WHO IS DREW?

Last month, I was invited to my good friend Andrew Ferguson’s “Styled.By.Drew – Exhibit of Styles” event at Camera Lounge. This exhibit was his first independent project, officially launching both his first website and foray into the world of styling. For those who don’t know of him, he has worked with a variety of clients already; from artists (A-Game, Jahvon) to brands (Ransom Holding Co.) to online magazines (Inquiringmind), just to name a few.

I’ve known Drew for about 5 or 6 years now, and I can tell you the man is dead serious about his craft. Let’s back up for a moment. I met Drew through mutual friends – all of which held him in high regards. They spoke of his good nature – trustworthy, down to earth and cool. They spoke of his fashion sense – fresh kicks, premium denim, supreme styling. They talked of his shoe collection – unparalleled by anyone. At the time, shoe hunting was a big trend, and needless to say, I was intrigued by the gossip.

During one of our first encounters, he welcomed my friend and I into his home, where he gave us a tour of his bedroom. Upon entering, you immediately gather your assumptions on the type of person he is. His room was pristine; every object was put in its place for a reason. A neat stack of baseball hats adorned the top of the dresser, and an exclusive, never before seen hat was strategically placed in front of the rest, as if to taunt you as he rambled on about his day. The rest of his room was modest: a television, bed and a computer. Well, until he opened his closet.

He opened both doors one a time, slowly, as if he was unveiling an art piece – one he had been working on his whole life. As both doors swung open, the smell of fresh wood filled the air.

“It was just finished recently,” exclaimed Drew.

His closet was a fairly large space, separated into two sides by a shelving unit through the middle, housing box after box of Jordans and Nikes. On the right side, the space was split mid-way by a rack; sweaters on top neatly hung, looking like an art students color blocking assignment and jeans along the bottom. On the left side, similar to the right, was split mid-way as well, with a jacket collection flooding both racks. It was a scene straight out of MTV Cribs, and I half-expected him to act arrogant and cocky about each and every piece that was hung on the rack.

To my surprise, not only was he enthusiastic about his clothes, he even gave me a few tips on where he shops to find some great pieces. His passion towards clothing and fashion was genuine – something that nowadays, is rare.

As time went by, the topic of our conversations would often be fashion related. The thing I particularly enjoyed was that our conversations were always a teeter-totter of ideas. He could educate me on something new he learned, while I could educate him on something I had picked up. He’s educated beyond belief, having worked within a number of well known retailers in the past, the most recent being at Ransom Holding Co. (Hey, he even did a brief stint at Seneca College in the Fashion Merchandisng program a few years back). There has always a common interest in fashion to keep us grounded, which brings me back to his exhibit.

The invite-only event was held at Camera Lounge, a cozy establishment on West Queen West, which features three major areas: the lounge, the screening room and the exhibition room. To make the exhibit a little more intimate, it doubled up as his birthday celebration.

We arrived around 8 pm and proceeded to the screening room where Drew showed the debut of his short film, “Tetralogy,” directed by Warren Credo. The film showed Drew’s styling versatility in a few contrasting scenes. After the screening, we went into the exhibition room where male mannequins were lined up on either side, outfitted in different looks, from contemporary to street to high fashion. It is clear that Drew has the vision for upcoming trends and what’s more important is that he always manages to give each look a taste of his own personal element.

It’s always a great feeling to watch someone grow not only career-wise, but as a person, and I’m excited to see what’s in he has in store for us in the future, especially since his next project will cross genders into female territory.

Check out Drew’s blog at www.whoisdrew.com
Check out Drew’s site at www.stylebydrew.com
For pictures of the event, click here.

Photos courtesy of Timothy Tse.