Greg Upshaw

Costume Designer to the Stars.

Celebrities...Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie!

Videos...Jungle Fever, These Three Words, Gotta Have You!

Television Shows...American Bandstand, Barney Miller, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, Family Feud, Love Connection, AM Los Angeles, Benson!

Movie & Music Award Specials...Academy Awards, American Music Awards, Emmy Awards, Motown's 25th Anniversary, Dick Clark's New Year's Eve Special, Bob Hope Special, Midnight Special, Mohammed Ali Retirement Party!

World Tours...Stevie Wonder's 1996 Japan Tour, Michael Jackson's 1989 "Bad" World Tour, Lionel Richie 1997 World Tour!
Etc., etc., etc!!!...

Now for the fashion trivia question. What do all of the aforementioned have in common? The one person who was central to the success of them all is anything but "common"!

His name...Gregory Upshaw. His game...fashion/costume design, wardrobe coordination, theatrical stylist. His fame...international.

The world must have known what would lie ahead for Greg Upshaw... because the first industry award he received was from his alma mater, FIDM. Upon graduation, this gifted talent was the recipient of FIDM's Peacock Award. What a forecast for a future that would be filled with exquisite color, dramatic beauty, and spectacular stage-strutting artistry.

Upshaw has been designing since he was in elementary school. Inspired by his fashion-loving mother and grandmother, Greg began to sketch at the age of 10. His insatiable appetite for magazines, for newspapers, for art, for crafts, for anything that showed creativity was the mainstay as his determination grew to make a name for himself.

A tall, striking young man with a quick smile and a permanent gleam in his eyes, Greg reluctantly discusses his tremendous success as a celebrity designer. His answers to interview questions come easily and quickly...

See his replies below:

Design signature:
    Contemporary and classic.

Design essentials:
    Superb tailoring and fine fabrication.

Best part of celebrity design job:
    No limits on his creativity 

Most difficult part of job:
    Not enough hours in any day

Most exciting part of job:
    Frequent international travel to such places as Paris, Milan, Rome, London, Switzerland, Sweden, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Singapore, Brunei

Most challenging assignment:
    Creating 38 complete outfits in less than 2 weeks for a international tour.

Favorite designers:
    Giorgio Armani and Donna Karan

Favorite Store:
    Banana Republic

Weakness:
    Inability to resist buying rare African artifacts

Hobbies:
    Orchids, gourmet cooking, antiques, interior design

  Next milestone/goal:
    To get back into the mass market industry and design for today's men and women

Advice to anyone interested in following in his footsteps--
    (1) learn patience
    (2) practice diplomacy
    (3) master flexibility (openness to change) and
    (4) save your money (you always serve at the whim of others)

Greg Upshaw!!! You might not have known the name before, but watch the fashion press. You're bound to see those peacock feathers flutter on fashion pages worldwide.