Cooler than the other side of the pillow at #2 is my good friend Brian Wood. Brian is a clothing designer– he has a high-end menswear line as well as a street-wear line. He’s also designing for women this year. Brian is a big inspiration to me. From the moment they introduced me to his work, I was taken aback by the sheer creativity and care he puts into each and every piece. This is a person who truly treasures their craft– you can just tell. His work ethic is way beyond average, and he is literally on a constant grind. Brian has received recognition and accolades from the highest authorities in fashion, and he boasts an impressive cult-following. In the years to come, Brian will easily take the position of one of the great young contemporary designers of our time. WATCH OUT– he’s on household-name-status! Check him out in his own words:

Hello CCW my name is Brian Wood I am an NYC based Artist/Designer who designs to inspire! As a graduate of Pratt Institute I pride myself on creativity, innovation and most importantly function when designing. I currently stay busy designing Brian Wood my couture menswear collection and B WOOD a secondary t-shirt line. The B WOOD starting lineup is made up of, myself, Vice President David Milliman, and a wolf pack of loyal interns. I am currently designing a women’s eveningwear collection for Silvio Liu that is launching for Holiday 2010. www.brianwoodonline.com : A cult following like a cult.

I shot Brian in his Washington Heights neighborhood. It was a gorgeous day for January, and I shot him outside. We had a lot of fun shooting– Brian got right into character! It was by far one of our favorite shoots of the series. Check him out:

[click the images to enlarge hi-res versions]