Speak Up! : Jonny Cota of Skingraft Designs
First things first, tell us about yourself & your product!
I am Jonny Cota of Skingraft Designs. I am one of the three designers behind Skingraft. Together, we design our line as a fusion between the ancient and the present, and often times the future. Just a few years ago we were all vaudeville circus performers performing around the country in different troupes. Two of us were stilters while the other was a tribal bellydancer. Somehow we all found our way into the fashon world through an interest in building eccentric costuming.
For the last 3 years we have put every second of our lives into creating our line, Skingraft. Based in downtown Los Angeles, we started our business on one old sewing machine in a small bedroom and are now growing into a vibrant clothing line that produces ready-to-wear collections, couture costuming and even bridal gowns. Our style can be described as a “victorian punk rocker riding a regal horse to her gothic wedding,” or something like that, haha. We design items for men, women and everyone in between.
What makes you Haute Macabre?
Skingraft is obsessed with dead things. However, the obsession doesn’t lie in the “death” of the things but moreso in the challenge to bring them back to life. Whether we are sculpting a taxidermied bird into a new hat or spending hours embellishing fox faces with little bits of metal and jewels, our inspiration is driven by making these dead animals into something that lives forever; a totem of life before and after death. We relish in all sorts of dark imagery and approach such darkness respectfully and humbly. I think this is exactly what makes Skingraft Haute Macabre, the intrinsic honor of death and darkness. With honor comes care and precision, and these are precisely the attributes we strive for in our designs.
Were you a potential serial killer as a child, that instead evolved into a designer?
As a child I was a potential zoo keeper, as a teenager a potential serial killer, and as a young adult I was very close to becoming a drag queen. Somehow all three of those ideas came together to form my contribution to Skingraft, and in a way it all makes perfect sense.
How would you describe your personal style?
Skinny, black and basic. When I first started designing Skingraft a few years ago my style was fully adorned with chunky jewelry, leather accessories, distressed jackets and customized hats. I would just wake up in the morning and pile it all on, head to toe in detail. After a few years designing extremely detailed and embellished designs for Skingraft it was easy to feel the fire of rebellion against all things overly ornate. These days I put more of my vision into the designs and into the art and keep myself dressed very straight-forward. However, I still sew in black boots, its the only way to work.
What would you wear for a moon landing?
When I land on the moon I will be firm in my decision to wear a classic spacesuit just like the astronauts before me. And as soon as I step onto the surface of the moon, I will happily give in to the excitement to treat my spacesuit as a wetset in the ocean and fill it with pee.
Leather or Lace? Why?
Leather, of course. PETA would never throw red paint on lace.
Do you ever notice footwear in your dreams?
I wish I could say that I dreamt of the most amazing footwear ever imagined, but instead the footwear in my dreams is always embarrassingly boring. The garments coupled with the footwear are spectacular but the shoes are straight from the mall. I guess that’s why I design clothes and not footwear.
What style advice to you have to share?
Life is too short to wear tennis shoes. Dress each day as if it were your last, because someday it will be. Your mother’s advice to you when you were in kindergarten is still incredibly accurate, be yourself and everyone will love you.
Tags: Goth Fashion, men's fashion, men's goth fashion, postapocalyptic fashion
February 6th, 2009 at 5:23 PM
Wow, those dresses are wicked!
February 6th, 2009 at 9:48 PM
And this is why i love him so..and have been twinkling around on his shoulder for the past few years
February 7th, 2009 at 1:12 AM
I really enjoyed this post. And the designs are lovely.
February 7th, 2009 at 2:54 AM
yahooooo! I am working with jonny feb 13th! he is doing a fashion show at our event! drag queens, lesbians, burners, and all kinds of other mixed and magically delicious earthlings!!! I’m so excited to be a part of his adventures here in reno!!!!
he had a boothe at lightning in a bottle last year…. I wonder if he is going this year! are you coming?
we all think he should get on twitter!!!
could you put a word in for us 
I love haute macabre!!!!!!!
February 7th, 2009 at 8:10 AM
I love this. Their clothing is to die for.
February 8th, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Oh my! So much wondrousness in one post!
February 13th, 2009 at 12:54 AM
they just got on twitter!!! @skingraft
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:59 AM
you just got yourself a place in my bookmarks
October 25th, 2010 at 3:03 AM
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love every single item! I will dream well tonight with such lovely inspiring visions.
April 23rd, 2011 at 3:49 PM
I’m so lucky to have found them, I don’t need a ring but my Skingraft wedding dress and the man I am marrying are the only things that truly matter to me. I’m so lucky to have both on my wedding day. Thanks you so much Jonny!
May 28th, 2011 at 1:02 PM
A statesmanly man moldiness pray for your drycleaning without scrap a drunk Adauga Anunt Gratuit Bucuresti
June 3rd, 2011 at 12:12 PM
I cannot are convinced that you should be dressed in loincloths made of dingo skin, considerably better we have been within a position to figure out. The second we realize it is really effectively worth exercising, it becomes very helpful excellent.
June 23rd, 2012 at 8:18 AM
Thank you for another informative website. Where else may I get that kind of information written in such an ideal method? I have a undertaking that I am just now running on, and I’ve been at the glance out for such information.