Meet Steven Trujillo owner of El Salon and creator of Leon Designs. El Salon will provide hair styling  and Leon Design will be featured in the Whiteout fashion show at Denver Westword’s Artopia. This culture, art, and fashion event will be opening its doors TOMORROW at 7pm at City Hall Denver. If you’re still in need of last minute tickets, grab them here! And don’t forget to use promo code fahsiondenver for a discount!

Q:When did you first know you wanted to be a fashion designer?

A:I’m humbled by this question. There are so many fashion designers I admire who devote their lives to fashion design.

I have always been a designer from hair, to fashion, to jewelry, and even to my garden ever since I was young. I consider myself more of an artist who is passionate about design. My family made sure at a young age that I could and would do large scale design projects. No one said I couldn’t!

Q:Where do you draw inspiration from?

A:Wow! Everything, I would say. All my surroundings from textiles, to landscape, to food, but I’m most inspired by artists like Marilyn Minter at the Contemporary Museum, The Miro Foundation in Barcelona, The Alexander McQueen Exhibition in London. I not only look at the artist and the art but the installation, It’s about the whole process of getting to the final result.

Q:What has been the most rewarding and the most frustrating part of your journey thus far?

A:The most rewarding part is being able to share my work with so many people as well as supporting local events.

Working as a team with all the creative people that I love. I’m hoping to create a different way of looking at things. It may not be to everyone’s liking , but that’s okay.

I rarely get frustrated only because I accept where I am, who I am, and I don’t try to be someone else. There is a plethora to draw from, so I just don’t get frustrated. The journey challenges me and opens me to new opportunities to find better results.

 

Q:Tell us about how you reference architecture with fashion and what that process is like for you?

A:The body is the structure, and everything outside of that is what I consider to be the architecture that I am creating as a fashion designer. I play with all the elements around the structure: texture, color, illusion, form, shimmer, and embellishment.

I’m engaged with contemporary fashion, art, and architecture as well as antiquing. I combine all the worlds, past and present, in my own way. I’m a scavenger – I collect every opportunity, idea, material, and create it the vision I see fit. It can be an internal process, so I appreciate when I can share it with others and get their reactions and feedback. Life and fashion design is more fulfilling when it is a collaboration.

 

For more information check out the El Salon website  here!