Who is Troy Allen?
I’m from Savannah—born and raised. I am a fashion designer—which is a really weird thing to say. I feel like I’ve got some imposter syndrome. But, I am Troy Allen, and I’m a fashion designer. Or a rodeo clown. Either, or.
Tell me about what you do.
I’ve been making clothes for about seven to eight years now. It wasn’t until three years ago that I pivoted into making clothes on the non-binary sector for all people. That means that it’s not specified by gender, and it’s not specified by size—I design for all genders, all bodies.
What did you want to be when you were little?
I wanted to be a matchmaker! In pre-K, you’re supposed to say what you want to be when you grow up, and I said ‘a matchmaker.’ They were like ‘that’s not a real job,’ so I decided I wanted to work at the dollar store. The whole year, at the top of the board, every kid’s dream job said ‘firefighter, policeman’ and mine said ‘dollar store manager.’
I will happily say that I have set up two married couples now. It’s definitely a real job.
What is your proudest moment?
I think my proudest moment would be when one of my pieces was commissioned to wear to Marc Jacobs’ wedding.
Marc Jacobs is like my icon. Growing up in Savannah, it was the only fashion store. I was in this Christmas parade in Savannah and we passed by the Marc Jacobs store. I saw it and thought, ‘Oh my God, what is this magical place?’ They had the coolest windows. This girl said ‘Troy, that’s Marc Jacobs. You can’t afford it.’ And she was right.
I used to go in there just because I felt so seen. It was this openly, very accepting place. It was something I had never seen before. Then, when this girl wore my dress to Marc Jacobs’ wedding, it was this full-circle moment. From that wedding, my dress was featured in the ‘Best Dressed List’ in multiple magazines.
So Alana Thompson, who many people know as Honey Boo Boo, was just photographed wearing one of your designs for 'Teen Vogue.' Tell me about that.
Several months ago, they asked me to pull things in her size. I didn’t have them available because everything was out for something different. I didn’t have enough time to make anything, so I had to tell them ‘no.’ They reached out to someone who had bought a piece from me, so they were able to use a piece that someone owned. I saw it come out when everyone else saw it come out. When I saw it, I was on my walk around Forsyth [Park], my morning walk in my Crocs.
Speaking of your morning routine, you post dancing videos of yourself on Instagram every morning. What’s that about?
My friend tagged me in a song and said ‘alright I’m dancing to this song, so now you have to do it.’ So I just started doing it.
I pre-set my yoga mat and I roll out of bed, do my morning stretches, do some salutations. Then, I go and shoot apple cider vinegar and Savannah Bee [Co.] honey. I take a shower and try to find a song that makes me feel happy. Then, I dance to that song while I drink my coffee!
Tell me three things in your fridge right now?
I have a lot of white wine. I’ve recently switched from rosé to white wine. There’s a lot of eggs, I eat a lot of eggs. And a birthday cake from a month ago. Oh! There’s also that P.F. Chang’s chicken that you get from Kroger in the frozen section.
Where is your favorite spot to get a cocktail in Savannah?
Savoy, obviously!
And what’s your drink order?
A ‘Boy, Write Your Name!’ or a ‘Vodka Doo-Dad,’ which is a vodka with bitters. It depends on how flirty I’m feeling.
Check out Allen’s designs at troydylanallen.com or on Instagram at @troydylanallen. You also may catch him working at The Edition Shop downtown.