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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I just love seeing how playful you are with your designs and then also how there's always
00:08a story with everything and so I'm just curious with each collection, what kind of advice
00:14could you give to an aspiring designer or someone that's kind of starting off that is
00:20really having a hard time keying in on what their narrative as a designer is in terms
00:27of like design prowess, design code, do you have any tips for someone that's kind of really
00:32trying to figure that out?
00:34That might be a hard one, I feel like.
00:40You know, I mean, see it's really hard for me because, you know, I have managed to, you
00:49know, maintain a very distinctive brand identity within this very competitive industry by honestly,
00:55I mean, just being honest, by staying true to me, by staying true to my initial beliefs,
01:02you know, I just continue to think about my woman.
01:06I started thinking about who my woman is and what kind of women that I was inspired by
01:10and then it really got even deeper because beyond designing, it was like, well, where
01:15is she wearing these designs to?
01:17Where does she vacation?
01:19What does she drive?
01:20What kind of automobiles does she drive?
01:22What kind of hotels does she stay in?
01:24What does she smell like?
01:25You know, what's her favorite cocktail?
01:26I really started breaking these layers down to try to understand exactly who my target
01:30audience is and it really was just for me, it was very clear to me that my woman understands
01:37quality and she understands luxury and she loves her body and, you know, she has an affinity
01:43of New York City and the true authentic culture.
01:46So it was very easy for me to just tap into things that really resonated and amplified
01:52all of those different moods and aesthetics, you know, my woman loves nightlife.
01:57And so it allowed me to really go into, you know, reflective textiles and things that
02:02felt more sparkly and holiday and celebratory.
02:04And I mean, I don't know, I just think that really it's about writing down, you know,
02:09maybe five to 10 code words of what your brand resonates, what your design ethos is, and
02:17then really lean into that, you know, on all aspects.
02:20I think really think about your woman, not just through a collection or a particular,
02:25you know, one dress, but think about your woman or think about your client from a 24
02:29hour perspective.
02:30I think that that would help really build out and carve out a DNA for, you know, any
02:35designer, really understanding, you know, who exactly are you designing for and just
02:41really being able to lean in on, you know, again, like what your core DNA is.
02:45That's not something that's really easy to find.
02:48But again, for me, that was just like, it just kind of felt natural.
02:52I hear you.
02:53I definitely love that because I think when I've gone to like the FIT grad show, sometimes
03:01I see that there's not many black designers at times showing in terms of them not necessarily
03:07being like a design student.
03:09So I kind of grabbed one this past season.
03:12And I've been meeting with her to kind of just talk about what's next, you know, like
03:18what can you kind of do with the designs that you're interested in doing or kind of moving
03:24forward?
03:25Because I think she's kind of at a standstill right now, because she is working as like
03:29a design assistant for someone, but she's really trying to figure out when she can either
03:35leave this place to kind of take a leap of faith, or does she need to kind of stay to
03:41figure out kind of what the next phase of her life is kind of going to be?
03:45Because she graduated last semester.
03:47Okay.
03:48Yeah.
03:49No, I get it.
03:50You know, it really is about understanding your core values, you know, define your personal
03:57and your brand values, you know, and, you know, I just think it's about really standing
04:02up and standing firm and identifying what you stand for as a person, as an artist, as
04:07a creative.
04:09And I think that those, you know, I think that those principles will then reflect in
04:14your work, which then creates a brand DNA.
04:17Yeah, no, I love that.
04:19I'm definitely going to share that with her, because I think she's, honestly, she's a little
04:23discouraged.
04:24I think I could kind of feel that energy.
04:27I know it can be tough when you graduate.
04:29Like, I remember those days when I graduated, and I was just like, I'm just gonna move to
04:33New York, and then I'm gonna figure it out, because I'm not from New York.
04:37I know, like, New York natives, you guys have so much at your fingertip.
04:41And I love that there's so much creativity in the city.
04:45You never know who you're gonna run into.