Darin McFadden, T-shirt designer, graphic designer, and painter is forever a little girl. Born in Washington D.C. and bred in Annapolis, MD, this modern artistnista combines her love for childhood nostalgia with her enthusiasm for everything bright and fun to wear. Armed with a paintbrush and a canvas, think of Little as a movement to encourage people to find their inner child. Check out our interview with the Little creator.

Urbane Perspective Magazine: Can you explain to the Urbane Perspective Readers what Little is and what it consist of?
Darin McFadden: Little is an online clothing playground which consist of clothing (and soon to be accessories, bags, and shoes) that are meant to be nostalgic of your childhood in some way, whether it be through ways of a saying, an icon, or a pattern.

UPM: How did you get started in the fashion industry?
DM: I kind of stumbled across it. My initial intentions where to create an accessory line; bags, shoes, hair pieces, etc. That idea quickly turned into t-shirts, hoodies, soon to be jackets and pants. I started thinking about the people I looked up to in fashion and what I would see them wear. Most of these people are people who are in and out of my everyday life like friends, family, acquaintances.

UPM: Tell us about your Fall/Winter Collection including price points.
DM: The Little Fall 09 collection is titled “Game Series”. It’s t-shirts and bags that all have a game theme; board games, card games, puzzles, etc. with pulp culture phrases embedded in each design. The Little Winter 09 collection is being created around the central theme of home; home is where the heart is, home sweet home. We sometimes spend so much time trying to get away from home that we can loose grasp of what makes us really love home. Home isn’t just the house you grew up in but your surroundings. The Winter collection will be tres, tres comfy…make you want to snuggle up

UPM:Where do you draw your inspiration from?
DM: Anything in front of my face at the time. As a person working in the creative realm it’s important to be aware of your surroundings so that you are able to pick up all traces of inspiration. I draw a lot of inspiration from people and their personal style and personalities. I also pull a lot of inspiration from tattooers. They have a work ethic that is unlike none other in the art community and I respect that. I also draw inspiration from my childhood; it’s one of the key things that keeps my mind churning. I think of the colors, the clothing, the culture of the 80’s and 90’s and am instantly inspired.

UPM: Describe the general process you go through to design and realize a Little T-shirt or Design.
DM: Hmmm…it usually starts with a “light bulb”, a sudden idea, or a phrase. I typically start by jotting down what that “light bulb” was and sketching from there. Sketching has become increasingly important to me since Little start; it helps me filter my ideas. I try to think of people or personalities that my clothing will fit–imagine how someone would wear it and then create the spacing, color, typography and general layout based on that.

UPM: What are ways you plan on expanding the Little brand?
DM: So glad you asked I am currently working on shoes for the Spring 10 line and developing a ‘home’ line that will consist of art, bookshelves, coffee tables, chairs, etc. A very large dream of mine is to start a non-profit sector of Little that will give back to education in America and across the globe. There seem to be issues in education that are overlooked that can be changed if we would collectively put an effort towards them. I would like to not create awareness, but be have Little be as involved in strengthening education. I am also interested in doing pop-up shops across the country within the next couple years; starting on the east coast and moving my way over the the west. Watch out for me…I’ll be in your state in no time at.

UPM: Who are some of your favorite designers?
DM: OOH LA LA!!! I love this questions Designers and those in the t-shirt culture: The Hundreds, Johnny Cupcakes, MadeMe Clothing, DimePiece Clothing. Other favs are John Galliano, Betsey Johnson, Zac Posen, BCBG, Christian Siriano. There are many more, but those are the main peeps.

UPM: What matters to you most as a fashion designer?
DM: Integrity and good ol’ fun. I never want to take myself or company too seriously because it was created to be fun and portray fun. Being a Christian and business owner, integrity has taken on a whole new meaning. It’s important for me as a design to create classic and fun pieces that have a clean message. Exclusiveness is also important to me. I do small runs of everything and will probably only reprint a couple shirts that I have created so far. I plan on keeping it that way; it will make the piece a little more special.

UPM: Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
DM: JUMP ON THE INTERWEB…check out Little: www.littleshopclothing.com and www.twitter.com/littlesshop
Twitter follows my everyday like with Little. Any updates will be there and on the blog at littleshopclothing.com.