History with The Curio: 

Justin Dougan-LeBlanc (Justin LeBlanc Design) was a featured designer in our 2024 Fashion Show, “A Celebration of Chicago Style.”

Recent News:

Learn more about Justin in his featured article in Fashion Files.

Designer Bio:

Justin Dougan-LeBlanc, founder of Justin LeBlanc Design, is a Deaf and Queer installation artist and textile designer. He is also a Professor of Fashion at Columbia College Chicago, where he teaches fashion and installation design. LeBlanc’s interdisciplinary career spans fashion, textile art, architecture, and technology. He is committed to advancing both art and education by integrating emerging technologies, such as 3D printing, with traditional handcraft techniques. His diverse expertise, combined with his upbringing as a Deaf individual, allows him to blend innovative approaches that result in artistic expressions transcending the boundaries of any single discipline.

LeBlanc’s work consistently explores themes of Deaf culture and LGBTQIA+ storytelling. He has been featured in numerous esteemed publications, exhibitions, fashion shows, and television programs both in the United States and internationally, including Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week, Marie Claire, Red Eye, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Face Magazine*.

He has also competed on Project Runway Season 12 (came in 3rd) and Project Runway All Stars in 2014. LeBlanc holds an undergraduate degree in Architecture from North Carolina State University and a master’s degree in Fashion Design and Installation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

LeBlanc’s training in architecture, fashion, and art enables him to fuse different approaches, resulting in artistic expressions that cannot be conveyed by one discipline alone. The metamorphic outcome of this multidisciplinary approach provides him the opportunity to approach each project from multiple, simultaneous perspectives, creating a novel sensory experience. His goal is to offer an experience through art that deepens one’s appreciation for the multidimensionality of beauty. Drawing a parallel to a symphony orchestra, he believes that while the auditory experience is undoubtedly beautiful, the choreography of the conductor, the musicians’ emotions, and the interplay of vibrations from the instruments contribute to a fulfilling, soundless experience that enhances the overall aesthetic.

Explore and add Justin’s one-of-a-kind collections to your wardrobe by shopping on his website.