William Harris is best described in two words: controlled zany.
As a Sophomore Ad major at the Savannah College of Art and Design, William is recognized for his eccentric films paired with an esoteric wardrobe: bolo ties, hand-made scarves and (my personal favorite) white socks with black loafers.
A few of his style inspirations include Jeff Goldblum, Princess Diana, Clint Eastwood (not just for the cowboy aesthetic), an older David Bowie, Wes Anderson as a person, Ralph Lauren and Blondie McCoy— a sizably diverse group. When asked to describe his own aesthetic in one word, he gave two: “Grandpa Chic.”
The randomness of it all doesn’t go unexplained, and William, honestly, pulls it off. He was born and raised in the town of Celebration, FL, which he describes as “white picket fence perfect,” and is the only child to his English mother and American father.
“It wasn’t until just recently, like me leaving high school, that I realized how rare and how hard it is for someone in such a niche craft to make such a successful business out of it,” said William about his father, who has, in collaboration with his wife, taken his job as a professional magician to a corporate level, “so that was really admirable.” While magic and film may seem to exist on separate planets, both are art forms in themselves and it is simple to say that William’s father is a tremendous role model for the emerging filmmaker. He’s even photographed in the very bolo tie his father used to perform in.
William breaks his work down into three subcategories: music videos for rap artists, blending fashion and film and, of course, those epitomously weird and stylized videos he posts on Instagram. The latter is where his love for film began in middle school. However, his overarching goal in the world is to bring more film into fashion. That dream now manifests itself in the music videos at the forefront of William’s focus.
It’s a bit shocking, the thought of quaff William showing up on set with a bunch of intense rappers. Subtle is the degree of structure and class he allows to surface in his films. Many of the musicians he works with air more on the side of street style, but the loafers and prep-school-like hairstyle play to William’s advantage.
It’s interesting— the contrast, the dynamic. It’s ironic and funny, considering his entire look and demeanor. The element of surprise is what works for him, what sets him apart. He dishes out small doses of his big personality through things like Instagram edits and his notoriously erratic mannerisms. But his work is no laughing matter. It is, however, teaming with the irony his entire persona embodies. Whether it be in fashion or film, William seeks to find the converging point of the separate and unexpected, like incorporating painting into film or pairing dress pants with a military jacket.
“I see myself as an ideas guy,” said William when inquired about switching his major from film to advertising. It’s true. He’s full of ideas, especially those that connect different art forms by way of film. “Even if you have the worst resources, you can still make something from them,” said William about the first film he made at SCAD with an Iphone and an old camcorder. “It’s not about the tools. It’s about the person using them.”
The same rules apply for collaboration, which William is a huge proponent of. “By utilizing more majors, it shows that you can not only work with people, but it also makes you more multi-faceted and—on an individual level—it makes your work look more interesting.” He sees that untapped potential of collaboration and harvests it before anyone else can.
These are things that set William apart from the rest: his drive and ability to connect people through film. The clothes are an added bonus, but they definitely don’t make the man. “Dress for the job you want to have,” is a quote William lives by. I’m sure that wasn’t his mindset while living through his meme t-shirt phase, as well as a Floridian floral phase, both of which brought him to the suave exterior he now presents to the world. Deep down still lives that goofy kid, given the nickname “top button” in middle school for, you guessed it, always buttoning his shirt to the top.
White socks with black loafers seem to be one of the only trends to live through William’s bouts of fashion experimentation. And, much to my excitement, they have a story to go along with them.
“I always really wanted a pair of loafers,” admits William. “I felt like I could wear them with whatever.” But the loafers are only a recent addition to his wardrobe; and before them came just a pair of plain black dress shoes. William recounts his first memory of the black shoe-white sock combination during a ceremony for thespians club in high school.
“All the other kids at my school wore baggy dress pants,” explained William, “but I was the kid in tight, tight pants paired with white, white socks and black dress shoes. My high school drama teacher roasted me. She didn’t get it.”
He repeated the outfit for his senior prom and received a similar, yet slightly more gentle, response from his family. He admits that the criticism, especially from his teacher, was at times hard to take, but at least it was a reaction. Turning the heads, whether in admiration or animosity, of grown adults as a 16-year-old in high school proves substantial ingenuity.
“It’s ironic,” admitted William about the attention his fashion choices attracted. Such irony seems to be a common theme in his life, now that he’s being interviewed for the very combination that drew so much criticism.
If only his high school drama teacher could see him now, an emerging filmmaker with unwavering taste, who rarely shies away from being himself.
Words by Kat Sours
Photos by Nick Thomsen
Clothes courtesy of William Harris