William Andrew Young
Draper / Crafts Artisan
(423) 782-0693 / w14young@gmail.com / IG: w_a_y_2
Draping
As a draper, I strive to bring artistry and excellence to every piece I create. A rendering is a starting point, an idea only. A rendering does not occupy dimensional space nor can it be worn. The opportunity to take an idea and transform it into something that exists...something that fits and moves and gives life to character and story...gives me life.
I relish working with designers who appreciate, acknowledge, and lend visibility to the minds and hands that bring their visions to life. As a Draper, I work with a team. Not "for" a designer, and not "above" a team. Collaboration extends to crediting all the artistry involved in costuming a show.
Corsetry
Producing a transformative garment is both challenging and rewarding-- the challenge being to create a false silhouette that is comfortable, the reward being the satisfaction of having produced a garment that empowers its wearer. The foundation is the success (or failure) of a costume!
I am particularly drawn to male corsetry. There is nuance in accentuating a traditionally male form with a traditionally feminine garment., and my aesthetic leans toward a more conical and (inverted) triangular silhouette when producing corsets for male-presenting bodies. The juxtaposition of gender expression becomes even more blurred yet somehow further accentuates the fem and masc qualities of both wearer and garment.
Costume Crafts
I fell in love with costume crafts in a mask making class at the University of Tennessee my senior year of undergrad and have loved the work ever since.
Even moreso than with draping, I feel such a huge sense of collaboration in the design, as craft pieces can be as intricate as time/passion allows. Crafts tend to get the short end of the stick and are glossed over or treated as an afterthought.
My passion for crafts is what began my career as a costume maker, and I treasure every opportunity I get to embrace the more chaotic side of my creativity.
While draping is my primary focus as a costume maker, hats (along with crafts) are where I got my start as a costume maker. I "fell" into the craftier side of millinery in my time at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, primarily working with fosshape to do more non-traditional headdresses and hats.
Bringing my knowledge of crafts and my experience as a stitcher and pattern-maker to millinery is something I don't get to do often, but a chance I relish each time it comes along.