Conner Ives on Protect the Dolls, His Met Gala Looks & Designing for Rihanna | Fashion Forensics

Conner Ives is someone who has had many home runs in his short career as a designer. After moving to London from Bedford, New York, he took on graduating from Central Saint Martins and putting all of his effort into building a fashion label that he has envisioned since he was seven years old. Since creating his eponymous label, he has achieved it all - dressing Adwoa Aboah for the Met Gala whilst being in his first year of university, attracting the attention of Rihanna and creating multiple custom looks for her [as well as working for her own label, Fenty], and later having his actual runway designs displayed within the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute exhibition - all whilst having an ethos of spotlighting and protecting the communities he cherishes, an example seen at the end of his AW25 show when he took his bow wearing a 'Protect The Dolls' t-shirt, advocating for the protection of trans people's rights - a cause that took culture by storm, raising over £900,000 thus far. Coming into the Fashion Forensics hot seat, the American designer talks about breaking the Internet with his 'Protect The Dolls' t-shirt, his first visual memories of wanting to be one with fashion, and how the support of his community is the reason for his success. Welcome to Fashion Forensics - the visual podcast where we examine fashion as a non-transaction with some of the world's best artists, stylists, designers, photographers and editors, stripping it down to its core identity.