Get Ready for the Runway: The Big Fashion Guy Talks Trends for Spring/Summer

Courtesy of The Big Fashion Guy

Many have heard this famous saying: the clothes don’t make the man, the man makes the clothes. For Michael-Anthony Spearman aka The Big Fashion Guy, he embodies the spirit of confidence and self-empowerment. Over time, Spearman has emerged to become a promising fashion influencer. His blog The Big Fashion Guy, has a large online presence that inspires thousands of big and tall men to embrace themselves and their sizes through fashion. Hour Detroit, Buzzfeed, and BLAC Detroit are just a few of the many publications that have taken notice of his brand. Boasting over 50,000 followers across social media platforms as of now, Spearman has a lot of eyes following his sartorial journey. He’s a triple threat: menswear designer, wardrobe stylist, and fashion blogger. Recently, he added author to his resume by releasing the new ebook, Where I Shop. In addition to The Big Fashion Guy, Spearman owns Men of Size and His Big Her Plus. The latter is a collaborative effort with his fiancée and fellow style influencer Lissa Mathieu. Whether he’s sporting his fashions on Instagram or curating looks for clients, Spearman is determined to be bold and empowered in his fashion career. Warmer weather is here and it’s the perfect time and season to change up your swag. We talked to Spearman about spring/summer fashion trends, the story behind The Big Fashion Guy, and where he gets his style inspiration from.

Eight Eleven: When it comes to fashion, obviously you have a lot of history in this field. Where did the origin start for you? Was it family, community, the city? Where does your love of fashion come from?

Spearman: It started from when I was a young age. We all reach that age where your parents let you dress yourself. I remember being between the ages of 8 and 10. One day my mother said, “I think you can start dressing yourself now so just make sure you pick out something that matches.” I didn’t know what matching was but I knew it meant the same colors. I remember being so excited about what I picked out. It was just a T-shirt and shorts but all I know was it matched and coordinated. I was so proud of myself after that. I showed my mother and she said it was very nice. Then, I remember being in middle school and I wanted some Jordans. My mother said to me, “You need to stop worrying about wearing other people’s names and wear your own name”. When she said that, something clicked in me. That planted the seed where I felt one day I want to wear my own name. That was the foundation and the soil for me finding out my purpose. It was pivotal enough for me to hold onto my whole life.

What is the story behind The Big Fashion Guy, how did it start?

I initially started my blog back in 2013 or 2014. I initially started it because I wasn’t seeing a lot of representation of big guys that were dressed nice. I wasn’t seeing where I could get inspiration and things that I liked that were geared towards big guys. So I just figured why not start it; I would be the change that I wanted to see. I started to produce that content and imagery by developing a platform where big and tall guys, anybody that’s not an industry standard size can come and get inspiration from tips on how to dress, how and where to shop, things like that.

You also have Men of Size and His Big Her Plus with your fiancé Lissa. Why did you want to expand upon the Big Fashion Guy?

Again just a lack of representation. A lack of seeing [people like] me out there and being able to get inspiration from that. With the Men of Size page, I created a page where I wasn’t seeing a lot of big guys being reposted or being shouted out like on other fashion pages. There’s a lot of other pages where they repost and shoutout other guys. You have pages like Black Menswear, Menswear Daily, and others where I wasn’t seeing a lot of big guys being reposted, celebrated, or acknowledged for their style. That’s why I created Men of Size where we developed a platform where we can celebrate men of size. They don’t have to necessarily be big or tall. They just have to be men of size and men that aren’t industry standard, where other guys can see people that look like them and gain style inspiration. His Big Her Plus is a couple’s blog in general. We’re still developing that page. But, it’s a joint collaborative effort where we’re putting out that imagery of a plus sized couple; how well they can compliment each other as well as styling tips and lifestyle inspiration altogether. I try to be more active on the Men of Size page but with His Big Her Plus, we’ve been so busy trying to get ready for our upcoming nuptials. We definitely plan on getting back active on those platforms though.

When creating a blog, what have been some of the pitfalls you’ve faced? Whether it’s a personal or professional blog, we see blogs everywhere and many people think that it’s an easy job to do. As of now, The Big Fashion Guy has over 43k followers. What has that overall journey been like for you and has it been pretty easy or hard to get that following?

Well of course, nothing is easy but I think as with anything dealing with social media and blogging, consistency is key. That’s probably one of the hard things, just staying consistent. Also, being open to evolving and continuing to grow and change, because it is fashion. We also have to stay relevant and up to date with the current trends and styles. Also, people follow you for a reason so stay true to yourself and your style. Make sure that you’re always producing content that inspires and motivates.

What are some of the top fashion trends this spring and summer in menswear that you’re up on and noticing? What should people be trying to find for their closet?

Like all spring wear, there’s always a pop of colors, animal patterns, and tropical prints. Those things are always in season for spring. For big guys, I always like to let them know to showcase their best attributes and areas that they’re confident about. If you got fly legs, show legs. Show arms. Never be afraid to really delve into the spring and summer styles. As for trends, coordinating shirt and short sets, solid warm colors and earth tones, and light fabrics and relaxed fitting silhouettes are on trend.

What city inspires you the most when it comes to your style?

