The Beginnings...What can I say? As a designer, my story is rather simple. I saw a Diana Ross concert as a kid and I haven’t been the same since. Some things you just never get over. Since then I’ve gone on to do some very interesting things, engaged in some great opportunities, traveled to some great places and met some very fascinating people. I’ve even received a few awards and earned a few coins along the way. Of course there is all the untold drama, twists and turns in between. But one thing has remained constant. I’ve always loved the creative possibilities that come with being a fashion designer. There is something so very exciting about seeing a sketch or concept come to life. There is something even more magical about turning a piece of cloth into something spectacular. To this day, I get a high at just the thought of walking into a room stacked with bolts of fabric. I’m getting the shakes just as I’m writing this. Perhaps that passion has much to do with me being an artist. I always saw fashion as just an extension of that artistry. Overall I must say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my plight as a designer. But somewhere in the middle of 2004, I became highly conflicted with being part of the fashion industry. Something began gnawing at my conscience that I couldn’t shake.
In it’s purest state, creating a garment is a valuable and noble service. After all, without clothing we’d all be naked and most likely very uncomfortable. A garment also has the power to uplift. The feeling of something embracing you as if you were born to wear it can be an emotional high. But there is a breaking point in the world of fashion and beauty where our focus of the external becomes perverse, oppressive and hideously ugly. It’s a place where standards of beauty begin replacing the beauty of beauty...a place where low standards of beauty become passed off as high standards of beauty…a place where the woman is devalued and oppressed by the sexist implications of pubescent youth and the domination of "barely out of their teens fashion models"… a place where millions of women are slicing and slaughtering their faces and bodies in efforts to keep up with the computer graphics of fashion photography… a place where women are literally dying to meet some strange concept of beauty and femininity… a place where millions are attempting to erase the distinguishing features of their ethnic and racial identities... a place where perfection is constantly defined as something that is so far away from oneself. The list could go on an on but in all that it was, it was a place that I no longer wanted to take part directly or indirectly as it pertained to vanity.
In 2007, I took a break in my journey as a fashion designer to begin writing. Little did I know that what I thought to be detour would actually lead me to becoming the type of creator that I was always meant to be. I was never one to conform to anything simply because of "popular view" but writing allowed me to tap into the essence of the human spirit...a place where the core of the greatest beauty resides. It is within that realm that I became inspired to become an even greater designer, artist and stylist. After writing 2 books and starting a non profit organization Role Remodel, I’ve found that there is a profound connection between the perceptions of beauty and the problems that exist within our very disconnected and chaotic world. People of the creative fields have more power than they realize to influence change for the better. I am so very excited about implementing much of what I’ve learned over the course of the last few years not only with this blog but also future projects and collaborations challenging convention, healing disconnection and inspiring invention. This is more than a fashion blog…though we will tango hard with high fashion and creativity as if Diana Ross herself was "Queen of the Dance". This blog, it's team and subsequent projects associated will use the elements of fashion to celebrate the beauty and wonder of all that lies within, above, around and beyond. I invite you to stayed tuned and join my colleagues and I on this next journey. It’s going to be interesting.
The Beginnings...What can I say? As a designer, my story is rather simple. I saw a Diana Ross concert as a kid and I haven’t been the same since. Some things you just never get over. Since then I’ve gone on to do some very interesting things, engaged in some great opportunities, traveled to some great places and met some very fascinating people. I’ve even received a few awards and earned a few coins along the way. Of course there is all the untold drama, twists and turns in between. But one thing has remained constant. I’ve always loved the creative possibilities that come with being a fashion designer. There is something so very exciting about seeing a sketch or concept come to life. There is something even more magical about turning a piece of cloth into something spectacular. To this day, I get a high at just the thought of walking into a room stacked with bolts of fabric. I’m getting the shakes just as I’m writing this. Perhaps that passion has much to do with me being an artist. I always saw fashion as just an extension of that artistry. Overall I must say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my plight as a designer. But somewhere in the middle of 2004, I became highly conflicted with being part of the fashion industry. Something began gnawing at my conscience that I couldn’t shake. 
In it’s purest state, creating a garment is a valuable and noble service. After all, without clothing we’d all be naked and most likely very uncomfortable. A garment also has the power to uplift. The feeling of something embracing you as if you were born to wear it can be an emotional high. But there is a breaking point in the world of fashion and beauty where our focus of the external becomes perverse, oppressive and hideously ugly. It’s a place where standards of beauty begin replacing the beauty of beauty...a place where low standards of beauty become passed off as high standards of beauty…a place where the woman is devalued and oppressed by the sexist implications of pubescent youth and the domination of "barely out of their teens fashion models"… a place where millions of women are slicing and slaughtering their faces and bodies in efforts to keep up with the computer graphics of fashion photography… a place where women are literally dying to meet some strange concept of beauty and femininity… a place where millions are attempting to erase the distinguishing features of their ethnic and racial identities... a place where perfection is constantly defined as something that is so far away from oneself. The list could go on an on but in all that it was, it was a place that I no longer wanted to take part directly or indirectly as it pertained to vanity.
In 2007, I took a break in my journey as a fashion designer to begin writing. Little did I know that what I thought to be detour would actually lead me to becoming the type of creator that I was always meant to be. I was never one to conform to anything simply because of "popular view" but writing allowed me to tap into the essence of the human spirit...a place where the core of the greatest beauty resides. It is within that realm that I became inspired to become an even greater designer, artist and stylist. After writing 2 books and starting a non profit organization Role Remodel, I’ve found that there is a profound connection between the perceptions of beauty and the problems that exist within our very disconnected and chaotic world. People of the creative fields have more power than they realize to influence change for the better. I am so very excited about implementing much of what I’ve learned over the course of the last few years not only with this blog but also future projects and collaborations challenging convention, healing disconnection and inspiring invention. This is more than a fashion blog…though we will tango hard with high fashion and creativity as if Diana Ross herself was "Queen of the Dance". This blog, it's team and subsequent projects associated will use the elements of fashion to celebrate the beauty and wonder of all that lies within, above, around and beyond. I invite you to stayed tuned and join my colleagues and I on this next journey. It’s going to be interesting.
