2019 GUEST DESIGNER SHAROD WOODS Quality fabrics, attention to detail and tailored craftsmanship, are just a few words to describe the “Comfortable Elite” fashion designs of Sharod T. Woods. For the past 20 years, Sharod has been designing garments that offer a certain level of quality for men and women who are looking for relaxed and comfortable silhouettes that flatter their frames or camouflage a few inches of indulgence they may want to hide. He specializes finely tailored garments made in denim, fine Italian wools, and leather. Each design offers unique seaming, decorative buttons & metal trims. Born in Tuskegee Alabama and raised by a single mom in the small town of Notasulga, AL at the age of 8 they moved to College Park, GA where Sharod graduated from Tri-Cities High School. Sharod had always had an interest in fashion and while overseas on active duty in Uijonbu Korea the spark was ignited. He decided to pursue this career path at the age of 23 after a Six-year stint in the military. He enrolled in Bauder College School of Design where he honed his skills in pattern making, technical specifications and garment production. Upon graduation, he began his journey as a fashion designer, selling pieces of his first collection to a store in Greenbriar Mall, under the label of Lex Apparell. During this time, he also created men's sportswear items that were sold at various markets around Atlanta and the surrounding areas. He was invited to showcase his collection at the Bronner Bros Hair Show in Atlanta 2005 and also Fashion Week Nola In New Orleans in 2007. In 2009, Sharod's focus slowly began to change as he began to create technical packages for other clothing lines to produce their brands garments. He saw that there was a bigger picture in the fashion world he had not yet tapped into, so in 2012, as his focus became much clearer, Sharod changed his company name to L.E.X which stood for” Living Extinct Denem”. It was this denim collection that was the catalyst for him to alter the course of his career and gain him more recognition with local celebrities and high-end clientele. Sharod ran across a friend one day in the fabric store and he asked if he wanted to work with him in the film industry and it was during this time that he began working as a stitcher and slowly worked his way up to a head tailor, overseeing seamstresses, and working directly with the costume designers. His film industry resume is vast, however, some of the projects he is most proud of include creating the customes for; M’Baku and the Dora Mileage in Black Panther, where the costume team won an Oscar Award for “Best Costume Design” in 2018; the detailed leather garments in AntMan and the Wasp; the period garments worn in seasons 1 and 2 of DC Comics, Doom Patrol. And he just wrapped Coming To America 2, where his craftsmanship and intricate detailing of garments will be on the big screen winter 2020.