What happens when faith meets fashion? According to BruceGlen, when those two worlds collide, they can create hope.
“The collection is called ‘Out of the Blue,’ and it’s the idea that something wonderful can happen suddenly,” BruceGlen’s co-founders and designers Bruce and Glen Proctor proclaimed in unison, while they sat down with me for Style Speaks TV.
BruceGlen’s LAFW runway show at the W Hotel, was full of delightful surprises. As I settled into my green velour seat waiting for the show to start, six-time Grammy-nominated gospel singer Jekalyn Carr stepped down an angelic-coded staircase. Her sequin-blue dress reflected off the mirrored wall during her descent toward us, and her ascent in notes. She sang the affirmation, “I know you’re hurt, I know you’re torn, I know you’re broken, but you will win.”
The encouragement to not stop dreaming manifested in a world of imagination, as performers from Cirque de Soleil’s KOOZA made their way toward the hotel lounge’s makeshift stage: Acrobats moved their bodies into pretzel-like shapes that seemed impossible while another juggled a million hula hoops.
From a grammy-worthy musical number, to other-worldly acrobatics, these performances were demonstrations of what could be possible if audience members work through difficulties to achieve their goals and do not lose faith. The BruceGlen designs that cascaded down the runway felt like the fashion-forward finale to that sentiment.
“Sometimes in the world like the one we live in, it’s so easy to get discouraged or to feel like your efforts are in vein,” the brothers told me. “But what we want people to understand is hope is not futile: It leads somewhere.”
Twin brothers Bruce and Glen Proctor call themselves the “Fashion Preachers,” as they are both designers and church ministers. They can be found leading Sunday services in style at “The Church,” across Los Angeles and New York. Through their ministry and the brand they administer, they encourage an everyday, steadfast belief.
“Sometimes we have moments where we’re like, ‘is this too much?’ Are people going to be like, ‘oh, don’t bring that church stuff over here!’ and we have to say, ‘okay. Is it in love? Is it filled with grace, and those are the ideas that we present,” Bruce Proctor said.
Glen Proctor believes that people from all walks of life can resonate with those ideas.
“Even in an industry like the fashion industry, every industry, people are looking to be inspired,” Glen Proctor said. “People are looking to be infused with hope and understand that they can dream.”
Through colors and patterns of youthful joy and wonder, the twin brothers amplify that reminder. It’s not just the designs but the clothing’s DNA, that aspire for a better tomorrow. BruceGlen’s garments are made-to-order in Santiago, Dominic Republic to lower clothing waste.
“We wanted to do silhouettes in prints and patterns that were dreamy, childlike and imaginative, like the scribble print,” Glen Proctor said. “You have this fun warped checker that gives you this sense of wonder.”
“This right here is called the blueprint: It’s blue in base but is also a blueprint for who we are,” Bruce Proctor explained.
The blue canvas was printed with motifs that matter to the brothers: lobsters that call back to their roots in Maryland and croissants that detail their love for Paris.” There were even references to their favorite treats as kids: ring pops.
“If you could go back and speak to younger Bruce and Glen Proctor who were launching brands for Beyonce, [Nicki Minaj], and Trey Songz and now you have your own namesake label, what would you tell them?” I asked the brothers.
Glen replied with a sing-songed, “It’s all going to be okay!” To which Bruce chimed in, “I would say, just wait baby, just wait! You’re going to see that things get better from here.”
Between all the success, the twins share their story of conquering hard times: financial hardship, unemployment, and even having to share a twin-size mattress.
“That’s why the message of hope resonates so much, because it really is all going to be okay, because it’s always been okay,” Glen Proctor said. “As I always like to say, we’re sitting here today having conquered 100 percent of our very worst moments.”
Image courtesies: Kohl Murdock, Madeline Derujinsky, Danielle Ernst, Belle Fall
Style Speaks 