The Republic from Columbus, Indiana • Page 20

Features B4 The Republic. Columbus. Ind Thursday. September 1 1. 1987 1 i Living in a material world Columbus designer rocks back in the utmost style 5 (A 0 I' i 1 7 On the road to Above, a young Stephen Sprouse sketches at his Columbus home.

As a success At right, Sprouse clowns around in a recent photo with his niece, 5-year-old Ashley By Mary Colurso The Republic IT your name is Stephen Sprouse, you wear black fingernail polish on the nails of one hand. As an avant-garde designer, your career has sizzled, fizzled, then ignited again. With a new tri-level Sprouse store opening in New York City and several ambitious lines of clothing that bear your name, you're usually too busy or too shy to talk to reporters. Admirers have called you the "maestro of the mini and the keeper of the Sixties flame." No one, however, is sure if that flame will keep burning through the lightning-quick seasons of the fickle fashion industry. But you keep on with your art that of making beautiful, eccentric clothes for today's men and women.

"I DON'T KNOW anything about fashion, and I don't look at other people's clothes," Sprouse said in a May 13 interview with the Chicago Tribune. Yet every fashion magazine in the business has been trumpeting the news: "Stephen Sprouse rocks back!" Today marks the grand opening of the Stephen Sprouse Co, flagship store, an old Wooster Street fire-house that has recently been converted into a New Wave haven. "Stephen's very shy, but I think he's looking forward to the opening," said Joanne Sprouse of Woodland Place, mother of the 34-year-old enfant terrible of Seventh Avenue. Sprouse developed his talent as "a boy in Columbus. SPROUSE HAS CREATED three new collections for men and women, in three price ranges, showcased on different floors of the Manhattan The least expensive line, targeted to the "under $100" teenage set, gives those with limited incomes (or allowances) a chance to purchase Day-Glo T-shirts, black leatherette jeans and 11-inch minis in screaming colors.

Wild Style: The Stephen Sprouse story HOC zrr-r Glad-rags in the medium price range Sprouse calls this line, "Post-Punk Dress for Success" include Day-Glo camel coats and suits, and plaid schoolgirl jumpers. The priciest label, with designs costing from $250 to $3,500, peaks with unique sequined skirts, cashmere tights, and a white wool overcoat hand-painted to proclaim "God Save NYC." "I ALWAYS THINK of clothes as movies," Sprouse has said. "Each bunch of new designs is like a new movie with a new cast of characters This collection is kind of a 1977 punk video Sid Vicious kind jof -inspired this stuff." Andrew Cogan, Sprouse's 24-year-old backer and business partner, says that his father's company, GFI-Knoll Holdings is confidently wagering "several million dollars" in the hope that America is ready for Sex Pistols chic. Plans are already on the drawing board for a chain of Stephen Sprouse stores throughout the United States and possibly in Europe. Some designers might be hesitant to suggest that the public embrace items like Sprouse's safety-pin covered cardigans or padlock-and-chain necklaces.

BUT AS JOANNE Sprouse tells it, "Steve has never played it safe He's always been on the leading edge he's always been controversial. In the eyes of the public, he'll always be controversial." "'Being in the limelight I think he'd much rather be sitting in the studio, drawing." she adds. "What he would like to be known as is an artist. Fashion is a vehicle." Besides an interview with, Sprouse's parents, information for the articles on this page was gathered from newspapers and magazines throughout the country. Apply To Sprouse facts to know, tell All-black clothes, and black bangs straggling out from an equally black baseball cap are Sprouse's personal fashion trademarks.

Parents: Norbert and Joanne L. Sprouse of Columbus. Has a brother. Brad, three years his junior, who now raises llamas in northern Michigan. Sprouse attended Northside Junior High School when he received his first media attention.

1 Stephen Sprouse's sketch of one camel coat with Day-Glo shirt. Shop talk "The clothes will not be revolutionary. They're '75 New York and London, Sex Pistols. Day-Glo red and camouflage and leopard. Denim and sequins and plaid wool and leatherette.

And safety pins for earrings and stuff." STEPHEN SPROUSE son's made clothes for me suits, sport coats, slacks and shirts I spoke to him on the first day of his opening, and he said that the men's clothes were selling more than the women's. The (new Wooster Street) store is open, but they'll have a grand opening later in September." NORBERT L. SPROUSE (Stephen Sprouse dresses me in) "screaming blues, neon greens. Sprouse has great dignity. You don't have to be a motorcycle kid from the West Side to wear his clothes.

I find the tailoring is impeccable, perfect, and I like all the new wild-style -colors, which I tftink even a dowager i July, 1984 Newsweek gives Sprouse full page treatment for. his fluorescent fashion" designs and dubs him "The Master of Shock Chic" specializing in "deja vu '60s look." Newsweek praises the Clothing, tout calls the collection "very similar" to previous Sprouse. designs. For his creative combination of idiosyncratic style and high quality materials and workmanship, Sprouse is nominated for a prestigious Coty American Fashion Critic's award 1985: Financial difficulties force Sprouse to declare bankruptcy -4n he cancels -a fall -fashion-show scheduled for May By July, the Sprouse label is no more "What I lacked was a business manager a right-hand guy with Fashion nugaiine page Sprouse says one of his best friends and fashion muse is former "Blondie" star Debbie Harry. He also has designed clothes for David Lee Roth and Carol Channing.

business brains," Sprouse said: Still in the media's glaring eye, 'he is now the most famous out of busi- loss designer Owing a trade debt reported at $600,000, Sprouse. Inc. holds an auction of all remaining' merchandise. The sale brings in slightly over $50,000. Summer, 1987: After two years of fashion seclusion, Sprouse "rocks back" in a big very big way With the help of a new business partner and backer, the GFI-Knoll International $2.5 billion conglomerate, Sprouse emerges bearing six distinctive lines of signature clothingr three each for men and women.

