We were lucky to catch up with Michael Kuluva recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I was a professional figure skater before I was a fashion designer. I skated for my entire childhood and I pursued it as a professional once I turned 18. I was touring around the world for many years in over 40 countries and 600 cities! Around the middle of my last tour, I was in Paris during Paris Fashion Week. One of my friends was good friends with the model and designer, so I attended the show. The show was for the iconic Roberto Cavalli.
After seeing the amazing runway show plus the afterparty, I knew I definitely wanted to do something within the fashion industry. To seal my upcoming fate even more, I was able to meet Roberto Cavalli and he even sat at our table to chat. I knew from then on my passion for fashion was real and I wanted to pursue it after my professional figure skating career.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Michael started skating at the young age of 8 when his parents took him to a local ice rink in his hometown of Los Angeles, CA USA. Michael worked his way up to become one of the youngest, most talented and recognized names in professional figure skating history, touring in over 600 cities and 40 countries. During his years an amateur skater Michael was part of the 1998 Jr. Olympic Team, 2001 US Figure Skating Team and in 2004 MLFS Professional World Bronze Medalist. He trained under the worlds best figure skating coaches in the sport such as Frank Carroll. Now, he is conquering the world of fashion with his brand, Tumbler and Tipsy, launched back in 2009. Michael graduated with a degree in fashion design from his extensive schooling at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM).
At his young age, Michael has worked his way up to be one of the youngest, most talented and recognized names in the professional figure skating world and is now conquering the fashion world as his fashion brand “Tumbler and Tipsy” has sky rocketed by his surprise when it was launched in 2009. Tumbler and Tipsy has expanded into a full international retail brand that is seen in over thousand publications and being sold in selected retailers globally.
Michael Kuluva is the WORLD’s FIRST fashion designer to design for a virtual video game, Ubisoft’s “Just Dance”, to the live runway at New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013 show.
Celebrities around the world adore this new adventurous fashion week label and have a strong following of supporters of Kuluva’s vision into the creative world of fashion especially through his large social media platforms.
Developing these personal connections has led Michael to unique collaborations with different artists and companies from around the world. With Michael Kuluva’s many accomplishments, Michael has made a professional and respectable name for himself in todays global fashion industry. Collaborations include Ubisoft’s Just Dance 4, Monster Headphones, Inglot Cosmetics, Conair Corporation, Jelly Belly, Pop Rocks, GHLF, CreakyJoints, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, La Pierre Cosmetics, Out of the Closet, Angelyne, K-Way, Cliq Jewelry, Rollasole, Swarovski, Ellie Shoes, Clac Belts, Harman Kardon and Caviar Eyewear.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a designer, is that there are no limits to creativity. You are able to combine so many different elements and ideas into one concept to make a masterpiece. There is always a perspective of your work seen by others however I do not look for others for approval. I know what makes me happy with my designs and creative work which fulfills my journey.
The other most rewarding part is bringing in non profits or other organizations that I like to partner with to bring a social concern or subject to the forefront. I have partnered with many organizations over the years including Dress for Success, Aids HealthCare Foundation, Out of the Closet Retail Stores, CreakyJoints, Global Healthy Living Foundation, just to name a few. I am so honored to be able to use my platform for creative reasons plus also raise important awareness worldwide with my designs and/or runway shows.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I definitely had to pivot my fashion business during the COVID-19 Pandemic. All of the clothing manufacturers were closed and I really had to think of a way to still show my designs to the world while under a complete lockdown. I got very creative and decided to make a fashion runway show on YouTube, which was a major success. I partnered with CreakyJoints and GHLF, which also expanded the reach of our shows since it was done online and not in person. We were able to reach parts of the world who have never explored us yet and we were able to some amazing sales.
I personally had to remember how to make a silk screen from scratch and use what I had to product the entire collection myself, as I did not have any assistants able to work for me during this time. This time in my career, really took me back to my roots as an intern at the label Libertine plus my time at fashion school to remember all the different techniques I learned to starting everything from scratch. It was a lot of work however it really paid off in the end as it was a very special collection which sold internationally.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.MichaelKuluva.com
- Instagram: MichaelKuluva
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/michaelkuluva
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkuluva
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/michaelkuluva
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/michaelkuluvaofficial
- Other: Instagram: @Kuluva – Brands IG Account.
Image Credits
Thomas Concordia