Tafetta, slick, classic, 50’s silhouettes, flirty above the knee cocktail dresses and floor length evening gowns, everything about Rafael Cox and his designs are fun and playful.

“I love to use color,” Rafael tells me. “My pieces are distinctive and very original in the design. I like to think of myself as an Alexander McQueen that doesn’t necessarily follow trends, but more or less creates clothes to his liking and aesthetic.”

“The beauty of being an original innovator or designer is finding your own way within your aesthetic to make beautiful pieces that encourages others. I’m very detailed and my construction is very intricate with vibrant colors.” Rafael elaborates as I probe into the working of his fashion infused mind.

My conversation with the Atlanta based designer was anything but normal. Over laughs we talked about his designs, his upcoming garment appearance at the FUNKshion fashion show, his personal tastes as a fashion maverick and a very endearing awkward moment that occurred after his first ever show. But don’t be too quick to pass judgment on what seems to be such a lax conversation, during my chat with Rafael Cox, we also talked of the more concrete figments of fashion such as technique, inspirations and aspirations.

Rafael Cox first began designing in 2007 upon graduation from AIU university where he majored in fashion design and merchandising. Although that was only three years ago, his love of fashion was cultivated long before then.

“[When I was younger] I use to love to watch runway shows,” Rafael says. “I use to love to see Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell…just a lot of different models on the runway and I remembered it seemed so magical to me for them to be walking down the runway giving you these looks with these clothes.”

“I used to watch Chanel, Christian Dior, and Alexander McQueen shows when I was younger and they just all inspired me to want to achieve that type of magical way of constructing clothes. It seemed to me so interesting to be able to construct these clothes and then have them fit the body and the fact that they’re made from hand,” he later explains.

I’ve previously stated how fun, funky and just pure bliss Mr. Cox designs are and when asked about the pedigree of girls that he designs for, he gushed, “My type of girl…she’s funky. She’s young, she’s old. She’s one of those types of girls that can mix and match garments.”

“She can go to the thrift store and buy a blouse, dress or maybe even a skirt and pair it up with Chuck Taylor’s,” Rafael says of the “girl” he designs for. “She may put it with David Yurman jewelry, or she may have a custom piece made from a designer like myself and dress it up or down with thrift store accessories. My girl is edgy, she’s fun and she just really loves fashion and likes to explore fashion.”

Just as I suspected, I’m Rafael’s sort of girl and other girls like me, when it comes to our dresses we want tight and we want skin and loads of fun. I asked Rafael if during his creative process what components were vital to him. Tailoring and fit are related, but how did he mesh the two with his intricate pieces?

“It’s a little bit of both I want it to fit well but the tailoring comes in to just my own particularities. If I decide I want it to be a little snug here and over there a bit more loose fitting.  But I really like to focus on the aesthetic of the design and what look it is I am going for. What type of story, how do I want my girl to feel when she slips on the dress or blouse so it’s just a lot of different components.”

Although the dresses of Rafael Cox’s line are my personal favorite, the designer has many tricks and styles up his sleeves. “Dresses are much more easier but to me  you shouldn’t run away from a challenge, you should want to embrace it, especially with designing. I don’t want be a designer to where I’m only focused on making dresses. So I try to focus on every component, making pants, making jackets, and  blouses…making different things so that I am challenging myself and developing my class even more. If I focus on making a dress to perfection then I will just a dress designer. I always  try to achieve and construct different garments just because I want to be able to be that designer that can make anything and have great tailored, great looking pieces whether it is a jacket, blouse or dress.”

And the awkward moment that Mr. Cox had to endure that I promised to share, “It was my first show at Clark Atlanta Homecoming. My scene had just walked, meaning that my garments had already went down the runway. After all my garments were down the runway I was due to walk. The show opened up with this huge pyro of glitter on the runway.  Before my models walked down the runway I remember hearing the director saying “ladies be careful there is glitter on the runway”. I went to walk down and soon as I got down I decided to do this sharp turn and I slid down the runway.  Luckily I caught myself before I feel down. I was so embarrassed. It was homecoming so all I heard was “Ooooohhhh”, I was so embarrassed. All I could do was throw my hair and laugh. If I had fallen and busted my ass or fell off the runway (I was close to the end) it would have been tragic. But I caught myself and made it safely off the stage.” A funny story indeed, but we move on to more serious matters like the FUNKskion show and some things that attendees should look out for when it comes to the fashions that he showcases and his specializes as a designer.

“A dress. Me making a dress is kind of  my speciality as of right now. Most women are wearing dresses, of course they are wearing pants, and other garments…but when you think about it there is a party dress, work dress, cocktail dress, wedding dress, and evening dress. Dresses play a huge part in a women’s wardrobe. It’s something that I am really sharp on making artistically: a great fitting tailored dress, it just comes easy to me.”

When it comes to the prices of Rafael Cox’s line, they range from eighty to six hundred. “With the market people are buying what they really need and really want and what they know are going to be great accessories or great add ons into their wardrobe.They aren’t looking for investment pieces that they can only wear one or two times. They are buying pieces that they can mix and match.”

Be sure to be on the look out for Rafael Cox pieces at the fashion show tonight at Wm Turner Gallery. His garments have been worn by Rocsi of 106&Park, Terri Vaughn, Kandi Burres, and Erin Andrews of ESPN and it is going to be an honor to see them at Art Nouveau’s FUNKshion show.