Faculty
Instructor's Apparel Line For Fighters Seen in Creed II
We recently caught up with longtime FIDM Instructor and Graduate Will Hoover who designs memorable looks for fighters in and out of the ring.
Prior to attending FIDM, the southern California native was studying fine art and working as a production artist for a needlepoint company hand-painting needlepoint screens. "In my late teens and early twenties, I often lamented of the premise of a starving artist lifestyle until a co-worker mentioned fashion as an employable creative industry and mentioned FIDM as well," he says. Upon graduating from FIDM, Will worked for major action sports brands such as Ocean Pacific and Gotcha. Over the years, he rose from patternmaker to technical designer to product development supervisor. In 2006, he joined Vans as an apparel development manager.
In 2014, he struck out on his own to found Paul Dunne Los Angeles, a menswear line of jackets, pants, and leather accessories. In 2016, he partnered with Javier Zinzun, the founder of I Got My Own Back (IGMOB), a t-shirt, cap, and custom fight gear line recently seen on the big screen. "Last March, we reached out to the costume designer of the original Creed movie to inquire who would be designing for Creed II. We sent a few photos and a full outfit of the work we do," Will explains. "She was impressed by all the work we had done to that point and sent over the NDA within a week. She saw a picture in our studio of a fighter's short where we ran his name vertically down the leg and requested we do the same for Drago."
In addition to designing for fictional high-profile fighters, IGMOB is known for buzz worthy creations for real life champs such as a light-up boxing robe (pictured above). "My business partner came to me and wanted me to build a robe that was classic Rocky-meets-The-Matrix," he says. "At the time, Goldenboy fighter Mauricio Herrera was going to be the main event fighter for the opening night of the T Mobile arena in Vegas on Cinco de Mayo. A big deal. We showed him the prototype and he immediately ordered one for the fight." Will says one of the best parts about designing for fighters is the creative freedom. "Often the fighters give us color choices and tell us to do our thing, which is zenith for any true creative."
In addition to the success he's found with his own labels, this month, Will is celebrating his eighteenth anniversary teaching at FIDM. He says the students are the highlight of his teaching experience: "They inspire me to inspire them."
Categories: Apparel Industry Management Fashion Design Merchandise Product Development Faculty
