A typical day for Ron Louis, a rising local fashion designer, is unpredictable. He says he often wakes up thinking about colors or buildings, jotting his thoughts down or sketching them. After that, he meets with his team members from PRSVR, a high-end lifestyle brand based in Chicago with whom Louis is working to release his own in-store brand in January 2016. Louis says his next steps vary from day to day. He might have a model fitting, an interview or a fashion shoot to creatively direct. The Chronicle talked to the 22-year-old about his love of fashion, what distinguishes him from other young designers and his inspirations.

The Chronicle: When did your love of fashion begin and how did you pursue it?

ron louis: It started in high school, which was fashion forward. I experimented in high school at Rich Central High and took a clothing construction class [because] a girl I had liked [was in it]. But I ended up being very good at sewing, so my teacher told me I should try and pursue fashion. I could already sketch and everything. 

 

What are your biggest accomplishments ?

Recently, I designed for Ta’Rhonda Jones, who plays Porsha on “Empire,” and one of my designs she went out in got published in OK! Magazine. I do a lot of different designs for local Chicago celebrities like King Louie, Demi Lobo, Treezy and Tink.

 

Has Chicago influenced your artistic work?

Slightly, but what really influences me—it might sound weird—[is] Chicago architecture. I used to want to be an architect, but I wasn’t really interested in math, so I ended up going into design. I incorporate what I see in [architectural] design through clothing. When I design, I look at shapes and textures of buildings—sometimes color—and try to incorporate [them] into clothing [while trying] to make it comfortable [for the customer].

 

What makes your brand unique?

I push the boundaries between urban wear and high end. I combine them, which is my own style. I believe what we define as high end is going to become the norm and be more comfortable. These pieces that come off the runway are going to be ready to wear, which is what I think the future is. I don’t know 100 percent what it’s going to look like, but I was one of the few that experimented to combine the two. I try to make classy pieces and not pieces where you wear it one time then [never] wear it again. That’s what my angle is.

 

Do you have advice for aspiring artists or people who want to go into the fashion industry?

I always tell people, “Find who you are within your craft.” Of course, study the techniques and all the proper terms and everything, but find who you are within your craft, which is your individuality, because none of us are the same anyway. That’s going to separate your brand from anyone else’s. But you have to pay attention to who’s influencing you and how much influence that has on your designs. It shouldn’t look exactly like the people who inspire your brand—you want to separate yourself and be the best artist you can be.

What are your future goals?

I want to have a studio because I have a lot of team members doing their own thing. I have a company called COTU (Culture of the Urban) and we’re just a whole bunch of artists, but eventually we want to build a great artist community. [With this studio] I want to have gifted artists come in, like kids who maybe can’t afford art school and [they] can come in to learn.  And of course I would like to have my own store. I’ve also dabbled a little bit in film, so maybe that, too.