Timothy Westbrook Turns Trash into Eclectic Bridals

 

 

By Jenny Block

The designer Timothy Westbrook, a former “Project Runway” contestant and creator of the wedding line T.L. Brooke, at his studio in Brooklyn.Credit...James Estrin/The New York Times

 When the designer Timothy Westbrook was 3, he would dance and spin around the living room. His sister, then 6, recorded him one day, “And she’s like, ‘And there’s Timmy. The weird womanly thing,’” Mr. Westbrook recalled.

“And my mom in the kitchen just shouts, ‘Why does he have to be a boy or a girl? Why can’t he just be a dancer?’” Mr. Westbrook said. “So, it’s like 1993 in the middle of the boonies. And my mom is deprogramming gender norms.”

Mr. Westbrook, 35, grew up in Wanakena, N.Y., where, he said, he was free to be himself. “From the beginning, whatever I could get my hands on, I would just put on my body and make my outfit,” he said.

This became the foundation of his design: making something new out of something old to reveal a wearer’s authentic self. “I think ultimately the idea is that clothing can send you anywhere,” Mr. Westbrook said. “Clothing can be a billboard for your most authentic and imaginative thoughts.”

Mr. Westbrook, who holds a bachelor’s degree in fiber arts and material studies from Syracuse University, wants to make the world of fashion a more comfortable place, especially for those on their wedding day. He invites clients to wear what feels good to them. In his studio in Dumbo, Brooklyn, he created the T.L. Brooke bridal line, which uses only pre- and post-consumer fabrics, scraps, and reclaimed materials.

His work, he said, includes “a client interested in wearing an elven-inspired bridal look as a male presenting person; a femme lesbian who wants to wear all black for a Brooklyn elopement; and a straight man whose look is Victorian inspired yet contemporary with custom gold embroidery for his wedding in a castle in England.”

Sustainability has always been key to his designs. In college, “I costumed the Magic Flute opera,” he said. “I created the entire opera out of repurposed materials. Every material I used spoke to what the character was.”

Mr. Westbrook believes that throwing something away in no way means it goes away. “I make clothing out of trash,” he said. In 2022, he designed a gown woven out of audio cassette tapes and vintage rug warp yarns for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who was attending the Earthshot Prize gala. “The belt is made from fallen umbrellas,” Mr. Westbrook said. “The zipper and lining are also repurposed.” 

His artsy résumé runs deep. This includes an internship with the designer Jill Stuart, working as a freelance wedding planner and artist, and being a founder of the Brooklyn Sewing Academy. He was also a contestant in Season 12 of “Project Runway,” which he described as “a terrible experience.”

“I was 24. My current success has nothing to do with the show,” he said. “When I was eliminated from ‘Project Runway,’ they said, ‘What would you have done differently?’ And I said, ‘Well, I just wish I would’ve danced more.’”

In a Zoom interview, Mr. Westbrook talked about what bridal, and being authentic, means to him.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

How do you define bridal?

Each couple and individual gets to define that for themselves. I’m not going to tell anyone what they should and should not do. I’m so excited to remind them what they could do. Bridal means the experience. When I say bridal, what I am thinking about is one human being walking in surrounded by a few other human beings who have gotten them to that moment.

What would you suggest clients wear on their wedding day?

Don’t dress up as a bride on your wedding day. Don’t dress up as a groom on your wedding day. Who are you? Dress as the most elevated, authentic, peacocking version of yourself, opt for the truest and most authentic way to represent you on your day. 

But what if a relative or friend is pushing for a certain look?

I’m very sassy. If someone says something during an appointment, I will say, well, I don’t have an appointment after this. So, if you want to take a little bit of extra time and you want to put that dress on, I’d love for you to. It’s a reminder that you are not the one wearing the outfit. We are inviting people to share in the ritual of trying on outfits. We are not inviting them to bring their baggage.

What role does gender play in bridal fashion?

The writer and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon has some great rhetoric around clothing and gender. Clothing itself does not have a sex or gender. If a particular garment makes you feel authentic on your wedding day, then it is the right item for you.

What inspires you the most when it comes to designing wedding wear for clients?

Their life story and the story of their family is truly inspiring. I love thanking moms, remembering loved ones no longer with us and meeting childhood best friends. Someone chose to fall in love with you and spend the rest of their lives with you. I’m so excited to learn about the you that they fell so deeply madly in love with.

What does being authentic mean to you?

I don’t have the ability to be anything other than authentic. Because I was always visibly queer, there was no way for me to be in the closet. But the way that I look at it is my personality is a spice rack, and, for a time, I learned how to cook only with cumin and salt. 

When did you start using the entire ‘spice rack’?

I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2017, and in 2022, I had my large intestine removed. That surgery was the beginning of me really being entirely true to myself. The bridal collection is finally happening now because it has taken me this long to be in full alignment to do this. My collective life experience grief, trauma, illness, adversity, needed to come and go to evolve to this point of living unafraid in my authenticity. The result was a bridal collection that has been unknowingly beneath the surface all along. Before the collection even launched, I had four bridal clients this year. 

How do you help clients feel comfortable?

I ask them how they want the appointment to go. I ask, Do you want to come out, take a breath, share a few thoughts first, and then have everyone start talking? Do you want to hear opinions right away? Because it has happened before where someone walks out, they’re like, Oh my God, this is the dress. And their best friend is like, Oh my God, that was awful. So, how do we really preserve what you want? I don’t want to assume that I know the best way for you to show up with your crew.

When it comes to bridal requests, do you ever tell someone that something is impossible?

I’ll tell you this. I applied for Teach for America, and I was asked, “You plan a field trip, but now there’s no funding for the bus. What do you do?” I answered and later they said, “What did it feel like when we told you that you couldn’t go on a field trip?” And I was like, “Oh, I didn’t know you told me you couldn’t go on a field trip. You just told me we didn’t have a bus.”

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