Meet George Moss | Illustrator, Fashion Designer, Mentor, and Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with George Moss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi George, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I wanted to encourage people, especially the youth to use their gifts and talents in which ever media they were interested in. I believe in my heart that my purpose is to inspire and encourage people with my own gifts and talents.

When I started my company, Gmoss Designs, LLC, I worked full-time in the fashion industry creating technical packages for many clothing designers to manufacture men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing. The technical packages (Tech packs) that I created at that time, included the garment technical sketch with sewing instructions, garment spec sheets with measurements, the trim sheets, and fabric information for the factories to know how to create each garment. This information was used for the company to receive a price quote and to start the process of making the garments from start to finish.

During the nights and weekends, I worked on my own business, drawing original realistic and cartoon illustrations. I also enjoyed the work that I created in the fashion industry, so I put these two elements together to be the services of my business. Through college, I obtained my degree in commercial art which gave me the additional service of graphic design.

Another goal of mine, was to create my own line of clothing, cartoon characters, comic books, and to create advertisements and fashion designs for small and medium size businesses.

My parents always encouraged me in my talent and this helped me to have confidence to launch my own business.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Gmoss Designs, LLC, is a family owned company which mentors youth and young adults through our Fashion To Comics™ Product Development Panels and Workshops which shares – “How to Develop your own line of Clothing, Art, Comic books, Novels, and Accessories for small or mass production.” Our goal is to encourage youth and young adults to learn, work hard, use their talents, and to uplift their community.

We create fashion technical packages, original art (realistic & 2D cartoon illustrations), and graphic designs for small and medium size companies and creative individuals who need guidance.

My family and I, through Gmoss Designs, LLC, have had the opportunity to sell my Jazz art collection and my urban/hip-hop/anime influenced style of artwork, prints, novels, comic books, custom clothing, and accessories based on my original sci-fi fantasy story, “The Chronicles of ANN & LO”. We’ve sold my work at art festivals, film festivals, comic book conventions, trade shows, colleges/universities, stores, and on our website.

We got where we are today through hard work, guidance from mentors, through a team of advisors, and through the grace of God. It was not easy doing our business, but with perseverance, having different streams of income, and having encouraging people around us was and is key.

I want the world to know that my brand (Gmoss clothing, art, comics, novels, accessories, and workshops), Gmoss Designs, LLC was created to encourage them to seek their purpose and to use their talents to uplift their community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

We would take them to Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami, Florida to show them where Gmoss Designs and many other artists from Bayside Artist Square began their journey to sell their work. I would tell them about the great friendships and the awesome memories that we made there. We would visit our friend on the second floor who owns her store called, “Comics”. Afterwards, we would look inside the different shops, go sight seeing, and take a boat tour. When everyone is ready to eat, I would suggest going to Chili’s on the second floor. Their burgers are great and I like their Chicken and waffles! I am ready to go there now as I am thinking about it. After eating at Chili’s, I would suggest getting milkshakes at Five Guys.

The next day, I would suggest going to the HistoryMiami Museum in downtown Miami. They would learn so much about Miami’s history in this museum. Another great place to visit is Calle Ocho. If it was the last Friday of the month, we would see the local artist’s work and listen to the music at an event called, Viernes Culturales (Cultural Fridays). I would share with my friends that Ms. Pati Vargas had given us the opportunity to sell my work and have our Gmoss urban fashion show there one night at Viernes Culturales. We would find a nice restaurant for dinner and then go to Azucar Ice Cream for dessert. Or we could choose from two awesome Jamaican restaurants, Cliff’s Jamaican Restaurant in Miami or B & M Market in Miami. Both restaurants are really good options.

The day after, I would suggest going to Ft. Lauderdale beach to play basketball like we did back in the days or may not because it’s way too hot outside. We would probably just find a cool spot or an umbrella to hang out under and talk. When we are hungry, I would ask them to choose a restaurant close by where they would like to eat. After dinner, I would suggest to go to Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor, where we would reminisce about the old days in high school and college.

The next day, we would definitely visit Orlando, call our other friends from high school and invite them to meet up with us at the Disney Theme Park to see the Stars Wars: Galaxy Edge attraction. We would get food their and hang out at all of the parks the rest of the week. I would also suggest to visit our friend’s parents to catch up with them.

When we got back home on the weekend, if we were not too tired, I would suggest visiting the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Boca. It is an nice place to take pictures, hear lectures, and to learn about the art and culture. I would tell my friends about how the lectures, the people, and the activities there inspired my artwork. After visiting the Morikami, I would suggest driving by to visit our friend’s in Boca. After we leave our friends, we would spend time with my parents, eat Mom’s awesome food (Biscuits, rice and beans, vegetables, fried plantains, homemade corn bread, breaded chicken, salad, and fresh squeezed lemonade) and then relax and watch a good inspiring movie.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Besides my parents, my high school art teacher, Mrs. Bailey, and my comic book mentor, Allen Bellman, a golden age comic book artist who worked with Stan Lee. He has since passed away.

My art teacher taught me how to improve my drawing skills, encouraged me to be humble, and to give God (Christ) honor with what I do.

My comic book mentor pushed me to do better with my art and writing. He said to me, George, “You always show me your artwork. Stop playing around and get your book done”. After his encouragement, I created my 112 page illustrated Sci-fi novel, “The Chronicles of Ann & Lo”. He was always available to me if I needed him. He would not allow me to call him Mr. Bellman. He said, “George, call me Allen.” He was a good friend to me.

Website: www.gmossdesign.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/gmossdesign

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gmossdesigns

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gmossdesign

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gmossdesign