For a time, this af arel will be sold exclusively in a new tri-level flagship store bearing his name at 99 Wooster St. in New York City's-Soho district. September, 1 987: On the cover of Cosmopolitan's September issue, model Christy Turlington is pictured in a snug-fitting black dress, covered with large metallic safety pins? The cost; $3,500. The designer: Stephen Sprouse. Ate ti- his designs, -a men's suit and 3 A Stephen Sprouse design is worn by the model on the cover of this month's Cosmopolitan magazine.

queen could wear." CAROL CHANNING "He was not necessarily fashion-conscious about his own way of dressing definitely not a Bohemian type. He wore different clothing, but not to draw attention to himself." R. KEITH WELLMAN Publications Adviser Columbus North High School P.A.L. Co-ordinator: Lt. Mike Lovelace 376-2665 3 1 4 safe Highlights from one of Sprouse's earliest collections: a leopard fur walking suit, sea-green chiffon cocktail culottes, a full-length black wool gown with black mink long sleeves.

An early multi-colored evening gown designed by Sprouse was inspired by a rainbow that appeared when he was watering the grass around his family's swimming pool. Controversy was a natural element from the beginning of Sprouse's career. One short formal dress designed in the '60s received much attention. A typical description called the outfit a "a white mink bra and tiny skirt." The stylized Sprouse signature graced his hometown homework assignments long before it ever appeared in major magazines. Sprouse appeared on MTV as Andy Warhol's guest on a segment called "Screen Tests." His assignment; to discuss make-up with Nick Rhodes, member of the rock band "Duran Duran." Sprouse sold "the last suit I ever made-' to none other than Mick Jagger.

Jagger wore the yellow Sprouse jacket, along with matching leggings, during his performance for Live Aid. 1 953 1 966: Joanne Sprouse has said that her son always loved to draw. Initially, young Stephen's colored-pencil sketches focused on heads and hair arrangements He then moved on to full-scale fashion designing, completing his first collection at the age of 1 1 May. 1 966: Norbert Sprouse seeks career help and advice for his son from the nearest possible expert Dorothy Fuller. consultant for the Art Institute of the University of Chicago.

Fuller then arranges for the prodigy to meet with top New York fashion -designers," including- Moosier soc-cess story Biff Blass August, 1966: Thirteen-year-old Stephen Sprouse travels to New York City and meets with some of haute couture's finest creators Norman Norell, Bill Blass and Geoffrey Beene. Sprouse displays sketches for his latest full-scale fall, collection, focusing on leather, suede and luxury furs. An hour scheduled with Blass turns into a three-hour mentor-pupil session and tour of Blass's workrooms. May, 1971: Now a Columbus High School senior, Stephen Sprouse wins a $50 Strathmore award for teenage fashion design. His work is selected as the most promising entry from students throughout the country.

February, 1972; Sprouse begins a full-time job in New York City as personal assistant to designer Halston. June, 1972: Halston Seventh Avenue collection includes custom Sprouse shoes for all designs, and six Sprouse original ensembles. August, 1972: At 18, Sprouse captures the grand prize in the Saga Mink Design Competition, a contest entered by hundreds of American design students throughout the country." the winning der sign: a. collarless, belted Knee-length mink coat with dolman sleeves and fitted cuffs. He' also wins runner-up status for another design, a white mink jacket and strapless top 1974: After two years of work and study with prestigious designers, Sprouse drops out of the fashion world to experiment with art, rock music and March, 1981: Sprouse appears in a People magazine photo as he works on a costume for "Blondie" star Debbie Harry.

His designs become available in a few select stores. April, 1983: Kezia Keeble, a fashion, stylist, asks Sprouse to put together 20 pieces for a show of Polaroids meant to launch the SX-70 camera at the Parsons School of Design. Once his work is seen by art directors and editors attending the exhibition. Sprouse becomes, as one magazine put it, "an international design sensation." May, 1984: Sprouse lights up the city's fashion scene with graffiti fireworks. The Ritz nightclub in New York City sets the stage for Sprouse's blockbuster spring show, which is set to the beat of rock music and includes a videotape of a space ship blasting off.

At this time, his collection stresses brilliant Day-Glo pinks, greens, yellows and blues. Black letters printed "backwards are closely scattered over the fabric of mini-skirts, bicycle shorts, pants ensembles and long coats. About 2,200 spectators show up at the door of the Ritz: 500 must be turned away. People magazine trumpets the news, that "The Avant-Garde Garb of Stephen Sprouse is Rocking Fashion." Police Athletic League Tae Kwon Do Club Still Time, But Hurry! WIt'sNot Too Late Instructor: Officer David Heeb 376-2600 Classes: Tuesday Thursday Ages 5-9. yrs.

old p.m. Ages 10-14 yrs. old p.m. P.A.L. Association Dues $5766 Donmnnl Dor Montr, tin ff ay 1 1 ici i ci ivivji ill i iu.vu Classes held at: 1220 Washington Starts October 13th, 1987 Sign up: Sept.

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