00:00As a successful designer, what are some of the hurdles you still face within your own community when it comes to support?
00:07And what do you want to say to us tonight about being the change?
00:11And I know that's a loaded question, but again, this is a kitchen table talk, so you can speak freely.
00:18I honestly have no complaints in terms of receiving support from my community.
00:27Even right now, it's Fashion Week.
00:32I've had the same makeup team doing my runway show for years, black woman.
00:37I've had the same hair team doing my hair for years, black woman.
00:41I've had the same casting director for years, black woman.
00:44I've had the same show producer for years, black woman.
00:47And they were sending emails and messages as early as June, being like,
00:57what are we doing for Fashion Week?
00:58When do you need us?
00:59So my community shows up for me, which I'm really grateful for.
01:06My customers are predominantly black women.
01:12No complaints about my community.
01:15It's the corporations that we have complaints about.
01:20Yeah, and what do you think they miss, the corporations?
01:23Oh, gosh.
01:27Yeah, I know.
01:27We need a knife for that.
01:28Yeah, so the corporations, I mean, they love to see the shows.
01:35You know, they're like, when's your show?
01:36When's your show?
01:37But they don't want to give you the funding to produce the show.
01:40They don't give you the backing to produce the show or whatever it is that you're doing, really.
01:49You sort of just get, like, a pat on the back and, like, hey, go do it.
01:53We'll watch, you know.
01:54And I've noticed that I've received the most support from corporations when tragedy happens within our community.
02:04So, you know, not to get too deep, but I probably received the most support that I ever received in terms of brand collaborations, partnerships, just everything after the unfortunate loss of George Floyd.
02:22Which is, it's unfortunate.
02:26It's, you know, it's a pattern.
02:27It's slightly performative, in my opinion.
02:30So, that's my take.
02:34Yeah.
02:35Yeah, that's real.
02:36That's real.
02:37Everybody, you know, in tragedy, it seems that corporations, sometimes they get this call to consciousness.
02:43And then after a few months or several months, like, hi, we're all good, you're good, we're good, we did our part.
02:50No, we have to keep holding them accountable.
02:52Sherry, what have you experienced?
02:54What are some of the hurdles that you continue to face in your business?
02:58I think the biggest challenge for me has been financing my business as an independently owned business owner.
03:07As I mentioned before, in the very beginning, you know, getting turned down by banks, we eventually found a banker and supporters.
03:17But it took years.
03:18I mean, I'm 16 years in, and it took me 15 years, really, to get the type of investment in the company that we really needed to scale and grow.
03:29But, you know, we do what we have to do, right?
03:32For me, like, I didn't have a fallback plan.
03:35Like, I could have done something else, but there was no other option for me.
03:39Like, this is what I love, you know?
03:42This is what I have built with my team.
03:45And for me, there was no other option.
03:48So I was going to make it work the best that I could.
03:52And many times we do that.
03:54But I want to say to, like, you know, some of the corporations we were talking about, how they could lend more support.
03:59Many times, they just need to see numbers, right?
04:04I'm, like, a business person, and black-owned businesses are just good for business.
04:11Truly.
04:12Like, you know, even just, like, my sales numbers.
04:16My top-selling brands are black-owned brands.
04:21This is Christopher John Rogers.
04:22He's our number one designer, right?
04:24You know, he, you know, sells out consistently, highest margins, most profitable.
04:32And I can go on and on about so many of the brands.
04:35Ashlyn Kams, Diotima, you know, Harwell Godfrey, Kyrie.
04:39You can go on and on.
04:40Those are the brands that are in the highest demand.
04:43And not necessarily from black consumers, from everyone.
04:47So, I think the more we, you know, normalize, right?
04:52Like, we wear it in life.
04:54Yeah.
04:54You know?
04:55Yeah.
04:55Then it just becomes this normal thing for everyone.
05:00Every single day of my life, I wear a black designer.
05:03Yeah.
05:04And thankfully, we have those options.
05:08And we have, you know, amazing designers that you can find at stores or you can find on their websites or, thankfully, on social media, whether it's TikTok or Instagram.
05:20But seek out those brands.
05:22Ask your, you know, ask your girl, ask your friends.
05:25What do you have on, girl?
05:26What's this bag?
05:27You know, this is East African designer.
05:29She came to me.
05:30I'm like, yeah, I'm going to put you in my store because your shit is hot.
05:33Like, it works.
05:34And so, you know, the more we just are, right?
05:39We just, we share, we wear things, you know, it becomes normalized.
05:47Yeah.
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