Musty’s Provocative Expression
The Jamaican-American designer centers his work around different experiences.
Woods with Sol by Anya Tisdale
Looking at the works of Tyrone Smith, the craftsman behind Musty, you wouldn’t think he ventured into fashion less than 10 years ago. The emerging designer confronts social issues like nihilism, race, culture, and history through couture pieces and elaborate tailoring.
Tyler, the Creator kindled a spark in Smith’s devotion to fashion through Golf Wang when he was a teenager. His brain chemistry changed when family members created unrealistic narratives and unwanted expectations of the designer. They continuously doubted his ability to make clothes and present them on a runway — so Smith used that doubt to motivate him to do the opposite of what they assumed with the brand Musty.
“My work is focused on silhouettes and interactions to the human form that is then informed by research, context, or history,” Smith says. “I’m always looking deeper to see my own context and how it can be informed by that research. I’m always looking to inform an emotion in the material form.”
The Musty brand is best known for the Tam hat, a consistently sold-out oversized hat. Throughout various collections are also balloon trousers, sculptural blazers and jackets with exaggerated shoulders, and oversized and fitted trousers and tops. Smith handcrafts everything with no outside manufacturing. He insists that he prefers to be an atelier even when he expands rather than taking his work to a manufacturer. He’d instead utilize traditional techniques to create couture pieces.
To achieve his best designs, Smith spends a lot of time relating to fine art. He is enamored by the effects art can have on human emotion. He hopes for Musty to have that same effect on people. Each piece Smith produces is centered around a feeling, time period, or experience. He notes his coveted style as new-age avant-garde, nodding Maison Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo. Smith often pays homage to Black fine artists like David Hammons and Henry Taylor in the art realm.
Woods with Sol by Anya Tisdale
“It’s based on my experience about my exploration of the world around me and internalizing that and reinterpreting it for others with similar interests, context, and understanding,” he says. “A lot of my work has to do with attacking the human form, changing it, weighing it down, and destroying it rather than encompassing it. That’s why I think my work is unique compared to other designers.”
So far, Musty has participated in New York Fashion Week twice. His runway debut for Spring/Summer 2023, “The Trilogy,” brought tears to Smith’s eyes when he saw a crowd of supporters admire his successful efforts. He puts his entire body and soul into every garment — and it shows. His second and most recent show, “…And the Infinite Darkness,” acted as more of a three-day art gallery at a.d. gallery. Here, a model showed each garment like a displayed art piece. He preferred to hold a three-day reception as he believes many aspects of fashion are commercial and less artistic than they used to be. For Smith, telling a story through each garment is much more important than selling out collections.
“My process is not encompassed by the idea of profit,” he says. “I don’t make a garment and say, ‘This is going to sell really well’ or ‘I know this buyer is going to buy it.’”
Being Jamaican-American, Smith is keen on embodying various sides of both cultures and translating that to make it relatable to the everyday human experience. This process is both personal and impersonal to him at the same time. While looking into himself, he also wants Musty to be an allegory for people to mirror in their lives.
Although he just completed New York Fashion Week, Smith has already begun working on his following collection. When starting new work, Smith competes against his past work for improvement. This means discovering new creation processes and techniques like dyeing, patterning, tailoring, and delving into deeper emotions. This process truly began after his first NYFW runway show. After a whirlwind of impostor syndrome, financial peril, and self-doubt, Smith knew giving up was not an option. So, he changed his mindset and one-upped his negative thoughts. After conquering those thoughts, Smith was able to communicate — and sell — pieces from his newest collection.
“I just want to be a torchbearer,” he says. “It’s an unspeakable feeling how my back is against the wall. Some days, I’m eating bread or ramen for dinner. I’m too scared to pick up the phone and call my mom because I don’t want her to send me the last $100 she has. Everyone can expect self-development, exploration, and going deeper and further with my work. I’m not really concerned with any lofty goals. I want to be a torchbearer, a superhero. I want the work to be appreciated for what it is.”
