Interview: Variable X Designer Lex Brown

Victoria O and Hyun Kim
May 7, 2015
2 min read

"Variable X is a Toronto based fashion brand that focuses on gender fluid and androgynous clothing."

We sat down with Lex Brown, head designer of Variable X to discuss her favourite designers, personal style and what inspires her to create androgonyus, dark, minimal clothing with interesting cuts and amazing detail. She currently studies fashion design at Ryerson University, the top fashion school in Canada. She will be debuting her newest collection on Sunday June 21, 2015 at Xposed Fashion and Art Show. Make sure to get your tickets here!

FC: Tell us about yourself!

“I go to Ryerson University and I'm currently studying fashion design which focuses on learning essential techniques to design and reflect my creative ideas through making clothes.”

FC: What inspires you?

I get inspiration from my surroundings. It could be the people that I see on the streets while strolling or personal life events.

FC: Who are your personal favourite designers?

Alexander McQueen - I think that the conceptual style that Mcqueen displays through design is my favourite part of his clothing. I can really see myself making connections to it.

Haider Ackermann - My goal in designing is to make ready-to-wear clothes that can be worn by both men and women. Ackermann creates unisex clothes with gorgeous neutral colours.

Rani Kim - “She is an emerging designer based in Toronto who I have been working for a year and an half. Rani is the most hard-working and inspirational person that I have met. Working with her was such an inspirational experience and also taught me things that I need to improve on when I design. Rani is my true role-model!

FC: Do you follow any fashion blogger or people that we should keep our eyes on?

Juan Solorzano (Creative director of FTWK) - He is my personal favourite!

Insubordinate - My personal favourite look is definitely casual street style that radiates grungy vibe. Insubordinate shows a mixture of grungy and Basquiat inspired collections which I find very fascinating.

FC: Is there a specific style of clothing that you prefer to design?

When you get into a Fashion Design program, you lean heavily on creating women's lines for school projects and assignments. However, I started developing my own style and found a specific look after exploring different types of techniques and getting experiences through internships.

Dirty, grungy and avant-garde style became my personal favourite. My passion gravitates towards making men's clothing lines because I’ve found that men's clothing trends are stable. Think about high-end men's suits. They are timeless while women's clothes are ever-changing.

I think that Toronto is a great place to explore men’s clothing because designers are becoming more experimental.

FC: Is there any difference in the way you dress and design?

I usually like to wear casual clothes with monotone or neutral colours. I'm still developing my aesthetic through experimentation. I’m constantly learning and finding inspiration!