Donté McGuine: The Fashion Iconographer
Even as a stylist, McGuine’s work goes far beyond just clothing. He is, in every sense of the term, an image-maker. “I need to be able to look at my clients as a blank canvas,” he says, “I never want to take someone’s personal style away from them, but I often have to mentally strip them down and prepare them for the image I want to portray through them.” In this way, every image is a story to McGuine, and every story should be rich with meaning. His work ultimately strives to convey the most relevant yet intimate illustration of who each of his clients is. While each canvas (as McGuine refers to his clients in the early stages of their work together) may seem blank, each holds a unique and subtle texture that McGuine can amplify in the most dramatic and beautiful of ways.
McGuine’s story reveals a unique canvas of his own. The D.C. native moved to New York approximately ten years ago. While he had been working in fashion for years prior, he explains how his initial arrival in New York was a rude awakening of sorts. “As soon as I got here, they were quick to tell me that I really knew nothing about fashion.” Obviously, this did not stop McGuine. In a warmly familiar maneuver to many creatives itching to break into the scene in New York, he turned to nightlife. McGuine shares that he partied for two years straight, and in doing so, “got immersed into the socialite scene in the Upper East Side,” where he was living at the time. It’s important to note that this was around 2012. Gossip Girl (OG) mania was in full swing, and McGuine had landed precisely in the middle of the culture that inspired the show. “Those days were very Gossip Girl for me,” he recalls. All the while, McGuine began personally styling many of his socialite UES friends for their storied party nights. This was, as he explains, his first true gateway into the styling and editorial scene in New York.
Left: top by Raf Simons, jacket by Willy Chavarria, headband by Prada. Right: Full look by Marc Jacobs.
From there, all the right doors seemed to open. In the years since his beloved Gossip Girl days, McGuine has built one of the most enviable client rolodexes in the industry. However, his success is not just a result of being in the right place at the right time. McGuine approaches his craft as any fine artist would, with the utmost thoughtfulness and intention. He doesn’t intend to create images that are here one day and gone the next, and he certainly does not chase trends. “I want people to return to my work ten, twenty years from now. I want to become the reference.” History and references are paramount to McGuine’s work, so it’s no wonder he intends to have his very own page in the history books.
McGuine shares, however, that he worries about the newest generation of creatives entering the fashion and art world for that exact reason. “This Gen Z, they are trying to rewrite everything,” but in his experience, to make new strides, “you have to respect what came first.” McGuine names the late André Leon Talley and Franca Sozzani as a couple of his role models. While their work may not be considered the most provocative in today’s context, “they had to crawl so that we could walk.” The sense of respect McGuine conveys for the pioneers that came before him is telling in regards to who he is as an artist. In an era teaming with aimlessly iconoclastic creatives, McGuine’s confidence in his influences carefully guides his hand as he traverses through a career in the most distinguished circles of the fashion world.
Top by Issey Miyake, boots by Rick Owens.
Having conquered the fields of styling and creative direction, McGuine is shifting aim with plans to take over the industry as a designer. His most recent project has been the launch of Wahine, a label he co-owns and directs alongside one of his best friends and long-time client, Evan Mock. McGuine shares that the brand is an “ode to the people, surf, and skate culture of Hawaii,” of which Mock is a native. He explains that Mock had been brainstorming for years about starting a brand that would pay homage to his cultural background and upbringing, and finally, McGuine said, after a night out at the club, no less, “let’s just do it.” That night, they stayed up until dawn, mapping out how they would bring the concept to life, fully embracing the spontaneity of the situation. Fast forward almost a year precisely, and Wahine has officially launched. The duo released their very first capsule collection last weekend, and the response has been striking.
McGuine lights up talking about the new venture. He shares that his favorite piece from the first drop is, without a doubt, the “Chee” hoodie. The inspiration for the piece, a zip-up hoodie emblazoned with a broken heart down the center housing the word “cunt,” apparently comes from a doodle Mock had sketched on a recent trip to Japan that they happened upon in the design process. The collaborative spirit of the entire project speaks volumes. McGuine credits their producer, Cassandra Hobbins, as an invaluable member of the team that brought Wahine to life. “She really mothered us through this whole process,” says McGuine, for which he feels a deep sense of gratitude.
Dress by LÙCHEN New York, boots and sunglasses by Rick Owens.
In looking back at the road he paved to get to where he is in his career now, McGuine is indeed a nostalgic type. “I think back to when I was flying Frontier back and forth from New York, and they would be airing The Rachel Zoe Project non-stop…even now, I will turn on the TV and watch it again just to bring me back to that time.” While the nostalgia is humbling, as McGuine explains, it also serves as a testament to how far he has come of his own volition, and what he truly is capable of moving forward. Of course, though, these things take time. “Everyone now wants that instant kind of fame, the instant success,” he says, “but even Rachel Zoe was saying how she didn’t develop her career as it would become until she was at least thirty.” Now, as McGuine comes of age, he realizes the full potential of where he can take his story.
Moving forward, he says, “I am trying to think more about what image I am conveying to people. What do they think when they see me and hear my story?” When talking about the photo shoot featured here that he directed alongside photographer Gray Sorrenti, McGuine expresses reserve about stepping in front of the lens. “It’s not something that I’m used to, but I figure this is the next step in my journey.” Regardless, his storytelling mastery extends beyond his clients to himself. Captured brilliantly in his natural form, McGuine is an image-maker--and far more. He is a unique artist, narrator, and future leader of fashion.
