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Clothing to Wear’s Conor MacCormack

October 24, 2023

Written by Moses Naughton-Garrison

A man with short dark hair and blue eyes looks sideways into the camera wearing a blue t shirt

Conor, it’s nice to meet you. Would you mind introducing yourself and Clothing to Wear?

My name is Conor MacCormack and I’m an artist and stylist working out of
Philadelphia, PA. Clothing to Wear is the showroom I started in the fall of 2022. It’s a place for me to showcase my work, sell clothing, meet with friends, and more.

A man with long dreadlocks sits on a fallen tree in the woods wearing a dark suit with a printed maroon tie.

What made you want to start Clothing to Wear?

I’d been painting houses full time to support making art and it got to a point where I wanted to change things up and allow myself to use that creative mindset for more than just a fraction of the day. I’d always been interested in personal style, so it felt like a natural progression.

A man with dark hair and a mustache in a striped suit in front of a distressed plaster wall and a broken window, he is holding a cigarette

It’s been almost a year of having the showroom open. What’re some things that stick out to you about the space?

I really enjoy talking with people that come through the showroom and having that direct relationship. If they’re looking to try some new silhouettes I’m down to walk through that with them. If they know what they like and just want to check out some clothes that’s great too. I never want to impose a certain way of dressing on anyone that comes through the showroom.

A man from the waist down with tattooed arms wearing a sweater vest and black jean shorts in front of a distressed plaster wall

The name Clothing to Wear is to the point, no b*llshit. It seems like the styling work follows suit, there’s nothing that doesn’t need to be there. I’m curious if that was intentional, or did it just work out that way?

II think a bit of both. I’ve always had sort of a ‘stripped back’ approach when it comes to personal styling. I liked how direct the name Clothing to Wear was, and I wanted the focus to be on the clothing, not the name or the branding.

A man in baggy jeans, shiny pointed loafers and a navy wool collared henley leans against a plywood wall next to a rack of clothing

So it’s just about the clothes for you.

Definitely, I feel like clothing and personal style can embody a lot. It’s a special way to get ideas across and it’s incredibly personal.

A man wearing a charcoal double breasted blazer over a zip turtleneck sweater with jeans stands beside a shelf of wood.

Your showroom collection seems quite broad. I’ve seen you styling everything from vintage J. Crew to Issey Miyake to Ferragamo, etc. How’d you develop such an eclectic taste?

It’s happened sort of organically. I’m really attracted to color, cut, and texture so the brand of clothing is secondary to those things. I also was mainly doing in person thrifting when I was starting to build out the collection for the showroom, so I couldn’t really be picky when it came to the brands.

A man wearing skinny tinted glasses with dark frames and a grey blazer over an open button down plaid shirt stands in front of a barbwire topped fence

You're a talented visual artist as well. How much of your work as an artist spills over into your work as a stylist? Do you approach the two similarly?

I still keep a studio practice and make paintings pretty frequently, so when I’m doing styling work it feels like I’m using the same brain as when I’m painting. I’m able to work through my ideas using a different medium.

A man with a mustache wearing a white tee under a plaid button down and a chunky printed cardigan in a darkly lit industrial setting

So, you don’t feel like you’re neglecting painting if there’s a few weeks where you’re doing more styling work.

No, not at all. The two are growing off of each other.

I saw you recently styled a Spirit of the Beehive music video and you’ve been doing campaign work for Carter Young. What’s next for Clothing To Wear?

I’ve got some exciting projects coming up in the next few months. There’ll maybe be some changes to the showroom as well, moving into a bigger space. There’s a lot to look forward to.

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