Fashion design career
Kuluva started designing in 2009 and retired from the sport of figure skating to begin schooling at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Kuluva started his fashion label Tumbler and Tipsy while attending FIDM and was asked to be a part of Los Angeles Fashion Week as an emerging designer. In September 2012, Kuluva graduated from FIDM with a degree in fashion design and presented his Spring 2013 collection at New York Fashion Week. [11] [12] For Kuluva's debut fashion show in New York City, he partnered with Ubisoft to design collaborative garments inspired by the video game Just Dance 4 that were then shown on the runway by celebrities such as Kendall Jenner [13] and Olympic Gold Medalist Alex Morgan. [14]
For Kuluva's sophomore New York Fashion Week show in February 2013, [15] Kuluva presented his Fall 2013 collection of plaid tweed garments which were inspired by the 1990s grunge movement while also staying true to the brands signature sequin look. [16] Kuluva also maintained his outlook on today's Popular Culture by having Rick Genest [17] "Zombie Boy" walk his runway alongside U.S. Figure Skating's three time senior men's national champion and 2010 Winter Olympics competitor, Johnny Weir. [18] Kuluva developed partnerships with the Conair Corporation for their release of the "Infiniti by Conair" collection and with the luxury audio company Harman Kardon, [19] as they released their new audio headphones during the New York Fashion Week show. [20] Kuluva was asked to present his Fall 2013 collection two more times on the runway during Los Angeles Fashion Week. [21]
For the Tumbler and Tipsy Spring/Summer 2014 fashion season, Kuluva designed a collection entitled "So Next Level" which was inspired by then-popular fashion culture plus the future of "party themed" fashions. For the New York Fashion Week runway show, Neon Hitch opened the show with a live harpist on stage performing her single, "Love U Betta", [22] while also wearing the collaborative "Out of the Closet Hanger Gown" designed for AIDS Healthcare Foundation who presented this seasons runway show. [23] The Tumbler and Tipsy runway show continued with models coming down the "T & T" catwalk [24] [25] including Perez Hilton, Brielle Biermann, Yasmine Petty and Johnny Weir. [26] This season also had exclusive partners including Swarovski Austrian Crystals, Caviar Frames and Flips Audio Headphones. [27]
The partnership continued with Kuluva and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, who also owns the Out of the Closet Thrift Stores, in which Kuluva participated in help opening their Brooklyn location with the "Donate & Style Contest". [28] Another appearance in Los Angeles at their flagship store kicked off during Los Angeles Fashion Week for their "Donate & Style West Coast Contest" in which all proceeds went to the United States' largest AIDS healthcare non profit organization. Tumbler and Tipsy also took to the runway two more times at Los Angeles Fashion Week showcasing the labels best looks of the season plus featured reality television star Josie Stevens. [29] Kuluva's designs appeared in US Weekly, [30] E! [31] and Wet Paint [32] plus other publications.
The Tumbler and Tipsy Spring/Summer 2015 "Pop Jungle" collection [33] was first shown on the New York Fashion Week runway in the penthouse of "Top of the Garden" New York City, NY on September 8, 2014. The show featured a jungle-themed collection with a seventies splash of tie-dye mixed with pop culture. [34] With the runway soundtrack produced by Cherrytree Records & Interscope Records featuring Kuluva's first solo pop music single "Do it non stop" plus having singer Amanda Lepore as the grand finale, [35] this collection was a jungle party on the runway. [36] Following the New York runway, the "Pop Jungle" collection went to the Los Angeles Fashion Week runway for a reprise [37] [38] which featured actress Candis Cayne, NFL player Dale Moss and reality tv star Asia Monet Ray [39] for the debut of the children line "Tumbler and Tiny". The collection was named one of the "6 Top Sexiest Looks of Los Angeles Fashion Week" by fashion critics at LA Weekly . [40]
For the Fall/Winter 2015 fashion season, Tumbler and Tipsy presented a capsule collected entitled "Tres Tipsy" which was inspired from Kuluva's travels to Paris, France. [41] Kuluva used his designs of the Tumbler and Tipsy brand and transformed them into a blue, white and red nostalgia which also included a finale "French Flag" gown worn by the former Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones. [42] [43]
Tumbler and Tipsy by Michael Kuluva showed their Spring/Summer 2016 "Champagne Wishes & Candy Dreams" Runway Collection presented by Kia Motors [44] on September 16, 2015 at the Metropolitan West in New York City, NY. [45] [46] The S/S 2016 collection was candy inspired with having strategic collaborations with different candy manufacturers such as Jelly Belly and Pop Rocks plus the Tumbler and Tipsy brand officially debuted The Glitter Bar, an edible glitter chocolate candy bar. [47]
"The Glitter Bar" wrapper gown opened the Tumbler and Tipsy Spring/Summer 2016 New York Fashion Week runway show which was hand made with of over 100 Glitter Bar wrappers sewn together to form a bustier for the top of the pink, white and black tulle gown. The "Jelly Belly Couture" collaborative gown [48] was worn by America's Next Top Model Cycle 22 contestant Ava Capra [49] which had thousands of hand-placed Jelly Belly beans attached onto the colorful hand made corset and also hand placed on the collaborative "Jelly Belly Couture" shoes which were paired with the signature "Tipsy Tutu". [50] As for the Pop Rocks Candy gown collaboration, Kuluva hand sewed the Pop Rocks candy wrappers together to make two corseted gowns, one of which was worn down the runway by reality tv star Jill Zarin. [51] Other reality TV stars such as Jonny Drubel, [52] Ava Capra, Bello Sánchez and Hadassah Richardson made their way down the Tumbler and Tipsy runway. [53] To encourage children to read more books, Tumbler and Tipsy partnered up with the iconic kids television show, Reading Rainbow this fashion season by creating a one of a kind Swarovski Crystal collaborative gown which was modeled by America's Next Top Model contestant Hadassah Richardson. [54] Front row celebrities included Big Ang, Ally Shapiro, Bobby Zarin and Josh Canfield. [55]
Kuluva's Spring/Summer 2017 "Creaky and Tipsy" collection at New York Fashion Week brought arthritis awareness while still staying true to Kuluva's iconic, fun-loving Tumbler and Tipsy brand. [56] "I created very sporty, spandex-like material and garments that emphasize different bursts that would be on your elbows or different joints," Kuluva says. [57] "When an outfit is completely worn, all the different joints light up with these bursts. You'll see exactly where our pain is; where we feel pressure. You can view it from the clothing." [58] With this arthritis inspired collection being presented, Kuluva partnered with the non profit organization, CreakyJoints, to become public that he was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 28. [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] The spring/summer 2017 runway show featured Olympic gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad, [64] Olympic silver medalist Nia Ali, Somaya Reece, Asaf Goren from "So You Think You Can Dance" and reality television star Teresa Giudice daughter Milania Guidice. [65]
Kuluva's fashion designs and himself have been published internationally in Vogue Italia , [66] Elle US September 2012, [67] Women's Wear Daily [68] Elle US December 2012, Elle US May 2013, [69] Elle Japan September 2016 [70] and Elle Thailand December 2016 [71] issues.
In 2015, Kuluva made a guest appearance on America's Next Top Model Cycle 22 as the models compete for the "Go See" designer competition which included the Tumbler and Tipsy brand. [72]
