanvin dress. The show can't edit in what isn't already there in the first place. Want to know why you rarely see JP saying nasty things about people on this show? Because he rarely says nasty things. It's the same with Reco being in everyone else's affairs, to Danielle being the South African version of a Native American storm cloud, to Chicken Diva's "Whatup Beetches." This entitled blob is once again, blaming everyone else but himself for his shortcomings.

I didn't think we'd see an interview from him. It's interesting to hear about what he actually does, since on the show it sounded like he couldn't do anything well. I also hated his pre-show portfolio.

Legend in his own mind and missing the point completely. He comes across as a jerk.It's like in his mind Daniella & Anna are the cool kids and he wants in. Sad thing is he lacks the chops to run in their circle.

Not sure what happened in production to create this high school atmosphere, but if there's a season 2 I hope they stop that.

Still trying to blame Angel. Wow.

Definitely not someone I would trust to do business with.

Mrs. P on 7/11/09 at 2:08 PM said..." I didn't think we'd see an interview from him. It's interesting to hear about what he actually does,"

Which is real clothes for real people...aka....mass market ready to wear. This furthers and reinforces my opinion that Johnny is a waste of useable space as he should have been an expert on what needed to be done to win it all on TFS.

TampaBay

Kaonashi,
Perhaps I should have italicized the Maybe. I really *think* he copied the Lanvin for all the reasons you stated and I have been an outspoken critic of Johnny since the Butt Ugly Harem Pants. I'm simple acknowledging that if there are 100 blue marbles in a hat and 1 red marble in the same hat, it is possible to draw a red marble (very, very unlikely , though).And Bravo editors are master manipulators.

I can believe that Johnny didn't realize he was knocking off Lanvin. Sometimes you get an inspired by something and end up making it, without relly realizing that you're not making something unique. I definitely think the show's editing could have been a factor, too. Or maybe he did intentionally knock it off. I'm just not sure why ANYONE would be THAT stupid.

Oh well.

WTF is up with the Abu Ghraib-style product shots at Welcome Hunter? That is just disgusting.

Impish on 7/11/09 at 2:27 PM said.... I can believe that Johnny didn't realize he was knocking off Lanvin.


He probably did not relize he was knocking off Lanvin because he probably didn't actively think it through because he basically does knock-offs for living. He just went into over-drive with his thought process on automatic pilot.

TampaBay

I don't know if Johnny is naughty or nice, but I do know that last white garment seems to make the model look like she has thunder thighs.

Yabba. Dabba. Ewww.

Angel live-tweeted the last show on Twitter. She said that she made the patterns for Johnny and she did the sewing. What does that say about Johnny that he couldn't acknowledge her for patterns and sewing, then blame her?

Nancy

I guess this is a minority view, but I thought he sounded perfectly nice and reasonable in this interview. So he got flustered and made a mistake with that dress: who doesn't?

Fug clothes, fug personality.

I don’t blame Angel for anything. I understood her position and it was really awkward for her because, like I said, she had loyalty to James-Paul and to Reco. I don’t know whether she knew it or not, I really felt uncomfortable working with her because I thought she was extremely envious of the position I was in. I thought in her mind she thought it should’ve been her.

He's still lying. He blamed Angel, on-screen, for not telling him he was doing a knock-off. Is there anyone here who didn't hear that?

I was hoping that, somehow, the impossible would happen and he would redeem himself in his interview. Every other designer from TFS has. But he still comes across as a little punk.

Considering his clothes make the models look homeless, and he belongs to the way too popular school of thought of "I'm edgy, I'm an artist and to justify it I'm going to make tattered-ass clothes", he really doesn't have anything to back up his ego.

I've said it before, but I think that Austin was one of the ballsiest designers on TV for going out to make pretty clothes as opposed to this "artistry" that most people try to churn out.

There is nothing remotely interesting or innovative about his decoy collection. I'm really surprised that he made it as far as he did because he showed more attitude than talent on the show.

But...it doesn't seem like he actually does anything. It seems like he lucked up on a position where more talented people make his "vision" viable.

And...

I still don't like him. I can understand some of what he's saying (the switch in attitude) but I also can't stand him. I think it has some thing to do with the way he talks.

"In awe with myself"? Come on. First of all, it ought to be "In awe of myself." Unfortunately, that wouldn't even work in context.

