While most high school theater programs order costumes in bulk online, St. Pius X has its own costume and fashion expert: junior George Lesinski. Lesinski made all of the costumes for the spring musical “The Little Mermaid” this year, and he designs clothes outside of school as well. So let’s cut through the mystery and stitch together Lesinski’s fashion process. 

“My love for fashion started in sixth grade,” Lesinski said. “My teacher at my middle school did a unit on designing clothing. She showed a runway from one of my favorite brands [still] to this day, and I was completely transfixed by it. Then over time, my interest in clothing, shoes, bags, and things grew because I was able to better appreciate the design and beauty of how each of these things work.” 

Lesinski said he enjoyed the entire process of making the costumes for “The Little Mermaid,” incorporating elements such as fluorescent paint that glowed under a blacklight and having to come up with ideas to make the mermaids look like they had tails while also making sure they could move and dance. 

While explaining his creative process, for the three villains in the musical–Ursula, Flotsam, and Jetsam–Lesinski said he wanted the characters to stand out in a different way than the rest of the colorful cast, so he used the fluorescent paint to mimic the way bright colors are typically a danger sign in the animal world.

“Ursula was modeled after the dumbo octopus, which doesn’t have the stereotypical tentacles that most octopi have. They are actually bell-shaped, and I took the balloon-shaped head and made it the skirt of her dress,” he said.  

Typically, Lesinski’s design process starts with any idea that pops into his head. If he has a good idea for a design he will sketch it, mainly wanting to get his ideas on paper so that he won’t forget them and can work on them later. 

“I think the design process works differently for different people,” he said. “I prefer just going ahead and working on it to see what works; if it doesn’t, I can fix it later.” 

Despite his overarching love for fashion, Lesinski shared that one of his favorite parts is the creative freedom that comes with designing clothes. 

“I love trying to experiment with material because there are so many materials and so many different ways you can use different materials in clothing. There are so many different possibilities of how a piece could look depending on what fabric you use, what you use to overlay it, even what style and vibe you want the clothing to give off, and how you can incorporate different fabrics and materials to change how people are supposed to perceive it,” he said.

Fashion is meant to be shared and seen by the world, and that is something that Lesinski loves about the fashion industry. He will often ask friends for something to design or have design ideas for specific people. 

“I also like to have a collaborative aspect of fashion,” he explained. “I want to put a lot of the things that I have imagined into reality because I think that it would be really cool to see other people wearing my designs and be very self-motivating. It could be something that I’m proud of and show that despite any challenges that I face, I’m able to push through them and create something that matters.”

This summer, Lesinski plans to turn some of his ideas into a reality, with hopes of being able to make some shirts or pants. He also wants to continue making clothes throughout senior year with aspirations to make his senior prom outfit. 

“I’ve started looking at colleges that offer fashion marketing because that will get me into the sphere of influence of the fashion world. Then I can start building my way up to where I can create my own brand. Specifically a luxury brand because that’s the type of house that I’ve associated myself with,” he said.

Lesinski thinks that fashion is a truly beautiful and innovative medium to work with because it allows for a lot of creative liberty. Designers can put their heart and soul into the pieces they make, and this wearable art form holds a special place in Lesinski’s life. 

“A fashion piece can mean nothing to some people but mean everything to a designer.”