CINNA
DISTRICT TWELVE’S OTHER VOLUNTEER?
By now, avid Hunger Games fans are well aware that Katniss Everdeen is District 12’s first volunteer Tribute in decades - but she won’t be the only volunteer on Team 12 at the 74th Hunger Games! Meet Cinna, the hotly-tipped young stylist who — get this — actually requested to work with the D12 Tributes. We have to say, this brave if not odd entreaty has been paying off — everyone from Mayor Luna to Seneca Crane has been clamoring to see what Cinna’s got in store for 12!
But is it really that surprising? After all, Cinna is no rookie Tribute when it comes to the arena of Haute Couture. After a number of years studying under revered Capitol designer and fashion fixture Judianna Makovsky, he was able to open his own downtown atelier. From there, he has been designing everything from gowns and headpieces to club-collar shirts and ultra-sleek anoraks for our city’s elite under an eponymous label for almost a decade. His designs and ensembles have been described by many as elaborate, unique to their wearer and awash with emotion.
For such a calm and collected guy, we find the effusiveness of Cinna’s design captivating. He told us, “For as long as I can remember, I have always channeled my emotions into my work.” With a wink, he quietly added, “I think it’s safest that way.”
Speaking of safe, if you haven’t been glued to your TV set like a normal person this time of year, Cinna can almost always be seen in the simplest of all-black ensembles accented exclusively by his signature Liquid Skyliner eyeliner (which, we might add, totally brings out the adorable gold flecks in his eyes). His minimalism makes even President Snow’s execu-chic style seem outrageous. When asked about his personal, visibly understated wardrobe and disregard for Capitol fads, Cinna said, “I put so much passion and creativity into my work that sometimes there’s not much leftover for myself.”
And of course we couldn’t sit down with Cinna without asking him the questions on every Hunger Games fan’s mind: What does he have in store for the D12’s Tributes at the Opening Ceremonies? True to form, a sly smile crept coyly across his face as he said, “Let’s just say, when you play with fire, you don’t always get burned.”
Sounds like Katniss and Peeta are going to be looking hot at the Opening Ceremonies. What do you think, Citizens?
CITIZEN CONVERSATION