How designer Bryan Hearns mastered leather, lace, and hardware

On the seventh floor of a building in the Fashion District, Bryan Hearns shows me to his studio, where containers brim with colorful rhinestones, walls are adorned with zippers, chains and pliers, and rainbow fabrics and leathers pile on the floor. Hearns describes the space to me as “reflecting the chaos.”

Hearns has been creating stylish looks with hardware for more than 15 years. He’s the face behind many celebrity looks, including those of Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Kylie Jenner and, most notably, Cardi B, whom he started working closely with in 2017 during her “Motorsport” music video, for which he designed a patchwork motorcycle-inspired outfit. Since then, Hearns has become a key collaborator in Cardi B’s fashion image, creating custom looks for performances, red carpet moments and, most recently, her Met Gala after-party look, which was a sheer illusion gown with a sculpted corset bodice embellished with lace detailing, a piece taken from his new collection.

For his 14th collection, Hearns took an eclectic approach while keeping his signature hardware aesthetic. From darker, grungy looks composed of fur, leather straps, metal rings and dazzling chain accessories to elegantly beaded ombre dresses, the clothes — in Hearns’ words — combine all elements that he thinks are “cool”: “leather, lace, hardware, sexiness, edginess and fun.”

Haylee and Kenady wear Bryan Hearns dresses and Aldo shoes with Bryan Hearns customization.

Madison Everlith: So first off, why fashion? What was it about fashion that made you apply to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising?

Bryan Hearns: It’s kind of multilayered. I like to create, I always did my own Halloween costumes, I played with Legos, the Sims — I just like making stuff in general. Originally I wanted to be an architect but the math in architecture is crazy, so I was like, “What else could I do?” And then I thought about graphic design because I was too shy to do fashion design since I wasn’t out yet, but then I decided to just go for it and apply as a fashion designer.

ME: So from the beginning, you knew that you wanted to do something that revolved around creating. What was it like going to fashion school?

BH: I didn’t know how to sew when I went, but I learned everything really fast. Every class you’re learning how to do different things, so you could be learning how to make a mock neck or a skirt, and I would subconsciously make them all match and by the end I’d have a collection.

ME: Were you working with hardware then as well?

BH: Yeah, I was actually featured in a publication, and they called me the “hardware king.” I wasn’t able to get downtown so I would go to Home Depot and buy rings and bolts and I would just put them on the clothes and build things around it. I’ve always loved hardware.

ME: Do you think if location and money weren’t a factor you would have still worked with hardware, or would you have experimented more?

Kenady wears Bryan Hearns top, skirt, and headpiece and Aldo shoes with Bryan Hearns customization. Haylee wears Bryan Hearns dress and necklace and Aldo shoes with Bryan Hearns customization.

BH: I honestly think having less money makes you more creative — you can do way more with less. I would make a yard of fabric stretch and add cheaper fabrics to it and make it patchwork. I would have $20 and ask myself, “What can I do with this?” I like nicer fabrics now, but they don’t have to be super expensive. I’m in the Fashion District so I have more access to fabric, which is helpful because we do a lot of last-minute projects.

ME: Do you work well under pressure?

BH: I actually only work under pressure. If I have an outfit done ahead of time, I’ll change it a million times before it’s due.

ME: Was there a moment in fashion school when you realized you were absolutely sure fashion design was what you wanted to pursue as a career?

BH: It’s kind of twofold with that, because when I was in school, my friends and I were constantly told we weren’t going to have a job after graduation due to the 2008 financial crisis, but I knew I would have a career. I did my own thing after, and it worked. You could get fired from someone else, but you can’t get fired if you work for yourself. You have your own journey and there’s no ceiling. However hard you work is how hard you can go.

ME: You lived in New York for about a year and a half. NYC and L.A. are different but still similar in the sense that they’re two of the largest fashion capitals in the world. What was the difference between working in L.A. versus working in NYC?

BH: Working in New York is harder. You have to schlep around while it’s raining, snowing or just hot. Here [in L.A.], it’s constant. Other than the physicality of it, I do think the fabric selection in New York is nicer, but I wouldn’t be able to do it to the scale I do here.

ME: Would you ever do a fashion week, and if so would you do Paris, L.A. or NYC?

BH: I would love New York. I do feel like my girl is a city girl. She’s going out, she’s having fun, she’s young, not as fancy. I love Paris, but I think Paris is more couture.

Kenady wears Bryan Hearns dress, necklace, and headpiece and Aldo shoes with Bryan Hearns customization. Haylee wears Bryan Hearns bra, top, and headpiece and Aldo shoes with Bryan Hearns customization.

ME: What was the process of creating this collection like?

BH: The two beaded dresses took over a month because every bead was hand beaded and sewn on. The process changed a lot as it went on because as I started making things, my inspiration and the vibe would change, but I do that a lot when I make collections. I’ll have initial inspiration and then it’ll morph into something else as I start creating it. I always take something from the last collection and carry it on. For this one it was a leather bra.

ME: What inspired this collection?

BH: This was kind of inspired by “Game of Thrones.” That’s how it started. I rewatched all of “Game of Thrones” at once, and then I was like, “Ooh, I should do hardware and this and that.” I created a mood board and kept some elements like the leather, the face pieces and the hardware, but it changed into a slightly softer aesthetic.

ME: What was the most challenging part of that process?

BH: Well, because I’m a Libra, I can never decide the direction of anything, so with this collection I really had to pinpoint what I needed to do to finish it and make it look cohesive, and that was the hardest part.

ME: Were there any themes you were going for in the photoshoot?

BH: It was very unintentionally giving “mermaid leaves water.”

ME: What’s the story behind the collection?

BH: It’s a story of survival. The looks are giving armor — not necessarily metal armor, but you have the fur, the leather, all the straps and headpieces, and it’s kind of like you’re protecting yourself.

Kenady wears Bryan Hearns blindfold, jacket and skirt and Aldo shoes with Bryan Hearns customization. Haylee wears Bryan Hearns blindfold and dress and Aldo shoes with Bryan Hearns customization.

ME: What do you hope this new collection says about you as a designer?

BH: I hope it’ll make people say, “Oh, wow! He can do fashion,” because I’m mainly known for doing stage costume and performance wear, and I really want people to be like, “Wait, he’s a fashion designer.”

ME: You’ve stated before that you don’t design to be trendy. In a fashion world of ever-evolving trends, how do you stay true to your own vision?

BH: Everything is always in, it just depends on how it’s done. You can still wear something that’s trendy, but how you style it is what makes it a different vibe. I was looking at vintage pieces and I was like, “All this stuff you could wear today.” It just depends on how you wear it. It’s still important to be relevant in a way, but it’s more about aesthetics.

ME: You’ve talked about this idea of the Bryan Hearns woman and how she’s a memorable, bold, sexy, feminist trendsetter. Is this idea of the Bryan Hearns woman still the same, or has that evolved over the years?

BH: I think it’s still the same, but it’s also evolved in a sense of she’s more sure of who she is and she doesn’t want to be anyone else.

ME: Do you embody the Bryan Hearns woman as a designer?

BH: For sure. I’ve been doing it for so long, I know a little more than I did when I was younger.