Stoi Phillips

After Watching the 2026 Met Gala I’ve been thinking a lot about fashion lately—not just what I create, but what it truly means to me. Watching the 2026 Met Gala and reading what people had to say stirred something deeper than I expected. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to do two things: become a lawyer or become a designer. I chose fashion, and it was never a light decision—it was something that felt natural, something that felt like it was always meant for me. I wake up thinking about...

When “Getting It Right” Becomes Everything As a designer, there is an unspoken pressure that follows you into every project, every fitting, every stitch—the need to be perfect. Not just good. Not just creative. Perfect for every client. Every client comes with a vision. Sometimes it’s clear, sometimes it’s evolving, and sometimes it only exists in their imagination. As designers, we are expected to take that vision and bring it to life flawlessly. We think about whether they will love it, if...

A Personal Note on Family, Mental Health, and Knowing When to Pause This past month has not been easy. Life shifted quickly, and in ways we didn’t expect. My mother-in-law fell and broke her hip. What followed was two weeks in the hospital, then a move to a senior care facility because we live in a two-story home and she could no longer manage the stairs. And the truth is—the facility was not what we hoped it would be. My wife and I found ourselves going there every single day, making sure...