- 2 weeks ago
Following the exclusive premiere of the Luxury Undefined - Fashion House documentary presented by ESSENCE Studios in partnership with the McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden® Change of Fashion program, designers and Black & Positively Golden® Change Leaders Shareef Mosby, Nia Thomas, Larissa Muehleder, Durrell Dupard, and Heart Roberts will join us for a brief conversation about their unique experiences and individual journeys in fashion as seen in the film."
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00:00she's back hello ladies and gentlemen make some noise to that last panel that last panel was
00:11epic inspirational absolutely amazing you want one there you go so up next we're going to um
00:20take a break for conversations for just a second because i want to do something that my mother told
00:25me to do every day which is to learn something new every day it could be something small something
00:31huge but don't let a day go by without learning a new piece of information so i want to give you
00:37guys um i don't want to call it a fun fact but i think it's a fact that we all need to know in this
00:43room did you know that black designers only make up 7.1 percent of the fashion industry the billion
00:54dollar fashion industry now considering how black designers set so many of the general market trends
01:02i mean the things that they're wearing they came from us but they put their names on it that thing
01:07and how much money our community generates for the fashion industry each year i don't know about you
01:13but that number sounds absolutely crazy a lot of black dollars are going out of the community
01:19essentially because we're buying their clothes right but not enough money is coming back into
01:25the community because we're not making and buying enough of our clothes and our things
01:31so for me it's the fact that the level of representation does not come close to match the level of impact
01:40that we have out there so if you've already received a pin or a sticker you've seen them around
01:47they have a number on them they're from mcdonald's they say 7.3 percent now if you have one of those
01:54pins you have one of those stickers do me a favor wear it proudly like i wear my locks like you hold
02:00your head and when someone asks you what is that number what what's the point of that on your shirt
02:06that's your conversation starter that's for you to let them know who we are and where we need to be
02:12because the reality is is that we cannot change what we don't talk about so we have to start the
02:19conversation y'all want to have a conversation all right let's have the conversation
02:25so
02:30okay here we go here we go here we go mcdonald's up next we have a very thought-provoking talk
02:39back with five amazing designers this is one of my most exciting parts of the evening when i saw
02:45the run of show omg i went crazy so this is from mcdonald's black and positively golden change for
02:53fashion program and here to kick off things our essence contributing fashion editor robin moat
03:01give it up for robin
03:31Okay. Hi, guys. How's it going? Can I get some crowd participation? Hello. How's it going?
03:54I'm really excited about this convo. So thanks for joining us today for this intentional
04:00Oh, we got some chatter in the back. Do we need to clap once if you can hear me? We're
04:06in the classroom. Clap once if you can hear me. Clap twice if you can hear me. Okay.
04:14So I'm really excited about this intentional panel discussion. We're going to be talking
04:19about creativity, impact of these excellent black designers, and they're charting their
04:25paths, their visionaries, redefining style, and often met with challenges. But tonight
04:32we're delving into their stories and discussing their ongoing journeys within the industry.
04:36And so I want each of you to say who you are and the brand that you represent.
04:41Hi, everyone. Hi, my name is Hart. I'm the CEO and founder of Heartthrob, born and raised
04:49in New York City. So.
04:55Hey, everyone. I'm Nia Thomas, and I'm the founder and creative director of my brand, Nia Thomas.
05:03Hello, everyone. My name is Darrell Dupart, and I'm the founder of Freddie Estelle. And I'm
05:09from New Orleans, Louisiana and based in Los Angeles.
05:12Hello, hello. My name is Larissa Mewletter, and I am the founder and designer of Mewletter,
05:19which is a women's wear brand based in New York. I am, well, I grew up in Brooklyn, but
05:24I, whoo! I know that's right. But I attribute my boldness and the colors I use and the vibrancy
05:33and the flares to my origins, which is Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria. So.
05:37Hello, everybody. My name is Sharif Mosby, founder and creator of Victim 15. I'm from Richmond,
05:45Virginia, and wear that proudly.
05:50Okay, so I'm going to hop right into it. The documentary, which premieres next week at
05:55McDonald's State of Fashion Symposium, captures each of your unique perspectives on luxury and
06:00fashion. Could you share with me what luxury undefined means to you? And I'm going to start
06:05here. I would say luxury undefined is just your classification of luxury. I feel like
06:13you determine what that is in your own style, in your own creative brain. You define what
06:20luxury is. So, yeah.
06:24Luxury, I think it's defined by the quality of the clothing and the pieces that we're making,
06:29and it doesn't necessarily need to be made in Europe or white-centric spaces. I think celebrating
06:35people who are still keeping craftsmanship alive all over the world, which is mostly brown
06:41and black women, is what we should be celebrating.
06:44Woo!
06:48I would say luxury is whatever makes you pretty much comfortable, and I would say something
06:54that represents elegance. I think luxury should transcend time. It should be something special
07:03to you. You should shop with intention, and it should be something that you can go back
07:10to again and again. I feel like luxury undefined for me is an individual that's comfortable in
07:17its own being, and you feel vibrant just being yourself.
07:22Love these answers, guys. Next question. What do you feel has been your breakthrough moment
07:29in fashion so far?
