Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Dickinson.
Hi Taylor, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I spent the first decade of my life living in a cabin in Herriman. Through the years, recreation on our country’s public lands has been paramount to my personal development, and I believe has been the single biggest influence on my work. After graduating with a BS in Multidisciplinary Design from the University of Utah’s College of Architecture, I made the choice to forgo formal postgraduate education and instead spent three years apprenticing and working alongside a tailor and custom soft goods sewer in Salt Lake. This has culminated in my own design and craft studio: Antiform, LLC, a custom soft goods brand focused on understanding what it means to have an ethic of care for creative work. If creation is a necessary yet inherently destructive act, it is imperative we as designers learn to make with intention and realize design doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Our choices scale and have ramifications far beyond our immediate control.
Upon my graduation, I was concurrently hired under a teaching fellowship in the College of Architecture and became an Outdoor Instructor for the University of Utah’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department. These positions gave me the space to learn what it means to impart hard and soft skills in collegiate classrooms and backcountry spaces.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I feel overwhelmingly grateful at the privilege I have had receiving a college education and being able to live in a manner that has let me pursue my craft. Building a company and developing myself as a creative has been the most challenging endeavor in my life, but I have no regrets.
We’ve been impressed with Antiform, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have a background in product design and training in soft goods development. I sum up myself as a “Custom Soft Goods Designer,” which for me includes consulting with companies on new product, custom one-off work, or classical tailoring. I’ve worked on anything from reupholstering WWII troop transport vehicles for movie sets to developing a climbing-specific backpack for an oxygen tank. My shop, of which I am the sole owner/tenant, has the capacity to do small to mid-scale production work. I’m most proud of the work I’ve done that elevates people’s lives, whether it be tailoring a garment for somebody who has never had clothing that makes them feel good about themselves, to solving a real-world problem that large companies haven’t found monetary incentive to investigate.
I’ve found it harder and harder to find other designers who specialize the way I do; many designers are extremely good at using computer-aided design tools, but lack the hard skills to develop their own concepts; while the majority of seamsters are excellent at making concepts come to life, but tend to shy away from the actual development process.
At this point, I have big plans for 2023; I’m tapering off my direct-to-consumer custom and tailoring work, and am starting to focus my time on developing my own product. I can’t say too much yet, but I’m hoping to use my position as a designer to create product that is inclusive for all bodies and works to greatly reduce the waste that soft goods product create.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I don’t have a specific memory that stands out, but am so so grateful for the outdoor access I had as a child. I’ve struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember, but my childhood is pockmarked with wonderful memories of searching for buried treasure in the sagebrush or cataloging the insects surrounding my childhood home. If it’s true an artist needs their muse, then Utah’s deserts are mine; I realize all my work revolves around trying to create space for others to recreate outside.
Image Credits
Doug Tolman
