Each year, VIP Alexandria Magazine accepts nominations and selects the newest class of Most Interesting Men. This year, VIP partnered with The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Each "gentleman" was photographed with an adoptable dog seeking its forever home. We are proud to announce that all dogs featured in VIP have been adopted. Special thank you to our 2023 class of Most Interesting Men for helping us support this amazing charity!
Story by LIESEL SCHMIDT | Photography by JONATHAN THORPE | Benefitting the ANIMAL WELFARE LEAUGE OF ALEXANDRIA | Sponsored by TING
Wayne Fisher is someone captivated since childhood by details that other people miss, and has fashioned a career and life on that premise: the weather- and age-patinated façade of an old building, the wear pattern of a European crosswalk, a detached fragment that has long since lost its relevance (to most anyone else). He combines his love of history and his education in fine arts to create his unique gallery, Wayne Fisher’s American Design, to offer clients treasures that are beautiful and often utilitarian as well. “I’ve lived a life of seeing the world in a way that most people don’t,” says the artist, designer and stylist, who came to Alexandria as a visitor in the 70s and fell in love with the charm, ambiance and history of Old Town. Born and raised in upstate New York, Fisher waited patiently for the right moment to move here and complete his advanced degrees in painting and American art history.
His downtime bears little difference to his work. “I love to celebrate the world at my doorstep and travel to Europe, taking lots of obscure images and doing creative things with them -- and, of course, sharing them with kindred spirits. I encourage others to do the same and look beyond the obvious . . . explore the back roads and alleys." In 2007, he and his husband purchased a historic landmark farm in Maryland. The property was a cotton and tobacco plantation in its past life. Now, they split their time between Alexandria and the farm, where they house Maine Coon cats they have rescued and “foster failed.” "The property is definitely a place [for] restorative peace and quiet." Fisher is an eternal optimist who maintains an open heart and mind, regardless of what might come his way. “I can find the good in anything or anyone.” He loves what he does and, accordingly, has adapted his business model over his four decades in Old Town.
HIS FAVORITE HOBBIES...
"I love travelling to Europe and going to the historic core of the ancient cities and staying in the quiet countryside. I love going to different places and finding interesting, ordinary old things to bring home to a unique setting that makes them extraordinary. The flea markets in Barcelona, France, Italy and Athens yield some incredible small treasures to bring home." -Wayne