Well-spoken and well-read, this Texas native who was an Advertising major at the University of Texas before going to Parson’s School of Design where he graduated with a degree in Fashion Design showed his first collection in February 2003 during the New York Fall 2003 season.

Since then, his pretty and polished looks continue to gain momentum and recognition, the latest being from 7th on Sixth and UPS, wherein he was chosen as one of the 10 emerging designers receiving a fashion grant from the shipping company.

“I was in Capri, Italy when I got the call (thank goodness for international phones) from Fern Mallis. I dropped the phone! Luckily, she hung on long enough to tell me the details,” related Matthew Earnest, explaining his excitement about being one of the 10 young talents who will be showing at the UPS Hub at Bryant Park this season.

Like most designers, Matthew Earnest understands that “shipping companies like UPS are an important part of the execution of their business.”

“If you can’t deliver, there is really no point in having a show, a magazine spread, or a celebrity wearing your clothes,” commented Matthew, who is very aware of the significance of having a reliable shipping company to move merchandise from Point A to Point B.

“Fashion is a business, sometimes an arty business, but still a business. I have a reputation to uphold to my clients and my company and the reliability of companies like UPS are a large part of keeping that reputation intact,” Matthew answered when asked the question what is the connection between a shipping company like UPS and fashion.

Speaking of reputation, Matthew Earnest is also gaining the status of a budding colorist due to his unique mixing of shades and hues with luxurious fabrics. Still, his line of lingerie-inspired separates, together with his ‘light & fresh’ silhouettes put him on the roster of ‘Names To Watch’ among the fashionistas.

The coming Spring / Summer 2006 season seems best suited for his signature style. Confessing that he enjoys “designing spring collections the best because he thinks that women look their happiest during this time,” he also believes that it might be “a function of his Texas roots, wherein the warmer months tend to bring out the best in people.”

“When people are happier, they are always beautiful,” Matthew commented, adding that “a woman’s attitude certainly influences the tone of the look she puts together.”

“I like it when women express their individuality by creating their «own » look with my line. Her personal outlook on where she’s been and where she’s going will affect the ‘looks’ outcome.”

With a very open-minded and balanced point of view on how his creations are worn, it is really no wonder that Matthew Earnest’s creations are becoming a favorite among the fashion elite.

He also believes that the industry is responding to the way women buy clothes, i.e., being more about each piece of clothing and not trying to copy a look off the runway, wherein being ‘fashionable’ means ‘being original’ by mixing different pieces together.

So, it is not surprising that Matthew Earnest views that ‘fashion is rebellious in nature.’

Corollary to that nature, this emerging designer deems that “Women’s fashion captures a tendency of culture at the time, and in high fashion, the goal is to capture the undercurrent of culture.”

“There’s always a thirst for « the new », and if a designer can’t quench his audience’s thirst, the line and eventually, the business will decline,” he ended on a very erudite note.