I just don't like him.

Finally watched the episode yay. Ok, Johnny said the words "Maggie Gylenhall", "Leopard print" and "Lanvin" in the same sentence in the fabric store--THERE IS NO DEFENDING THAT. You can't edit in words that aren't being said. He knew the dress and pretty much knocked it off and thought nobody would notice then lied his ass off when they did to protect his image. Angel probably didn't say anything because it seemed clear he already knew he was doing a knockoff and didn't care. But at the end of the day it's your design and you can't blame someone who was only there to sew it for you.

I have to agree with everyone else that this interview makes him look even more conceited and bitchy than he already does. And more lies, "I never blamed Angel for anything". Do these people not know they are being FILMED when they make these asinine statements?!?

God. I still can't get past his horrible hair, and tight leggings on his 'frame.' Eh. On the episode, all I would think of was the line from Tommy Boy, "Fat guy in a little coat, fat guy in a little coat." If you can't dress yourself with style, don't try to dress others.
His stuff looks trashy, too short. Just because someone may buy it, doesn't make it good!
Bye bye darling.

Yes, it seems quite obvious that Johnny ripped off the dress and is now just backpedaling, embarrassed about being found out. He mentioned Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lanvin, and leopard-print all in the same sentence. That he briefly considered changing the design (which apparently Daniella saw) and ultimately decided to just recreate it doesn't really improve his case in my eyes. Not surprised he worked for Urban Outfitters - they are notorious for stealing designs, and not in the "affordable knock offs of high-end fashion" or "Change 10% and call it your own" ways, but rather the "Rifle through all the submissions they've received, copy them exactly, and take all the credit with zero compensation" way.

I am glad Reco didn't buy his bullshit. Johnny's lame excuse about his "inside joke" with Anna is really half-assed and reaching. Johnny said on the show that he knocks off Erin Fetherston for his real job - so why should we believe that everything he made on the show is 100% original? Especially since with this episode, it clearly wasn't. Fail.

He's completely overconfident without having any base in reality. Almost delusional, right? I imagine the producers and casting people were thrilled with his contribution to the show. YUCK.

At this point I really couldn't care less who wins. Bring on Project Runway!

Anonymous said...

I guess this is a minority view, but I thought he sounded perfectly nice and reasonable in this interview. So he got flustered and made a mistake with that dress: who doesn't?

For me it's not that he made a mistake, people on reality shows often get a case of foot in mouth disease. It's that he blamed Angel on air for his failures and even in this interview he continues to do so.

I feel like every single thing he did on the show I'd seen before. In his job for making the collections for Nordstrom and whatnot, he has to kind of knock off what's on the runway. All the stuff he did was just same-old, same-old. Even his decoy collection reeked a little bit too much of Balmain for me.

no matter what im glad he's finally off the show. i wished he had gone sooner. never liked his work, or his personality. everytime he was on screen it was just like - ugh - get that sourpuss off my tv already!

good for him though for doing the interview. its clear he doesnt have many fans on this blog. i hope that someday he realizes why that is.

Johnny never should have made it on TFS. Maybe it was because of his unique physical appearance or the thought he might make good TV. He did not have current technical skills needed to succeed. TPTB at TFS set him up to fail and he did that in a memorable fashion. He is no villian though....

Maura said I was hoping that, somehow, the impossible would happen and he would redeem himself in his interview. Every other designer from TFS has.
I bet he was hoping so too - that was probably a major motivator for doing the interview. I'm wondering whether the interview took place before or after TLo's "bye-bye" blog post calling him a sour queen and an undertalented rip-off artist? If it was after, I have to give him a few points for showing up to try damage control. But I think he dug too many holes for himself way too deep.
And that petulant voice... I just keep hearing him in my head, doing this interview. Make it stop!

Goodness gracious.

Apparently, Johnny was designing that fug collection for toothpicks and not women because even size 0 models eventually have to sit down. And there's no sitting down in most of those outfits.

I'm sorry, Johnny, we're just not buying it.

More BS. As several have mentioned, he named the actress, the designer and the pattern - and he also named the event. No way was that an accident.

I will say that I recognize the incredible insecurity in his litanies of "I don't" and his treatment of Angel, and in his manipulation (Reco/Haven incident), but that only counts as a reason, not as an excuse.

