What is iposeforclothes.com?

iposeforclothes.com is a site designed and maintained by me, Craig McCollough. I began this site to combine my passions for interesting clothing, glamour and fashion photography, database-driven website design, and, of course, fabulously sexy girls and guys. :-) If you have comments for me or are interested in learning more about the site, write me at: info@iposeforclothes.com I hope that the site can remain free for all to enjoy and as a gift to creative and interesting people everywhere!

How did iposeforclothes.com come about?

I conceived of iposeforclothes.com as a showcase for my clothing design work. I'm new at this, and I'm just starting to get my design legs. I love to make clothes, I dabble in website design, and I'm a fan of model websites. I wanted to make clothes for others, but I was so new at sewing I didn't feel comfortable selling them. However, I didn't feel that same discomfort when giving the clothes away. In fact, the idea fit in perfectly with gift economy ethic of Burning Man.This gave me an idea: give the clothes away in lieu of modeling fees. The only part missing was the photography. So, I began experimenting with digital photography. iposeforclothes.com is the result of integrating all of these interests and ideas.

How did you start sewing?

I began longing for a creative outlet after attending Burning Man for the first time in 2001. I had immersed myself in the computer industry, largely suppressing any desires for artistic expression. As I had recently been laid off, I had plenty of time to search for that outlet and satisfy those desires. After seeing the great costumes at Burning Man and finding the need to create some of my own, sewing seemed to be a great avenue to explore.

I began sewing in October of 2001. I was planning a Halloween trip to New Orleans, and one of the festivities required Fetish Attire. I was stuck; I had little money, little time, and not a thing to wear! So, I asked my good friend Tracey to help me. She showed me a few basics and let me use her machine. I had so much fun that in a few days I ran over to Sears and purchased a Kenmore sewing machine. That is still my main sewing machine, along with a Baby Lock serger that I purchased in February, 2004.

It was during these first few days of sewing that my friends and I came up with the "X-treme Sewing Philosophy", which is the underlying force for iposeforclothes.com - to have no fear and to sew like there are no rules (just don't break a needle!). Due to my lack of formal training in sewing, I thought nothing of using fabrics togther that some would liken to mixing oil & water. There have been some failures, but there have been many successes.

Credits

I would be sorely remiss if I didn't mention the people that have been so supportive in getting this website together and in continuing my interest in sewing.

Thank you, Melinda for your support, your love, your critiques, your patience, and, of course, your camera when I was first getting started. :-)

Thanks Tracey, Joe, Danna, and JC for the original motivation! Thanks to Sali and Jo for being such willing guinea pigs early on. Check out www.see-throo.com.Thanks to Chuck for your comments, ideas, and inspiration. Thanks to Trinidad for his fabulous illustrations and the nifty logo! Thanks to the crew at Hart's Fabric, the patrons of The Box, the Kairo & Maria show, and, of course, Mom & Dad. Thank you, Chuck, for your support and inspiration. And a special thank you to the fabulous models with whom I get to play dress up and take photos!