Perhaps you wouldn’t expect a war veteran with a fondness for motorcycles to be a fashion designer. Perhaps you wouldn’t expect fashion design to help heal Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), either. If so, it’s only because you haven’t met Duane Topping yet.
In 2012, Duane retired from the army. The next four and a half years were dark and dour as Duane fought through his PTSD.
“PTSD was one of those demons I couldn’t shake. For several years I was the first guy in the bar in the morning and the last guy to leave at night,” he says.
Doctors gave Duane treatment plans for his PTSD, but their one-size-fits-all approach wasn’t working. So, Duane decided to use his G.I. Bill to go back to school. He registered as an English major, but he had to have a minor. One of the only courses available was Feminism 101.
The course had a profound impact on him. This is largely because it introduced him to the notion of social constructs. In summary, social constructs are ideas created by culture. They don’t have inherent truth or meaning, but they are widely accepted. A simple example is the idea that pink is a girl's color and blue is a boy's color. As Duane dove deeper into the course, he realized that he had been placing limitations on himself based on the societal role, or social construct, he thought he had to fill.
“That course really opened my mind to what I could be,” Duane says.
He pressed into his creative side. Duane always had a love for the visual arts, fashion specifically. When he was deployed in Iraq, he even preferred the women’s care packages to men’s because they included magazines with better fashion sections.
He taught himself to sew—his first attempt being a purse. As he proudly displayed it to his wife, he discovered that he accidentally sewed it inside out when the contents dumped onto the floor.
Luckily, Duane was a fast learner. Not even five years later, Duane’s accomplishments are off the charts. He’s been published in multiple issues of Vogue, spoken on NPR, issued a TedX Talk and has been Facebook’s Veteran of the Year for two years in a row. Still, his proudest accomplishment was being able to ride his motorcycle down the runway at 2021 Latin Fashion Week in Denver.
Duane often surprises people. He has repeatedly been mistaken for the doorman or janitor at his fashion shows. It used to frustrate him, but he now finds those instances humorous—they motivate him to overturn people’s preconceived notions and usurp their biases. So much so that he’s chosen the catch phrase ‘more than a label.’
“More than a label is about being aware of labels that are given to you and understanding that you’ve been choosing those labels without thinking. With a little self-love you can choose your own path,” Duane explains.
These days, Duane focuses on making his brand more personal. He looks forward to custom work and plans to venture toward a ‘blank palette’ style. The goal is to accentuate an individual’s features and personality rather than to mask them behind complex designs.
“I make the wrapping, but they are the gift,” Duane explains.
If you want to view Duane’s portfolio, visit duanetopping.com. If you’re interested in having a custom piece created email info@duanetopping.com. (Duane is intentional working with your budget. Prices for custom work are comparable to department stores like Dillard’s or Macy’s.)