Have you ever been to school or Idyllwild? How do you handle the logistics of school classes from Los Angeles?

I’ve been to Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, and the surrounding area. Idyllwild was a little different than I expected because Palm Springs and Joshua Tree are deserts. But I love nature, and when I saw Idyllwild’s photos, I fell in love with the beautiful scenery. I have an apartment in Idyllwild and plan to keep one in LA. I hope to return to LA a few times a month, but I’ll be able to manage the work here. And stay connected with the people in LA, the models, the factories, the people in production. I have an assistant here as well, so I think it will work.

What do you love most about teaching?

I don’t think it’s necessarily all about fashion, but any educator loves to see the process of a student growing, getting better, and starting to become a better person. I am very picky about attention to detail, so I push my students to do so.

You went from music to fashion design. How did it shape you as a fashion student? How does it help students at Idyllwild Arts?

I really want them to be exposed to different arts. I happened to be learning classical piano for over 30 years. If someone studies his one thing hard, you can see another layer of understanding. You begin to see connections with things like painting and dance. No one enters fashion from different media like I do. I hope I can share that experience.