Michael (Mikey) Smith is a Chicago-based designer and tailor, currently a senior in the Fashion Design BFA program at Columbia College Chicago. He began his journey in third grade when his teacher, Mrs. Fairfield, gifted him his first sewing machine—a moment that sparked a lifelong passion. Under his emerging brand, Sema'J Designs, Mikey explores traditional tailoring, clean silhouettes, and a blend of masculine and feminine aesthetics. His experience includes up-cycling garments for clients, tailoring for a fashion show at the Wonder Museum, speaking alongside RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Shea Coulée on queerness in the fashion community, and creating a custom piece for Chicago’s Gourmet Week with materials from The Tie Bar.