And as for all his jobs? The 800 private labels he "designs" for? He's a manager. A business man. Which is surprising in its own way, but he's no designer.

lol i just found johnny's twitter

I will just echo the comments of some of the people here when I say I didn't like Johnny on the show, at least the way he was edited.

This interview didn't necessarily change my opinion.

If he really is as pissy and bitchy as he came across, I can only hope that watching the show will make him realize how he comes across and he'll do something to change that.

Then again, maybe he really likes being pissy and bitchy. I don't know.

When you check out his House of Bare site it become apparent how talentless he is. The ugly shorts, fringe pants and harem pants are all on there and they are ugly and unflattering there too. The Grandma's Glock is clothing is ridiculous too.

I don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth especially how great his resume is.

I will say that I recognize the incredible insecurity in his litanies of "I don't" and his treatment of Angel, and in his manipulation (Reco/Haven incident), but that only counts as a reason, not as an excuse.
I actually must respectfully disagree. I recognize classic narcissism in his answer. Grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy are all characteristics. Also, being preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, believing one is "special" and can only associate with or be understood by people who are also "special," requiring excessive admiration, having a sense of entitlement, being interpersonally exploitative, often believing others are envious of them, and being arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes. Definitely narcissism, I think.

his collection looks like a ripoff of alex wang with the denim and leather

When I was reading this interview,all I could hear was this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vgQalXaIxs

Besides Angel saying on Twitter that she made his patterns and did the sewing for him, she said she had someone from production show her the image of the dress he ripped off, just after the filming of the episode, so she wasn't familiar with it to even warn him not to copy.

Johnny doesn't seem to have very many surrogates here posting on his behalf.

Perhaps he can at some point learn something about himself from this experience.

Nancy

Lordy! Zero charisma, yes, a tranny head case, yes (hair do and all) but he has found a niche in the blahdom of his own device. He gets credit for that. He schemed away with full enabling of LeMiz (a similar type) every inch of the way on tv until tah dom... a no no trick in a very tricy bizness. I am crying purple peanut butter. You all "invested in him" too much. Couldn't you all tell he was kinda snakey? What about him was appealing? Besides nothing? I wanted to reach out and say NO HE ISN'T to the plethora of folk who said he reminded them of Jay McCarrol. Not in a nanosecond.

Let it be. The King has returned to the castle and really never belonged on this dumb ass show that I only watch on TLo to see what everyone is crying about NOW.

The cast never congealed and Angel was no angel either. No idols here. I most of all say no to the show itself. Please g*d, no 2nd season.

"Design is pretty much 5% of my job"

Well that pretty much explains why he demonstrated about 5% of the creativity, 5% of the innovation, and 5% of the technical skills of most of the other contestants.

Blatant and intentional knock-off? You bet. I find it amusing that the one elimination challenge he won required him to explicitly "pay homage" to another designer's style -- Versace. But even then the judges were discussing whether his garment was "inspired by" or was a direct knock-off of a particular Versace dress. Not so lucky with the Lanvin rip-off.....

Just yuck. Every time I saw Johnny on TFS, all I could think was "Silkwood Shower -- STAT!"

Oh God, "Silkwood Shower," I love that!
My idea was toss him a jumbo-size bottle of astringent, and run like hell.... but you topped that idea!

While it's clear that these shows put the participants in incredibly stressful environments, how one responds to stress is telling. I thought he responded with weakness, and would say anything to cover that up.

Very insightful, Shelly.

As much as I hate to admit it, Johnny's final collection for TFS will/wpould sell. It sorta kinda reminds me of Joe Farris' final decoy collection for PR. Joe did Cyote Ugly and Johnny did Atlanta/Urban Street. I see little hotties ages 17-28 wearing "JOE & JOHNNY" type clothes all the time. There is a reason "Wet Seal" and "Vanity " exist; They sell clothes.

The main reason for Johnny presence on TFS was TFS producers. They wanted drama.

When this show is re-tooled for Season 2, I predict you will see no more Johnnies, Wendy Peppers and Kenleys yes but no Johnnies. You can be a big fat a-hole on reality TV but you must have the redeeming quality of being able to design/execute on a fashion design show.

