00:00Hello. Hi, everyone. I'm very excited because we're celebrating and honoring one of my favorite
00:07people on this planet because of his mind and his work. This is Enrique Melendez, and
00:12I first met Enrique when... Yeah. Yes. I first met Enrique when I was 14 years old. It was
00:22kind of a chance happening. He came in and was kind of doing a favor for someone super
00:26last minute. I remember him being really nice and really sweet. My mom and I walked him
00:30into our little shoebox apartment, and he came super overprepared. It was a simple event.
00:36He had all these bags. He didn't like the way that my socks were sitting, so he got down
00:40on his hands and knees and gingerly was rolling these socks for what felt like ages. And I
00:46remember looking over at my mom and kind of going, like, what is this guy's problem? And
00:53I look nice, and he was nice. But it's funny to look back on because his meticulousness
00:59is one of my favorite things, if not my favorite thing, about working with him. Absolutely everything
01:04is considered. There's no stone left unturned. He's one of the most intentional people I know.
01:09He's always telling a story. There's always a meaning behind it. Emits his vision, which
01:14is always so clear and so powerful and so obviously him. Enrique was one of the first people who ever
01:20made me feel seen or heard. Growing up in an industry like this, you learn to kind of become
01:27the puppet and stand there and do what you're told. And he always took everything that I said with the
01:32utmost importance and respect and care. And you know, I've known him for almost a decade now.
01:38It's an intense pendulum life, and you experience incredible highs and incredible lows. And to be able
01:45to experience something like that and go out and show yourself publicly and carry yourself in these
01:50professional spaces and have the support and care and attentiveness, compassion and understanding that
01:56Enrique brings to every fitting, every event, every, you know, it's incredibly meaningful to me. I wouldn't
02:03be able to do it without him. And yes, we work together. Yes, he's one of my favorite visionaries.
02:09He's got such a great sense of self. But more than anything, he's my friend. He's been so good
02:15to me. And I think to know you and love you and collaborate with you and be a vessel for your
02:23vision and your artistry has been one of the greatest gifts in my life. It's an honor to know you.
02:29Congratulations. I'm very excited. But
02:30you can come up here and then I can give you a hug and you can give your little speech. I know what I mean to.
02:46We were not supposed to do this. I thought we were going to laugh and joke. We both came out.
02:50We were like, we're going to win. We didn't prepare a speech or anything.
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