Of course, my hometown Detroit regarding the Motown essence. The bright colored suits, the utilitarianism of Detroit, how it’s the Motor City and it’s industrialism influences my style greatly. Pairing the dressy with the casual and finding a good balance with that usually inspires my style. I see great style from other influencers. The environment and the community around me definitely inspire my style. Also, finding a balance between what’s comfortable and what’s stylish too.

Could you expand a little bit more on what staples you keep in your closet?

You always have to have suits: a blue, black and tan suit. Definitely a white dress shirt for the dressy and business portion of your wardrobe, and of course matching ties. Also, I love cardigans for springtime with shorts, button up shirts, and a lot of tropical and linen shirts. When it comes to being casual, of course you always need a good pair of jeans. Levi’s has a nice pair of stretch jeans. Plus, items that you can definitely mix and match if you want to be dressy and then casual. You can wear a blazer with a button up that’s unbuttoned with a pair of jeans and nice loafers. Those are some of the staples I have.

Courtesy of The Big Fashion Guy

When it comes to brands, which ones are you buying and supporting right now? Are you into national and mainstream names or more local, underground brands?

Nowhere. A lot of brands have been reaching out to me (laughs). But believe it or not, I do like JCPenney. JCPenney has a wonderful collection. They have the Stanford collection that ranges from dress to casual wear. They have a lot of big and tall suits that are nice fitting. They have a lot of suits that have stretch in them which is very good for big guys who are moving and need comfortability. Definitely Levi’s jeans, that’s always good. Michael Strahan has an athletic collection and a suit collection that’s also at JCPenney. It’s very good. Also, if you’re looking for clothing that’s more trendy, ASOS always has different, seasonal items. Target not too long ago revamped and expanded their big and tall collection. They also have seasonal, trendy items and staple pieces for big and tall guys too.

Even though there wasn’t a lot of media representation for big and tall fashion in past eras, are there any people that you looked up to where you felt that you really like their style?

That’s a good question. You know, celebrities have stylists. As far as style wise, the first person that comes to mind is DJ Khaled. Whenever he gets dressed, it’s nice. He has a good stylist. As far as big guys being legendary, Andre Leon Talley is a style icon to me as far as overall confidence and how you should carry yourself as a big guy. I like him for his confidence and for breaking down racial barriers within his industry. Also, Kanye West. I loved it when he stated, “I just sat back and decided that I’m gonna be the best dressed rapper in the game.” He says that in the act two teaser of Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy. Ozwald Boateng is a British fashion designer. He’s known for his groundbreaking bespoke suits and dressing countless African-American male celebrities for the red carpet and major events. In my opinion, he made slim fit suits on black male celebrities popular. Farnsworth Bentley is another one. I find him amazing because he gained notoriety simply because of his style. When he first hit the scene working with Diddy, we rarely heard him speak. But, his style got him in the game and once he got the recognition, he used his platform to let his voice be known and spread his message. All of these gentlemen are unapologetically themselves and display their personality through dress. That’s what I always hope to display. There’s a lot of different fellow influencers that I like and I like their style. I definitely like the route that a lot of the athletes are going in. They’re pushing the envelope as far as style and being confident. They’re not small guys, a lot of them are tall. I’ve been really liking the style of NBA and NFL players for the past few years.

You’re also a wardrobe stylist. When it comes to dressing clients, they can range in size, style, and other aspects. What is an important factor to know for the process?

It’s important to know their sizes. It’s important to know what they like. I always ask them if there’s a celebrity or public figure’s style that they like. I get that information. I definitely ask if they’re being styled for a specific occasion or if they want styling just for a wardrobe change. Also, getting a good sense of their aesthetics. Obviously they like your style [as a stylist] and that’s why they sought you out. Definitely incorporate things that you like and are inspired by into their wardrobe and to whatever look they’re seeking.

Are you still planning to launch a fashion line?

Yes, that’s my goal but right now I’m launching my first ebook. It’s a big and tall style shopping guide. It will be on my website at thebigfashionguy.net. Of course with my clothing line, for me representation and equality always matter. What big guys want are the same things that smaller guys have but just in our size. Whatever’s trending, current, that’s in season, I want to produce that same thing but offer it for big and tall sizes. It will be more so along the aesthetics of H&M, Zara, Suitsupply, Banana Republic, and Forever 21. That genre of style but for big and tall guys.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years; what can we expect from The Big Fashion Guy?

You can definitely expect the brand to grow and the launch of the clothing line. Also, inspiring men of all sizes to live big, dress big, to leave a big impression and for that industry to grow. Hopefully, revolutionizing menswear as a whole and just creating a space where we can have some equality in the fashion industry. And, not just be limited to what other name brands and companies have to offer or only have clothing and styles for a certain size. My goal is to take that certain size and build upon it.

Courtesy of The Big Fashion Guy

Michael Anthony’s Spring/Summer Fashion Picks:

For big and tall guys, Target has some great relaxed shorts this season: shop the look here.

For short sets, BoohooMAN has a great selection: shop the look here.

Lastly, if you are looking for a spring/summer lightweight suit, JCPenney has what you need: shop the look here.

Michael-Anthony Spearman can be found at TheBigFashionGuy.net, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.