Fashion

Designer of the Day: Daniel DuGoff

The New York designer on making clothes guys love, eating cookies, and his respect for Gordon Matta-Clark.

The New York designer on making clothes guys love, eating cookies, and his respect for Gordon Matta-Clark.

Here, we ask a designer to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their lives.

Age: 29

Occupation: Menswear designer

Hometown: Born in Washington, D.C.; grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland; studied in St. Louis, Missouri; currently lives in Brooklyn.

Studio location: Garment District, New York City

Describe what you make: I design a menswear line called DDUGOFF that makes everyday clothing for guys who like to look like themselves.

The most important thing you’ve designed to date: A patchwork jacket made from a previous season’s fabric scraps. I worked with a quilter in Atlanta to make yardage, then cut it into a jacket in New York. It was incredibly limited-edition. Those kinds of pieces are so special.

The problem your work solves: Im interested in creating products that become a guys favorite piece of clothing. I hate the idea of buying something and never wearing it. I want DDUGOFF clothes to be thrown on the floor or placed on a hook at the end of the day, and put right back on the next morning.

What you absolutely have to have in your studio: Cookies and candy are essential. It was recently my birthday and my mom sent me a tin of homemade cookies that I just finished today. Im going to have to fill that void tomorrow.

A new or forthcoming project we should know about: Im working on the first logo T-shirt for the brand. Im planning to launch it next spring, but may have a few ready for the holidays.

What you do when you’re not working: Typically Im somewhere in the city eating with friends and family. Otherwise, Im in bed reading The New Yorker.

Sources of creative envy: Gordon Matta-Clark—I am equal parts envious of the work he made and the people he fed at FOOD, the SoHo restaurant he ran with Carol Goodden and Tina Girouard.

The distraction you want to eliminate: I would probably lose my mind without it, but to not have a cell phone would be true freedom.

Concrete or marble? Marble.

High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.

Aliens or ghosts? Aliens.

Remember or forget? Remember.

Dark or light? Light.

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