Mike Ford

Michael Ford was born in Jackson, Michigan, where he attended Lumen Christi High School, discovering in these early days that he possessed a keen eye and passion for art and fashion. Professionally, Michael became vice president of SJ Maddalena Inc, where he spent a decade designing residential and commercial interiors. Sensing that his artistic vision needed a larger scope than what he was observing in his suburban environment, Michael moved to New York City to pursue an undergrad degree at The Parsons School of Design. His desire to understand and apply the technical aspect in addition to the aesthetic components of design led Michael to continue his studies at Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he learned architecture and business design. Michael then continued his formal education by studying oil painting and drawing at The School of Visual Arts in New York. Michael's love of the avant-garde led him to seek out the underground art and performance taking place in New York's nightclubs which carried on in the tradition and philosophy of Andy Warhol's famous Factory. He became known for staging elaborate looks with hand crafted, meticulously created bespoke costumes that quickly led to him being hired by the most popular and well known promoters, working every night as roadway, films and fashion. Michael was then hired by Bill Bull Studios to create and style for Vogue Magazine as well as many high profile, private clients. Alongside Bill, Michael worked for nine years on the Victoria Secret Fashion show, having a large hand in creating and styling the iconic runway looks for which the brand is known. Before moving to Fort Lauderdale, Michael worked curating vintage art and fashion for sale at Hamlet Tallaj's New York City boutique. Michael now applies the mastery he has gained from his experiences and past education to focus full time on painting.