Would-be designers struggle to create original avant-garde fashions, using whatever puffy sleeves happen to be thrust their way. You sit back and silently judge. That’s the idea behind House of Diehl’s Style Battling™ (Yes, it’s trademarked, so step off), a wildly inventive enterprise spearheaded by House of Diehl’s Mary Jo Diehl and her husband, Roman Milisic. Powered by panic and a four-and-a-half minute deadline, Style Wars injects your standard fashion show with a strong dose of improvisation and absurdity. “We’re seeing tomorrow’s greatest designers in flashes of pure creativity,” Mary Jo explains breathlessly. “We’ve already done 15 shows and each time I’m thrilled; there’s always something totally different and totally new.” On the heels of their second nationwide tour, we chatted with Roman and Mary Jo about annoying office people, blowtorches, and how to make your own Galliano in less than five minutes.

Out: So. What’s going on?
Roman Milisic: We’re pretty good. We’re mad busy with the tour. It’s a lean operation -- basically three people: the two of us and an intern. In every city we’ve got some wicked promoters and coconspirators, though.

OK -- so, Style Wars. For those of us with no clue, what is it, exactly?
Mary Jo Diehl: It’s the intensity of an emcee battle, coupled with the originality and the glamour of high fashion! We like to call it the 8 Mile of style.
Roman: It’s a nationwide competition. Actually, it’s international now, and this is the second installment. It’s a competition for young designers, rising up-and-coming stars, and it’s a live fashion competition. Each designer goes up against one another head-to-head, making clothing in under five minutes, and using anything we present to them…
Mary Jo: We wanted to create a platform for great talent. For the most part, the content of fashion continuously rips off and renews, so that every season we’ve seen everything that’s out there. The only way to do something fresh is to manipulate the form; it’s about finding a fresh new approach to fashion, doing it live, representing the city, the crowd. In that way, it’s about changing the form of fashion. It’s got some credibility. It’s also mad fun at the same time. The whole idea of taking pieces of music to create new music, sampling; Style Wars has a lot in common with that. We’re DJs of style.

How did this idea cook itself up?
Roman: Well, we like to play with shit. We like to make ludicrous things.
Mary Jo: We’re also very much about engaging the audience and creating a process that allows people to step up and make shit.
Roman: Right now, we’re literally surrounded by shredded pieces of paper umbrellas, figuring out what we should do for our intro piece.

Who do you have contributing to the show? How do you find the designers?
Mary Jo: We do an open call. Surface magazine will send a blast. The winner of the competition is going to get a spread in Surface. There’s a community that’s building around Style Wars, definitely. When we first started this thing, we had about four people that were interested. The next time, there were 600 people. It’s getting bigger, too. We see these battles going on now all over the world. But we were the first and we’re the best!
Roman: Like any movement, which I hope this is, we’re not trying to stifle it by any means…

There are prizes? Riches?
Mary Jo: There’s cash. Some people seem to like that. There’s the Surface spread. The winners of each city will fly to New York for the grand finale… we’re still picking out prizes, cash prizes, goodie bags… I don’t know what all they’ll be, but they’ll be very impressive.

Are you guys some dream couple that goes out all night, works on your stuff all day, still manages to find time for the kid, and everyone is very jealous?
Roman: This is the only time we talk to each other, actually. When we’re being interviewed.
Mary Jo: You can’t quit working for yourself. Having such a unique perspective as we do… It can be a challenge, but at the same time, you know how annoying people are in offices.

Yes. I do.
Roman: It’s good to work with someone you like and respect. I’m quintessentially English… she’s much more Brooklyn and Italian…

Who are the special judges this time around or is that secret… sssh…?
Mary Jo: In New York, Jenny Shimizu, the famous supermodel who dated Angelina Jolie back in the day, who’s one of the hosts on Make Me a Supermodel, Emmy-award winning stylist Rebecca Weinberg, she’s a very cool chick, Dallas Austin, the music producer, Elettra Rossellini, Paul Sevigny…

What should audiences expect?
Mary Jo: Each battle is four and a half minutes. Everyone is designing a completely new garment and you get to watch the process and see the tools they use. I mean, they’re up there with, like, a blowtorch? They come locked and loaded with tool-belts and it’s interesting to see what they do. It’s a sport. They come up with these really beautiful and interesting avant-garde pieces… they can make a Galliano in four and a half minutes. It’s great to see trends the moment they are created.

The Style Battle Championships Tour 2009 kicks off 11/4 in Miami. Find more info at HouseOfDiehl.com

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