"I'm big on vests," said Winborn of his signature men's and women's piece. "I'm like roaring '20s. I love that kind of era. They're big, but I've always been doing them."

The self-taught designer credits his mom's dressed-to-the-nines style for his interest in fashion, and his twist is updating "old-school ideas" for things like jackets and vests with new fabrics.

And they're fabrics he finds at Wal-Mart.

"Blow your mind. Wal-Mart carries great fabrics, and no kind of money involved," he said, pointing to a tan jacket made of material from the superstore and upgraded with real mink. "I spent $6 on that fabric, enough to make a coat."

Winborn gleaned ideas and experience from the alterations and personal shopping he's been doing for the past several years. He's been working on designs of his own out of his bedroom for about a year, and his work revolves around custom orders, casual items for Designs by Winborn and formal pieces for his newest line, IV. He hopes to have pieces in area stores in a year or so, he said.

"I will just come up with an idea and start cutting," Winborn said. "No draw-out, no document, just right off the top of the head."