occupation: fashion designer, pattern maker, stylist, and tailor

“Some people do the outfit as a wall [that] they can hide behind, but it’s not like that for me at all. I just do it because I like it. It’s not supposed to be anything. It doesn’t stand in the way of who I am. It’s not a ‘look’ I do. It’s not a costume. It’s just what I’m wearing that day.” Mack Dugan

“Nondescript” is what Mack is feeling these days in his Levi’s 501 dark jeans and heather gray Gap T, but to me, pretty much the pinnacle of clean and minimal chic. When paired with his DIY open-toed Converse, the look is the “artist’s” equivalent of the eternal Wall Street’s pinstripe suit in archetype. With his chunky silver rings and vintage shades, he could be photographed in the mulitiple series of Calvin Klein jean and underwear ads from the early ’90s that Mack feels so inextricably linked to in his aesthetic from when he was first falling in love with fashion. He was born in South Dakota but grew up in New Zealand, where Mack feels he got his gothier and heavier side, like his beyond obsession with the original Dirk Bikkemberg boots, strong in their avant garde reappropriating of the timeless construction, military, and ski boot. You can also see his “darker” side in some of Mack’s own designs, like his medieval-inspired capelet coat with a hood and his love of Lang and original Margiela. Equally aesthete in its height of subtlety, is Mack’s sportier gear. His quintessential canvas Palladium boots , APC windbreaker, and Marc Jacobs white back pack make it hard to believe he worked for Heatherette for five years. “Modern hiker” he calls it – ironic that there isn’t a mountain in sight.

If you like Mack, you might also enjoy James Ott, Stephan Jenkins, and Houman Farahmand.