One of the things that makes Reco, James-Paul and Merlin sympathetic to the viewers "who loved to hate them" is they each have talent bursting and gushing out of their every pore.

TampaBay

If he hadn't insisted on that green leopard print fabric, he might have gotten away with his knockoff. I'm glad he got caught, and continues to show what a jackass he is with his delusional comments and style-less "designs."

Augh. I'm so glad Johnny's off the show. His grimy hair, awkwardly tight clothes, and adding 'For sure' to the end of every sentence made my skin crawl. Good riddance.

"I don’t know whether she knew it or not, I really felt uncomfortable working with her because I thought she was extremely envious of the position I was in. I thought in her mind she thought it should’ve been her."


Well, can you blame her?

Thank you for the interview, guys!

Anonymous @ 8:54PM said: If he really is as pissy and bitchy as he came across, I can only hope that watching the show will make him realize how he comes across and he'll do something to change that.

Then again, maybe he really likes being pissy and bitchy. I don't know.


I think he likes it. I'm sure he believes it makes him seem edgy.

Speaking of Angel's Twitter stream, she also commented (about Johnny's not appreciating her help): "Because he's part of the Daniella/Anna/Haven posse that hates the Reco/Merlin/JP/Angel crew."

And while I dislike Johnny, this comment encapsulates part of what made this show such a downer: The cliques. Gross! & childish! That the individual designers are still talking about who was on what "crew" should embarrass them all as professionals. Grow up, guys!

"Daniella is amazing, I just think it’s a little too forward, I don’t think America can relate to it too much right now."

Yes, Johnny--all us Amurr'kins is just too ignernt to appreciate Daniella's designs. Or you, for that matter.

The junior high cliques, the "I don't sew," the "I don't do pretty," the "Angel should've TOLD me I was copying the dress I just described!", the saying "It's so ugly!" out loud when Reco's dress was chosen over your carbon copy... I guess we have to be--what?--Albanian?--to "get" you.

What a horrible little man!

TLo, congratulations on having been able to interview him as well as you did. Your restraint is admirable.

I don't have Tivo so I can't review it, but I recall him saying Lanvin when he was talking to Angel.

I am sorry gentlemen I just could't read the whole interview. I find him infantile.

I'm beginning to appreciate Reco's frustration. How can you respect someone whose greatest skills seems to be his ability to get other people to do things for him?

1. Johnny must be doing something right to have so many big companies paying him for his work but for the life of me I can't see how or why.

2. HATE the word "amazing". What does it even mean?

3. Does anyone know how the end of this show will go? I know that "America" gets to decide the winner...any idea how long is the voting going to be open? When is the finale?

4. Could the 4,000 anonymous commenters on this site please man up and post a name? Sheesh!

That's all...

Suz

The Fru-Gals said...

4. Could the 4,000 anonymous commenters on this site please man up and post a name? Sheesh!

No, Suz. Mind your own business.

His resume does help explain why he won the week he did. He had to take someone else's style and update it with a modern, mass-appeal look, which is exactly what he did.

It was the only good thing he made in the whole competition, and it wasn't even 100% his.

Just a naive question: what is the difference between "knock off" and "inspired by"? Some of the "winning" fashions being sold by Bravo have ably a passing resemblence to the original. Are they "knock offs"? It seems to me most of the designs look familiar--and the truly new things are trashed.

So, all that cheap clothing with the one-time style or colorful fabric is something he had a hand in? Now I can see how he would make a buck constantly churning out stuff for junior departments.

I shudder at the thought that anything I buy at Nordstrom's could have had his influence. But then I realize I select the tasteful, well-made, classic clothing. Not his thing. Apparently, quick hits, one-time wonders, and low price points are the curtains that shroud the underworld he inhabits.

A new all-time record: Ninety six thumbs down.

I don't have too much sympathy for Johnny, but I think that the judges should have him a long time ago - the shoe coat??? the jock outfit???, he was crying out to be sent home for the longest time.

Also, how does Johnny claim to target the elite ten percent, but at the same time design for mass market companies like Macy's.

