A designer to the stars has credited his Merseyside roots for propelling him to the top of the fashion industry.
Shaun Kearney grew up in Whiston and his talented eye has grabbed the attention of A-list icons as he has gone on to design outfits for stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie. All eyes are on the fashion world tonight as Hollywood stars take to the red carpet for the most glamorous night of the year at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
Shaun is well versed in the glitzy event as he designed the outfit Hilary Swank wore to pick up her Oscar for Best Actress in 2000. The 49-year-old spoke to the ECHO from his home in Malibu and said the glamour of Liverpool fashion helped prepare him for a career dressing stars for the red carpet.
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He said: "Even compared to women in LA or New York, women in Liverpool love to dress up. They dress up like they're going to go on a red carpet. You're designing things that are really special to people and it's a real Liverpool thing that women love fashion and love getting dressed up."
Shaun initially wanted to embark on a career in architecture but was inspired to change direction by the vibrant Merseyside fashion of the late 80s and early 90s. Cultural cornerstones such as Quadrant Park and Wade Smith helped foster Shaun's sense of style as he explained how Liverpool turned the luxury fashion industry on its head by embracing sportswear. He said: "That was just a way of life and what we had access to. That look is now part of the fashion culture across the board in a much broader way.
"With Liverpool, there's a cool, effortless, sporty approach to style. People wanted the luxury version of a sports piece – but the luxury sector didn't have that and it's now embraced. We're inspired by urban cultures, diversity and people from different backgrounds, which is great and is what the industry needed to truly evolve."
Shaun went to art school in Prescot before embarking on a fashion degree at Northumbria University in 1992. His remarkable talent and relentless work ethic meant he soon made a name for himself as he won the World Student Fashion contest in Tokyo.
This emboldened Shaun's confidence and he has since gone on to work for the top designers in New York and LA. He is now Chief Merchandising Officer for Goop working for Gwyneth Paltrow and has designed outfits for the Hollywood superstar for huge events such as the red carpet premiere of Avengers: Endgame.
However, Shaun has never let success go to his head and credits his Merseyside upbringing for helping him stay humble. He said: "It's so easy to get lost in this illusion of fame and it's like a whole other world. My roots have kept me down to earth and grounded. If I was to go off track, my family would be very quick to put me back in my place."
Shaun broke down class barriers to forge his place in the industry and he also hails his upbringing for giving him his fighting spirit. He said: "Liverpool people are extremely resilient and can weather a lot of things. The industry is extremely tough and it takes a lot to survive it. So many people have given up but I had thick skin from the very beginning and that's what has kept me around."
Shaun moved away from Liverpool in the early 90s but has clearly never forgot his roots as he is keen to give back to the region. He set up Rare School of Fashion in 2015 as he found not enough working class students were breaking through into an industry he branded "elitist".
He added: "To be from a working class background in the luxury sector meant I had to really prove myself. One time someone said to me when they found out where I was from 'how can someone from a working class background possibly understand luxury?'"
Shaun has been on a mission to prove that theory to be ridiculously untrue as the city centre school has gone from strength to strength and now teaches more than 100 students. The ECHO visited Rare on a day when an excited student received an offer to go to a fashion university and Shaun explained it is important kids have a clear route to real world opportunities.
He said: "I created my own pathway and I wish that I would have had the guidance and help I needed because I did make some mistakes and it wasn't all perfect. I wanted to create a course so students could get a real insight with real people and real industry experts coming to the school as much as possible."
Shaun's ethos is clear to see as the school recently opened a new fashion space that is a hive of creativity resembling a New York loft space. The designer explained Liverpool is the perfect breeding ground for talented students and has faith the next generation of fashion hopefuls can follow in his footsteps to achieve great success.
He said: "Liverpool has always been a trailblazer for music, art, fashion and film. People really do have each other's backs and it's because the city has weathered so many changes and gone through so much where they had to go the extra mile to have a voice. There's a drive and I know my drive comes from being from there. A drive that people have that's just really unique."
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