Meet Designer De’Andre Wigfall
The Houston Community College student has pioneered a fashion line that is quickly gaining popularity, though Wigfall has bigger plans than fame.
By Lindsey Davis, Iowa State University
De’Andre Wigfall began his collegiate journey with dreams of playing basketball and pursuing Kinesiology, though after circumstances forced those aspirations to fall through, the Houston Community College sophomore began to search elsewhere for his calling.
Now a Fashion Design major, Wigfall focuses his creative passions on his urbanwear fashion line, Yvesdre. I was able to catch up with shortly before he had a release party for his latest line, and we were able to talk about how he ended up designing clothes, a far cry from what he went to college to do originally.
“I’ve been into fashion my whole life.”
“I was inspired by my favorite brand, Yves Saint Laurent, and then Dre comes from my name. It’s a street brand mixed with high fashion.”
“People will contact me through social media. If they’re in my city, I’ll meet up with them, or if they’re in another state or city I’ll ship it out.”
“Right now it’s in Texas, but it’s slowly starting to get out there to other states. I definitely would like to move to Los Angeles or New York.”
“I feel that art gives me inspiration to make something.”
“I prefer making urban wear. I’m not really into dresses or anything.”
“I would probably try to go to a major fashion school and network out there and grow my brand.”
“Although it is good to know how to make those things, which we learn, but if I had to pick it’d definitely be more street, urban wear.”
“I’ve traveled to Dallas, and I went to some New York fashion shows this past summer. I plan on going back in February to do another fashion show. I know a different guy that’s throwing one so hopefully everything works out and I go.”
“They have what you call a workforce program and degrees that you want to pursue, so I’ll do do my two years and then I get my associate’s degree; then they’ll set me up with different jobs.”
“I know I would definitely want to travel to another state to do it.”
“I started at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where I was studying Physical Therapy and Kinesiology, but it wasn’t me. I didn’t feel comfortable. I didn’t think it was for me.”
“It was amazing. That was my first time ever going to New York. So just to see the culture and environment there, it’s so fast-paced. To see the different styles and everything was a great experience.”
“Coming up in high school I was really good at basketball. I was supposed to have a basketball scholarship, but it didn’t work out.”
“From then on, I can try to go to Central St. Marcus or New York—a big fashion school with my associate’s.
“I knew I had to go to school, of course. Especially with my mom being in the medical field, I knew I had to go.”
“I went up there and I really looked at the campuses and their environments, but I didn’t all the way want to be there, because I wanted to be playing basketball.”
“I never took fashion that seriously. While I was up there, I started to really study it. When I came home that summer, I said I was going to create my own line, and after that it just took off.”
“I kind of wish that I knew back then that I wanted to do this.”
“Everything is a learning experience for a reason.”
“I don’t drink. I’m kind of that friend where we go out and I don’t do anything. I take pride in being that friend.”