My conclusion is that Johnny is not a fashion designer, rather he is a fashion merchandiser, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

IF he had just said "Maggie G.", or IF he had just said "leopard print" then maybe I could buy that he wasn't flat-out stealing. But when the word "Lanvin" left his lips, you knew he wasn't clueless about it. A fleeting glimpse of a gown on the red carpet is different from knowing who the designer was. That gown was STUDIED. Therefore, that gown was COPIED. End of story. You know how sometimes someone can come across like a lying whining ass on TV and in real life is actually quite nice and ethical? I fear this is not one of those times.

O M G
TB "One of the things that makes Reco, James-Paul and Merlin sympathetic to the viewers "who loved to hate them" is they each have talent bursting and gushing out of their every pore. "


G A G - JP and talent bursting and gushing from every pore??? Talent?? Is that a euphemism for crap? Because that would be a more fitting description

MouseAnony said...

So, all that cheap clothing with the one-time style or colorful fabric is something he had a hand in? Now I can see how he would make a buck constantly churning out stuff for junior departments.

I shudder at the thought that anything I buy at Nordstrom's could have had his influence. But then I realize I select the tasteful, well-made, classic clothing. Not his thing. Apparently, quick hits, one-time wonders, and low price points are the curtains that shroud the underworld he inhabits.

A new all-time record: Ninety six thumbs down.

Oh honey, don't worry. We all know you don't shop at Nordstrom's.

A knock-off is when you copy enough elements from another piece, the way he took the shape and the material and the belt, in such a way that one cannot but help see the original in it.

An inspiration takes an element or feeling from a piece and takes it in a new direction based upon one's own aesthetic. For instance, if he'd taken the Wilma feeling of the original and made his own version of a cavewoman-style dress with new elements to it, he would have been inspired by it.

The Bravo dresses are legitimate versions of the dresses that won, so neither term applies

Regarding the last post
"The Bravo dresses are legitimate versions of the dresses that won, so neither term applies"

What on Earth are u talking about?

I just happened to turn to Slice (the Canadian style channel) and wouldn't you know that not only did I land on PR, I landed on the S2 Nicky Hilton episode. The one where Marla plainly and obviously mimicked Nicky's Chloe dress.

God, I miss PR... .

In retrospect, I am surprised that Marla didn't get dumped for that dress. The only reason why I can see she stayed was that she was inoffensive about the situation - even though Tim told her flat out that it was too close to the Chloe dress.

Johnny, though, seemed so defensive about answering questions about his design choices and offensive in his tone. And obviously conniving. That impression hasn't really changed with this interview.

The biggest shock was seeing how much more talented the PR2 designers were at this stage compared to this show. Anna *may* have cracked the top 6 on PR2 but I honestly think that none of the other designers on this show would have made the top 6 PR2 placings. The talent distance is that great... .

Anonymous on 7/12/09 at 8:23 PM Just a naive question: what is the difference between "knock off" and "inspired by"?

Anonymous-sometimes examples better explain the situation:

"ABS" or 'abs" are the "knock off Kings" and proudly admit it with their affordable versions of Red Carpet Dresses.

BeBe is a mass market retailer that specializes in sesonal collections which are "inspired by" the previous season's runway collections...i.e. they translate Paris/NYC/Milan runway to mass market RTW at affordable prices. Cache does the same thing but for a more mature and/ or conservative customer.

TampaBay

TampaBay

ASK on 7/12/09 at 10:39 PM said...G A G - JP and talent bursting and gushing from every pore??? Talent?? Is that a euphemism for crap? Because that would be a more fitting description

Ask-I must respectively defend JP. Why, because I think he is a good dude so here goes:

JP is an excellent conceputua designer but he has two problems IMHO.

1. He has problems going from his sketch or original conception to the finished runway garment based on what I viewed on TFS. In a nutshell-He has editing problems.

2. The reason for problem number 1 is due to time management problems. JP attempts to do much in the too limited time frame provided on TFS for the weekly challenges. In a nutshell-he does not have time to edit his conceptual design in the execution process.

I think JP is very talented snd will be very successful if he goes to work for the right company or if he has the right partner working with hin on his own line. Someone like Fern Mallis would make a great business partner for JP. This is the reason IMO that Liz Claiborne and other companies hire people like Tim Gunn.

