RAINE MAGAZINE Volume 8 | Innovate

FASHION & BEYOND
PROPHETIK
My Canvas
is Clothes
BY MARILYN R. WILSON
Designer Jeff Garner’s soft voice and easy manner speak of his Tennessee roots. These
same roots ground him and influence all that he creates. When he launched Prophetik
in 2002, the artist had a vision “...to showcase how things could be done in a more
positive way.” His goal – to influence designers, change consumers and move the
industry in a new direction. Every collection also has a message. “I think as artists we all
have a a story to tell and we have a canvas. My canvas is clothes.”
Garner was raised on a horse ranch outside of Nashville. Days at home were spent
doing chores, riding horses, three-wheeling and getting lost in the woods. At school, he
filled the expected role of athlete, participating in football, wrestling and cross country.
In private, the soul of the artist was slowly growing. As a child he would sneak into the
closet with his sister’s Barbie Magic Slate and draw. One peel to erase and he would
start all over. It wasn’t about keeping the images, but creating them. In his teens, the
farm’s close proximity to Nashville provided friends that nourished Garner’s soul –
musicians. “I ended up spending a lot of time with them. I would jump on tour buses
and that’s how I was fed [artistically]. Otherwise I would have shrivelled up.”
After high school, Garner loaded his Jeep Wrangler and headed off to California where
he enrolled at Pepperdine University. Encouragement from a friend led him to audition
for advertising work. The first time out, he landed the role of working on Blaine, Barbie’s
DJ surfer friend. This became a series of Barbie commercials shown all over the world.
They launched him onto the Hollywood scene and residuals provided the funds needed
to finish school. When Stiletto Entertainment offered him a job, he was quick to say yes.
Here, Garner did creative direction and tour support for stars such as Barry Manilow,
Fleetwood Mac and Donna Summer. Creating stage costumes and tour merchandise
gave him that first chance to use his talent for design. After four
years of travelling all over the world, Garner felt the pull of his
roots. “In 2002, I swallowed my ego, returned to Tennessee
and moved in with my family. Everyone thought I was crazy
because they felt I was on this pathway to success. But it was
the wrong ladder. So I started over. I tapped into my music
connections and did tour merchandising to keep me afloat and
support Prophetik. I started small because I wanted the vision
to stay true. That’s where it all began.”
Garner quickly became concerned about the fashion industry’s
unhealthy work environment. “My first sample maker got really
sick from [her time] working with chemical dyes and cutting
fabrics.” This was the impetus for the Prophetik label to become
both sustainable and ethical. Dyes were the biggest challenge. “I
started the process by exploring the use of tea and plants. Then
I ended up finding two sisters in Nashville, Ali and Sara, who
now work with us on developing new colors.” Locating the right
fabrics to work with involved extensive research as well locating
trustworthy fabric houses. Hemp is one of Garner’s favourites.
“Hemp is by far number one. It grows fast and doesn’t hurt the
ground it is planted in. It’s the longest fiber, so the strongest.
It takes dye well, it’s anti-fungal and can be worn in summer
or winter.” Others include flax, organic silk, cactus silk and a
very small amount of organic cotton. All garments are produced
from sustainable material using organic dyes created from earth
and garden plants such as madder root, sorrel, indigo and gall
nut – each grown in Prophetik’s Nashville Community Garden.
In February 2011, Garner’s unique vision was recognized by
London Fashion Week when he was one of only 33 designer
chosen from a list of 1000 to be showcased that season.
Inspiration for Prophetik’s F/W ‘11 collection, Artist
Wonderment, came one night as Garner was sitting in
front of the fire. The question suddenly hit him - when did
commercialization start? Research led him to the court of Louis
XV. “Everyone wanted to be like the courtesans in the court.
They would make their own dresses, but as interpretations. I
got influenced design-wise by that time period, but then I
brought in elements from my own home, my own family, and
recreated them.” Included is a wide variety men’s and women’s
blouses, shirts, pants, vests, dresses and coats, all of which have
an historical feel, but with an updated twist. Exposed zippers
fashioned from interesting recycled metals are used as design
details and slits in skirts make them more wear-able and some
of the structures have more modern silhouettes. One material
chosen for re-invention is heirloom quilts. The designer uses
them to create mens waistcoats and as small accents on gowns.
All are statement making pieces.
With Garner’s vision at the helm, Prophetik continues to
grow. An accessory collaboration has just been launched using
discarded leather from Coach to design an iPhone case for
Apple. May 2011 saw the Vancouver launch of a documentary
film by Brady Dahmer. A new home collection with Livia Firth
is in the works and the designer is hoping to offer a line of socks
and underwear in the near future. Despite the international
success of Prophetik, Jeff Garner stays grounded and true to
his ‘campaign of passion.’ “I think we shape and choose our
reality. We have free will. Everyone has a choice and I choose
this path.”
A video of Jeff Garner’s work can be seen on Raine TV: http://
rainemagazine.com
For more information visit his website at www.prophetik.com
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Raine Magazine Vol. 8 - Innovate