FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii – For as long as Justin Ryan can remember, he’s loved fashion. So, when he landed his first clothing deal and saw a pair of jeans he made on display at 433 Broadway in New York City, his excitement was through the roof.
“I felt proud because in the little time I was in New York, I managed to get my clothing in a store,” said Ryan. “It was on Broadway Boulevard were a lot of celebrities shop. I felt like that was a good step to achieving more goals in the fashion industry.”
But then COVID-19 happened, and everything changed.
The Beginning
In 2016, during his junior year at Edgewood High School, Ryan acquired his first sewing machine and taught himself how to use it by watching videos online. Through trial and error, he mimicked different designs and ideas he found on social media until he honed his own signature style that laid the foundation for his passion in creating edgy styles.
“I’ve always been interested in high end street wear designs,” said Ryan. “But I wasn’t able to afford it as a high school student. So, I told myself that I would just make my own designs.”
In an era of fast fashion, with quality standards that are often questioned by users across social media, Ryan decided to lean the other way.
“I buy jeans from local thrift stores and upcycle them,” said Ryan. “Each item of clothing I make has multiple thrifted garments mashed into one new design. I focus on making high fashion more sustainable.”
Ryan’s approach serves three purposes. First, he’s meticulous and measured, he ensures each stich and seam are laid perfectly. Second, because he upcycles his clothes, he’s environmentally focused. He scours secondhand stores to give life to used items that still have a lot of life to them. And third, each piece is unique, making his styles literally one of a kind.
In 2020, Ryan left his home in Baltimore to pursue a fashion degree in New York City. His early start in high school opened doors to some of the best fashion schools throughout the U.S. He followed the path to America’s fashion capital, NYC, where his school connected him with industry leaders on television and store owners looking to showcase local designers in their stores. Ryan was quickly ascending in the fashion space when COVID derailed his journey.
Change of course
“I was only in college for two months before the pandemic started. New York became a ghost town,” said Ryan. “They sent us home for online classes and I moved back to Baltimore, but you can’t really get the same experience through a video. That’s when I decided to move back to New York City.”
After six months of living in NYC, Ryan struggled to realize the same level of success he experienced prior to the pandemic. He felt his dream of making it in the fashion industry begin to fade and knew he had to make a change if he was going to continue to follow his passion.
In April 2021, after seeing a friend of his doing well in the Army, he decided to join the service to stabilize his current situation. He is now an all-wheeled mechanic for the 8th Special Troops Battalion, 8th Theater Sustainment Command on Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
“I told myself I would join the Army, do one contract, save my money and get the benefits,” said Ryan. “I also want to use the G.I. Bill to go back to school and finish my fashion degree.”
The military has a long history of inspiring trends often seen in commercial fashion.
According to Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, a writer for the Washington Post, “during the Civil War, the demand for hundreds of thousands of standardized uniforms catalyzed the ready-made garment industry and led to an ensuing revolution in menswear after the war.”
“Recently, I have new designs that I came up with that are street wear, but they incorporate Army textiles.”
During World War II, the U.S. government implemented L-85 regulations, restricting the civilian use of fabrics, clothing and accessories to allocate resources for military use. This led to fashion designers using zippers instead of buttons and popularized the trend of flats, which were not rationed.
Arguably, getting issued a military uniform during this time was like getting issued a designer outfit. What the fashion industry gained from this collaboration was the creation of standardized sizes and inspirational designs.
Though Ryan has never considered designing clothes for the military, he has been inspired to incorporate some Army aspects into his designs.
The current path
“Recently, I have new designs that I came up with that are street wear, but they incorporate Army textiles,” said Ryan. “I’ve gotten Army duffle bags from the flea market, and I also use colorways and silhouettes that represent the Army.”
According to Ryan, living in Hawaii also gives him new challenges and ideas to work with.
“There’s a lot of inspiration being on an island. Usually, I just design jeans and hoodies, but being here in Hawaii I’ve been opened up to designing bikinis and clothes for women.”
Ryan not only gained new inspiration but also a new partner. While stationed in Hawaii, Ryan met his wife Spc. Kayla Francisco, the religious affairs specialist for the 8th Special Troops Battalion.
“When I first arrived to Fort Shafter, he made me feel most welcomed to the unit; we have built a strong connection with our conversations, similarities and interest,” said Francisco.
Francisco has a passion for modeling and content creating. Throughout the past year, she’s participated in the Miss Bikini Hawaii pageant, The Hawaii Fashion Show, and the Island Princess Fashion Show.
“The Army has brought me to where I’m at today. I met my wonderful husband, its opened doors to modeling and other opportunities in my life,” said Francisco. “What I really love about Justin’s designs is how creative he uses different types of denim jeans and creates a pair into something very exotic. I’m proud of how much he has progressed.”
With Francisco being a model and Ryan being a designer, they both have outlets to showcase their unique passions outside of the Army. They complement one another. Ryan could enter a fashion show to showcase his new designs, and Francisco is right there to model them for him.
“I’ve always had an interest in fashion. I have my own style, especially with the denim outfits,” said Francisco. “It has caught Justin’s eye because his jeans bring out an even better style with my outfits as well.”
Ryan’s end goal is to be a creative director for his own brand and have the masses wearing his clothes. With military ties seen in the fashion industry dating back to the Civil War, and designers like Ralph Lauren, Armani, Calvin Klein and more drawing inspiration from military apparel for their designs, Ryan’s firsthand experience is something he sees as an advantage.
Who knows, maybe he’ll be mentioned with names like Julian Woodhouse or Bill Blass when people bring up military veteran designers.
Social Sharing