Fashion designer Michael Lombard‘s story of entering fashion is not a typical one. He was involved in the music industry for over 25 years as a music executive. Now, he is one of the most renowned fashion designers in the industry backed by countless magazines features and appearances at global fashion weeks.

Born in Amityville, New York, Michael Lombard is currently based in Maryland where he attended the University of Maryland to major in Government and Politics. Following school, he entered the music industry working his way up to becoming a record label executive with his very own label under Atlantic Records. After 25 years, he realized his passion rested in designing clothing, turned his sketches into actual pieces and the rest became history.

Starting out so late in the industry, Lombard surprisingly managed to score appearances at big shows. Using the highest grade leather matched by edgy, innovative designs, the industry quickly took a liking to his work. He was even named the “King of Leather” by Huffington Post with his jacket and sneakers being hailed by the LA Times as the “Best of 2020”. He has shown at fashion weeks all around the world including New York Fashion Week, Los Angeles Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week to name a few.

He describes his first big placement and how it changed his busniness: “My Big Forbes and Vogue articles put me in a different space for my business. It gives you credibility in the industry. I’ve dressed celebrities, walked some of the biggest shows around the world and been in amazing press and media.“

Michael Lombard’s designs have been worn by many high profile clients from music stars to professional athletes. He currently partners with HarperPR, a style fashion house which serves A-list clients like Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé. He has also styled celebrities like Paula Abdul, LELE Pons and Prince Royce.

Lombard is also a designer of many firsts. He was the first fashion designer sponsored by Monster Energy Drink while on his fashion tour. He is also the first designer ever to host BBC World Live at London Fashion Week House of iKons Show.

On the biggest lesson he’s learned, he shares: “Well, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is you have to constantly work at it. It’s a business first. You have to have a vision of where you want to take your brand, then implement your plan and don’t deviate off of it.”

Outside of innovation and quality in design, Lombard also accounts his successes to marketing. He states, “Marketing is key, without it your brand can’t grow. Personally, I always market the name, without the name no one would know you exist especially in the fashion industry.”

Michael Lombard continues to take the fashion world by storm with his cutting-edge designs, further revolutionizing luxury fashion as we know it. His latest comes as a part of CFDA’s Runway360 program, which was launched last year as a digital platform to help designers in presenting collections in their entirety. Additionally, he shows no signs of slowing down as he shared with us that he plans to expand into stores moving forward.

You can check out more from Michael Lombard on www.michaellombard.com and Instagram (@michaellombardofficial)!

Collection: Michael Lombard; Sneakers: Michael Lombard; Photographer: Frank MacDonald, Marvin Joseph, Mariana MA, Clayfield Images / Keith Carrington, Mariana Cattoir; Photographer Assistant: Markus Buchter; Models: Saje, Yvie McCormick, Jackie Castillo, Sarah Respass, Miao Jiang, Tamasine Devine, Olivia Chiacchia, Sasha L, Melissa Pardo, Kayla Stern, Kenzie Blakeslee, Stephanie Maner, Michael Lombar; MUA: Joanne Armstrong, Emma Bright, Sharron Brooks-Bullock, Megan Scott, Maliki Connor; Hair: Gemma Brady, Alicia Blakeslee; Keith Studio Images: Danielle Cooper, Gena Hanson, Cherie Scurry-Burns; Stylist: Matthew David Andrews; Lash sponsor: Kiss My Lash; Fashion Assistant: Heather Plater-Carlock; Jewelry: Tigerbite Jewels