TampaBay

I'm glad I had a chance to hear Johnny's side of the story, and I'm willing to believe that he got the bitch edit on the show, to highlight all the negative aspects of his character. But if I just let his collection speak for itself, the message I get is UGH. I actually said "ugh" out loud when I scrolled past the high-waisted pleather hot pants with the blue panels on the side... but then the shorts right below them are even more terrifying. Is that a pouch for the model's colostomy bag?

This goes past "just not buying it" into "you couldn't pay me" territory. Sorry, Johnny.

Samurai Grandma said...
Not surprised he worked for Urban Outfitters - they are notorious for stealing designs, and not in the "affordable knock offs of high-end fashion" or "Change 10% and call it your own" ways, but rather the "Rifle through all the submissions they've received, copy them exactly, and take all the credit with zero compensation" way.



Samurai Grandma,
Are you a fashion design student? Because if you are, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. That is not the way that companies like Urban Outfitters do business. They have inhouse designers for their store brand merchandise, they do not ask for submissions to come up with a collection. If you are worried that potential employeers routinely "steal" designs from applicants at job interviews, I can assure you that it doesn't happen. That would be an extremely expensive and unlogical business model. If a potential employeer sees something so wonderful in your portfolio that they would want to steal it, I can assure you they would hire you and it would be theirs plus everything else you would design in their employment as well. Wouldn't that make a lot more sense business wise? Yes, it would.

Still a turd. Classic case of arrested development. He talks like a 12-year-old, no sense of personal accountability.
Great questions boys!

Still a turd. His development has been arrested at about 4 or 5...no sense of personal accountability. Great questions guys.

Yeech. I'm with the rest of the lemmings. He's lying his ass off.

But to be fair, I kind of like the final show. He definitely has a point of view that while not my own, is still an interesting one.

BUTT UGLY HAREM PANTS, and that is all that I am gonna say.

Just sayin-

P.S. And you know I want to say sooooo much more, but I'm not.

Sewing Siren said...
That is not the way that companies like Urban Outfitters do business. They have inhouse designers for their store brand merchandise, they do not ask for submissions to come up with a collection. If you are worried that potential employeers routinely "steal" designs from applicants at job interviews, I can assure you that it doesn't happen.

Google "Urban Outfitters" and "infringement." Or, just read this story http://consumerist.com/149095/urban-outfitters-rips-designers-cupcake-t+shirt

Samurai Grandma said...
Not surprised he worked for Urban Outfitters - they are notorious for stealing designs, and not in the "affordable knock offs of high-end fashion" or "Change 10% and call it your own" ways, but rather the "Rifle through all the submissions they've received, copy them exactly, and take all the credit with zero compensation" way.



Samurai Grandma,
Are you a fashion design student? Because if you are, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. That is not the way that companies like Urban Outfitters do business. They have inhouse designers for their store brand merchandise, they do not ask for submissions to come up with a collection. If you are worried that potential employeers routinely "steal" designs from applicants at job interviews, I can assure you that it doesn't happen. That would be an extremely expensive and unlogical business model. If a potential employeer sees something so wonderful in your portfolio that they would want to steal it, I can assure you they would hire you and it would be theirs plus everything else you would design in their employment as well. Wouldn't that make a lot more sense business wise? Yes, it would.

Sewing Siren...no, I'm not, and what I said had nothing to do with job interviews, so I'm not really sure where you're coming from other than trying to add in your 2 cents. And actually, my best friend works for Urban Outfitters, and this is how I know, not some nebulous conception of "how things are." They might not request design submissions, but they do get a LOT of them, and yes the designers do often just go through them, pick what they like, and there you go. What things would be like in a perfect given world (i.e. your scenario) is unfortunately often not how they actually are. Does this mean EVERYTHING at Urban Outfitters was designed by a non-employee? No. But it certainly doesn't change the fact that their in-house "designers" have a notorious reputation for being lazy and uncreative. If you want to argue how all fashion is appropriated, nothing is new, blah blah blah, ok I guess, but UE often goes even beyond that, appropriating complicated graphics and design verbatim, obviously claiming it is "UE-designed." I'm not saying it's earth-shattering news...just bringing it up.

Sewing Siren said...

If a potential employeer sees something so wonderful in your portfolio that they would want to steal it, I can assure you they would hire you and it would be theirs plus everything else you would design in their employment as well. Wouldn't that make a lot more sense business wise? Yes, it would.

