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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Do you have any advice that you give to students that are rising in the industry or emerging designers?
00:06What would you tell them?
00:08Um, I would just say, you know
00:11Just think about leaving an impact think about focusing on the on on the lasting impact of your work
00:17I know where we live in such an era where everything is so short-term and really, you know
00:22Fast-paced and everything everybody wants everything so tangible, but it really is about sort of you know
00:29How how are we defining like the measures of success and really think about the longevity don't think about just the short-term
00:36But think about you know, long-range goals, you know, and I really do and I
00:41Just pushing the agenda of you know, staying the core staying true to who you are
00:47You know know how to adapt to change know your audience engage with your audience
00:52I mean, I think that's really what makes up, you know for me the most authentic
00:56you know
00:57Vision and growth and and brand building and ultimately accomplishments. I hear you. I definitely think
01:05we live in an era where
01:08Everything is kind of at people's fingers fingertips
01:10So I've been seeing with Gen Z sometimes they think that a lot of folks are overnight
01:16successes and that don't necessarily have to like be gritty and like really like put your best foot forward at all times and
01:25Kind of be a workforce for like
01:28Honestly, like eight to ten years in order for things to really pop off. So
01:33Just curious if I always say to the young kids like just slow and steady wins the race
01:40No, and and it's always about celebrating the small victories the small wins, you know
01:47Those things truly truly do matter, you know, I remember once upon a time
01:51You know, it was hard for me to to really get my manufacturing in order
01:56I you know, I was at one point I was designing everything sewing everything myself, you know
02:01I mean, it really is about small increments
02:04It's about small small victories
02:06and I think that those victories matter and we have to continue to really celebrate ourselves and making sure that we are
02:12You know moving the needle forward and and making sure that we're doing the right things, you know
02:17So, I mean, that's the best advice I could give
02:20Yeah, no, I hear you I'm I'm trying to instill some of these things in Gen Z I feel like
02:27It's tough sometimes to try to explain
02:30You have to sometimes do things that at times may not feel
02:35Connected to what you're most passionate about in order for the return to really come to you if you stay consistent with these things
02:42Had a combo with someone recently where she said she doesn't want to do anything if it doesn't have anything to do with her purpose
02:50And I told her I love that for you sis, but
02:54Realistically, there's gonna be some things that you have to do in order to get to like where you actually want to be career wise
03:01and
03:02maybe once you get to you know, like those areas of your career where you really feel like
03:07You can kind of stand firmly on your own due to your experiences
03:11Then you can only do things that are like purpose-filled
03:15So yeah went back and forth and I love that she said that but I just wanted to reiterate to her like sis
03:22Sometimes you gotta do things to pay the bills in order to get to where you kind of want to be and then when you
03:28Can stand firmly on your own?
03:31Then you can kind of you know, like turn down opportunities and like say actually this is what I'm most skilled in
03:38Do you have any opportunities here? That's kind of what I was trying to let her know
03:42Yeah, I thought that was really great advice
03:45I mean, I think that there is such a thing about balancing commercial commercial success with artistic integrity
03:51You know
03:52You really have to recognize the business side of fashion and understand what kind of demands that requires
03:58Without it letting it without it
04:01Overshadowing, you know your creative vision and that some people it's very tough, you know, it's a very tough thing
04:06But you know, it's about focusing on projects that ultimately inspire you
04:11you know
04:12I mean
04:12Why do something for a dollar or do something for coin if you're not even gonna put your heart into it if it doesn't push
04:19You it doesn't inspire you. So I mean, I think it does go hand in hand
04:22But with that being said, you know, it's also about the power of no, you don't have to say yes to everything
04:28You know, I think it's about setting up, you know, just just understanding like
04:33how you're aligned with the projects that you're presented with and you know, like zeroing in on
04:39You know on projects and and and creating, you know, this sort of ultimate
04:44Idea in the scale of like your dream your dream wish list, you know
04:48I mean, that's what I did once upon a time. I came up with like this
04:52Obnoxious list of like, you know my dream partnerships, you know
04:57And a lot of people that a lot of businesses and companies that was on that list
05:00I didn't even think twice I would ever have a you know any dealings with and you know slowly
05:07But surely things started really
05:10Opening up for me outside of the fashion space
05:12I was able to fuse fashion through other avenues and in the scale of luxury, you know when I think of you know
05:18finance and automobiles and films and technology and
05:23You know, it just the list goes on and on and on
05:26I think there's so many ways to and so many opportunities in
05:30Storytelling and and in the landscape of Laquan Smith, you know, I'm really excited to continue to write those those memoirs