Most people know Tim Gunn from the show "Project Runway," where he has been a mentor for aspiring fashion designers since 2004. Although this is a big part of his career, Tim Gunn provides the world with so much advice and care on and off of the show.
If you've ever seen "Project Runway" or any interview with Tim Gunn, you can tell that he's a genuinely nice human who cares for others, whether giving guidance or telling the hard truth. He doesn't place himself above anyone else; he says "I have my flaws and my issues, past and present and who knows what will happen in the future. I want people to know I'm vulnerable too and each one of us is." He doesn't deny the fact that he has had tough times (because who hasn't had tough times?), but he has used his experiences to give advice and advocate for things that he believes in.
Growing up, Tim Gunn was afraid about coming out as gay. He was raised in a family that would not be very accepting of his coming out. He says "it was a very different time and a very different era... I already presented my family with a lot of disappointments and I didn't feel that I wanted to present them with yet this." Gunn never told his father of his sexuality, and it took him time to come out to his family; he says that he thinks his mother figured it out eventually, before Gunn came out to his sister when he was 29.
In the YouTube project 'It Gets Better,' Gunn tells his story of his conflicts as a teenager. When he was 17, he attempted suicide by taking over 100 pills. Being able to share his story with the world in an effort to help others going through similar experiences, Tim Gunn proves that he is not only caring, but also is knowledgeable through personal experiences.
Gunn uses all of his knowledge and experience to create published works; he's written a Kindle single and 4 books, including "Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making it Work," where he is described as "warm, witty, wise, and wonderfully supportive-- just the mentor you need to design a happy, creative, and fulfilling life that will never go out of style."
Learning from his experience as a teenager, Gunn has spoken out about his opinions and has schooled the fashion industry countless times. He teamed up with the animal rights group PETA to narrate a video on animal cruelty within the fashion business. Gunn started a program when he was the chair Department of Fashion Design at Parson's School of Design that allowed PETA to teach students about the cruel use of animals within certain clothing brands. When he was the chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc., he brought PETA to show videos on animal cruelty within the fashion industry and provide alternatives to animal fur in fashion.
Tim Gunn also spoke his opinions about Kanye West's clothing line 'Yeezy,' which launched its fourth season in September. Gunn says "I'm totally perplexed about why the fashion industry has not looked at these frankly dumb, basic clothes and cried 'hoax.'" Kanye's fashion line seemed to diss all other fashion designers who have worked hard to build their way into the fashion industry and create wearable clothing, and Tim was not having it. "I just don't understand why people are so in awe. [The models] were basically wearing stretch undergarments." Props to Tim for saying what everyone was thinking against the beloved Kanye, who should probably just stick to creating music-- not clothing.
The fashion industry doesn't do much for the plus-sized women, and Tim Gunn shared his stance on this; in an interview for the Washington Post, he says "I love the American fashion industry, but it has a lot of problems, and one of them is the baffling way it has turned its back on plus-sized women... many designers-- dripping with disdain, lacking imagination or simply too cowardly to take a risk-- still refuse to make clothes for them." He goes on to talk about how designers do not wish to design for the plus-size woman, and that from his experience shopping with plus-sized women, it was a "horribly insulting and demoralizing experience." If there's anyone we should be listening to in fashion, it should be Tim Gunn-- he's knowledgeable in the fashion world, but he believes it should be open and available to everyone of all shapes and sizes-- as it should be.
And, of course, there's always Tim Gunn's lovingly sassy, kindhearted and always truthful critiques on "Project Runway." And, especially if you watch the show, you can never forget his most famous piece of advice that will apply to any tough situation; make it work!