Wouldn't it make a lot of business sense for a large clothier chain to not have policies enumerating that only pretty, thin, and mostly white people can work up front in retail? Yes, it would...but tell that to Abercrombie & Fitch.

Claiming Urban Outfitters doesn't steal because it's "against the law" or something is ridiculous considering the amount of lawsuits they've had against them.

Oops...meant to include this link:

http://www.youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/

A lot of examples can be found here (not all are about Urban Outfitters), although they are user-submitted so some of them ARE pretty reaching. Many of them, however, are pretty indisputable.

Anon 1:20 and 1:22,
I did not and would not suggest that a company wouldn't engage in a practice because of the legality. The link you provided is to mostly graphic designs that were in the market, now I am not suggesting for one minute that designers working for large companies do not become influenced by or out right copy things that they have seen in the market (this happens all the time), especially items that are on trend or very popular already. Most large youth oriented companies employee trend forecasters and that's exactly what they do shop the market looking for next years trends, so that company can be on it.
The original post that I responded to was (in my estimation )regarding original work that had been submitted to UE in hopes of becoming employeed by that company. I don't no why else a designer would "submit" work to them unless they were looking for a job ,and I would not recommend submitting a portfolo unless a job interview is scheduled.

"Anonymous
7/11/09 2:43 PM

Angel live-tweeted the last show on Twitter. She said that she made the patterns for Johnny and she did the sewing.

...Anonymous
7/11/09 2:43 PM

Angel live-tweeted the last show on Twitter. She said that she made the patterns for Johnny and she did the sewing. What does that say about Johnny that he couldn't acknowledge her for patterns and sewing, then blame her?

Nancy"

I'd love to see that. Link, please?

Creativitychick
7/11/09 4:42 PM

God. I still can't get past his horrible hair, and tight leggings on his 'frame.' Eh. On the episode, all I would think of was the line from Tommy Boy, "Fat guy in a little coat, fat guy in a little coat." If you can't dress yourself with style, don't try to dress others.


I agree, but Alber Elbaz (the designer behind Lanvin, the company that Samurai Valley Girl ripped off) is a hot fat bear that wears little coats and I want to make man-babies with him.

http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3987/18_2008/lanvin.jpg
http://manolobig.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/alber.jpg

*swoon*

Anonymous
7/11/09 2:43 PM

Angel live-tweeted the last show on Twitter. She said that she made the patterns for Johnny and she did the sewing.

Angel Chang's Twitter:
http://twitter.com/angelchang

Keep clicking on More to see her comments about Johnny ripping the blog off and how Anna doesn't like her.

Here is the specific comment she made about how she sewed Johnny's dress:
http://twitter.com/AngelChang/status/2561438158

Johnny's Twitter
http://twitter.com/johnny_tfs

is creating a line of clip-on JOHNNY samurai hair buns for sally beauty supply stores available in all hair shades...hella kiddin'!

Someone else will need to create the hair buns first so that he can rip them off.

His MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/nawny

Uh.....wow. That's really....wow.

I understood that he might not be one of everybody's favorite designers, but some of the reaction here is a little over to the top, don't you think? It's just a show, people, you don't even know him.

I was fine until he started to blame Angel for his failure. That was a very shitty thing to do.

" Anonymous said...

Johnny's Twitter
http://twitter.com/johnny_tfs

is creating a line of clip-on JOHNNY samurai hair buns for sally beauty supply stores available in all hair shades...hella kiddin'!"


You are kidding me. LOLOLOLOLOLOL

His collection is actually not bad. I like some of the pieces. I blame it on Bravo for casting the wrong people for this show.

" Anonymous said...

Creativitychick
7/11/09 4:42 PM

God. I still can't get past his horrible hair, and tight leggings on his 'frame.' Eh. On the episode, all I would think of was the line from Tommy Boy, "Fat guy in a little coat, fat guy in a little coat." If you can't dress yourself with style, don't try to dress others.


I agree, but Alber Elbaz (the designer behind Lanvin, the company that Samurai Valley Girl ripped off) is a hot fat bear that wears little coats and I want to make man-babies with him.

http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3987/18_2008/lanvin.jpg
http://manolobig.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/alber.jpg

*swoon*"



Exactly. His appearance has NOTHING to do with his ability to design.

"I was making stuff for myself and I just decided to start selling it. It actually sold out; my first collection was completely sold out at the store."

Um, LOL, I'm not sure the line was ever produced... as fas as I know.

Exactly. His appearance has NOTHING to do with his ability to design.

I agree. Regardless of how Johnny R. looks, he's still a bad designer.

Keep in mind that I'm a bear-fag and usually love the grungy looking hairy guys. I'd rather have sex with Danilla than anything to do with him. At least she calls them like she sees them.

Integrity counts.

Ugly collection from an ugly personality. And he's only 26?! That's a lot of hard livin'.

I agree that his personal appearance has nothing to do with his ability (or in this case, lack of) to design well. Who really cares? But... WTF is up with his hair? Did anyone tell him that he was on national television??? I guess that's "edgy". Who knows.

I can understand if you DISLIKE a contestant, but I think HATING on someone you don't even know is going a bit too far.

welcome to the internet.

The other line is called House of Bare, which is a men’s line, more flamboyant for sure.


We really specialize in overseas designers, for sure, who need an exposure.

So, I just felt I was completely out of my element, for sure.

Valley girl
Shes a valley girl
Valley girl
Shes a valley girl
Okay, fine...
Fer sure, fer sure
Shes a valley girl
In a clothing store
Okay, fine...
Fer sure, fer sure
Shes a

Like, oh my god! (valley girl)
Like - totally (valley girl)
Encino is like so bitchen (valley girl)
Theres like the galleria (valley girl)
And like all these like really great shoe stores
I love going into like clothing stores and stuff
I like buy the neatest mini-skirts and stuff
Its like so bitchen cuz like everybodys like
Super-super nice...
Its like so bitchen...


Frank Zappa would have beaten Johnny until his bun popped for ripping off another designer.

The man couldn't design a tent. He's talentless and in desperate need of a hair cut and shave.

KnitWitNurse

HeHe...

Apparently he has taken the bile that is normally directed at Daniella this week.

I guess that hate will be redirected after the next episode?

- Ann

His decoy collection is completely ugly.

GO TEAM JOHNNY!!!
First of all, I'm deeply upset over the many negative comments regarding Johnny R. As a person who regularly reads this blog, I have never expressed any of my comments up until now!
ITS TV FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! EDIT...EDIT...EDIT!
How many of "you" bloggers out there could say you had a clothing line on the cover of Womens Wear Daily, or have developed private labels for huge manufacturers and developed two lines on the side! For only being 26-years old, Johnny sure has an impressive resume.
I have to admit, he did show some arrogance on the show, which did upset me a little, however, I feel his character wasn't as obnoxious and annoying as Merlin or Reco. While his aesthetic isn't for everyone, he still possess a great knowledge of fashion.
I thought his decoy runway show was fun, young and cohesive.
Johnny, should be commended on all his hard work for doing this reality show/competition! You'll be missed! I'm sure good things are coming your way!

ummm, sure, i see what you're saying, but the problem i have with him is that, for the most part, he's a liar. i think he pretty much proved that on the show, WITHOUT the help of editing. also, his resume is a little misleading and false. gramma's glock and....? house of bare, from what i can see, never existed beyond just a look book.

i can possibly commend him for having the balls to even appear on the show, but he really didn't seem to give a shit about being there... or work very hard.

in the end, to me, he still has a long way to go.... and probably should have never been chosen for the show in the first place. which is fine. he's very young, and has years to grow... and he, indeed, has a lot of growing to do... both in design and his attitude/maturity.

overall, the show was just a dud. johnny was lame, but... so was the whole cast. and isaac was/is just irritating to watch.

I have to disagree with you Anonymous 7/15/09 @2:25 am.
I own a grandmas glock dress and leggings that I purchased at a boutique on Lafayette street over a year ago. I don't believe he would make up a stocklist. Maybe the line hasn't done anything recently?

Educate me please. I keep seeing this phrase "...chip in a chip way". WTF does it mean?

i think what Anonymous 7/15/09 @2:25 am means is that the house of bare line is not available anywhere, but grandmas glock is/was.

I am not a smart woman....but isn't the fourth picture of his decoy collection partially a "knock-off" or "inspired by" Daniella's gawd-awful see-through over bra travesty?
If it walks like a duck...

Name