07:32Well, I feel like every day I'm challenging myself, so I feel like I haven't had a breakthrough
07:37moment, but I don't know. Being a part of this program has definitely solidified, like, yeah,
07:43you're really doing your thing, and you're really, like, you should pat yourself on the back
07:46because you've been working so hard for everything that you have in front of you right now, so
07:50I would say this very moment that I'm talking to you right now.
07:54Oh, my gosh. Can we clap it up for that?
07:57Woo!
08:00I think I've had many breakthrough moments, especially when I pushed myself out of my comfort
08:05zone, but one that I'm really proud of was doing a pop-up a couple years ago in Brooklyn,
08:11and Bella Hadid came in and bought a considerable amount of pieces.
08:16And told me that my pieces were extremely well-quality, and that meant a lot coming from her because
08:23she's wearing couture every single day.
08:27I think one of my experiences is definitely this program, and another one would be I got
08:33to make a few outfits for Buster Rounds for this tour, and I actually got to sit and wear
08:36it and perform in it behind stage.
08:38Woo!
08:38I think when I started, you know, you want to be in magazines, and of course, I've been
08:48in several, but, and I've dressed Issa Rae, I've dressed Cardi B, I've even dressed Eva
08:53Marcelle back in 2016.
08:56But I think my breakthrough moment is just coming into a room like this and seeing beautiful
09:02women tell me, I love what you're doing, and seeing that they see themselves in my clothes
09:08and in my brand.
09:09So I think that that tells me that I'm doing something right when I can, you know, be a
09:14part of a community like this.
09:16That's beautiful.
09:19I feel like for me, you know, coming from Richmond, Virginia, it's not a lot of any, you know,
09:25designers that's being able to be recognized for their talent, so being a part of this program,
09:31you know, that allowed me to be a part of the BET Awards and, you know, being seen on
09:36stage in front of, like, you know, millions of people, showing, you know, my city that
09:41you can also be at this platform as well, that was big for me to kind of just give back
09:47to the individuals that, you know, looked up to me growing up.
09:51Oh, and we were on the BET Awards.
09:53That's so bad.
09:56That was dope.
10:00Okay, so next question.
10:01Do you feel that black designers in prominent positions can inspire the next generation of
10:07designers?
10:08And to me, I kind of think of, like, Pharrell Williams being at Louis Vuitton, so would love
10:14to dabble in that question.
10:16Well, I just feel like, as black people, we curate a lot of what's happening.
10:23Nowadays, in media, in music, movies, TV shows, we're a lot of the inspiration for a lot of
10:30people.
10:30So people like Pharrell Williams, Virgil Abloh, being in places that they're not normally in
10:36is, like, I've looked up to them for years.
10:39So being a younger designer and watching them do their thing is also like, damn, I can do
10:43my thing.
10:44So I know someone one day will be watching me and be like, well, I can do that, too.
10:48So.
10:50I definitely feel the same sentiment as Heart, and I'm extremely inspired by so many black
10:55women in fashion who are killing it, from Grace Wells Bonner to Martine Rose to Aurora
11:00James.
11:01I definitely look up to them, and I hope that someone can see that in me and encourages
11:05them to keep forward on their journey.
11:09I definitely just feel like it's an eye-opener, and it shows us as black designers that the
11:13sky's the limit or even beyond.
11:15I'm honestly really excited about the fact that we can stop saying we're the first to
11:23do it.
11:24I love that, you know, rest in peace, Virgil, but, you know, he passed the torch to Pharrell,
11:30and it's not this, like, oh, my God, this black designer is at this luxury house, and eventually
11:37we'll stop being, like, this category, and it'll just be space for us amongst everyone else.
11:45And, you know, we'll go from 7% to 30% to 50%, so I'm just really excited about this.
11:54I feel like, you know, it starts with us, and it's just going to keep going, so.
11:59Yes, what she said.
12:02Because, you know, at the end of the day, you know, we are the tastemakers in this fashion
12:06industry, and Virgil Abloh, you know, that was somebody that I looked up to as well.
12:12So, like, seeing him bridge the gap between, like, you know, street wear and luxury, and
12:19also, like, you know, showing our generation growing up that, like, you can be a part of
12:25a big luxury fashion house, and, you know, anything can happen in this world.
12:31So I think, you know, at the end of the day, if you keep on just trying hard and, like, working
12:34at your craft, like, you're going to get to that point.
12:36So next, I would like to ask, how do you incorporate identity into your designs, and has that played
12:44a role in your creative process at all?
12:46Well, I would like to say I'm, like, a, I would say, per se, grunge punk.
12:56So I like to just incorporate my personality and who I am into my clothes, because I want
13:02people to feel exactly how I feel when I create something, which is, like, overwhelmingly full
13:07of love, because I love what I do.
13:10So I want you to feel what I feel when I put the love in the clothes.
13:14So I would say adding elements of my personality helps translate to other people.
13:23I would definitely say my brand is very autobiographical and constantly evolving with me.
13:29We're currently in our grown-and-sexy era, so just wanting to share that with the world.
13:36I would say most of my brand is colorful, and I'd say a lot of texture.
13:42I'd say just because it's, like, I express myself, I feel like I'm very colorful, and I
13:46have different layers to me.
13:48The closer, I feel like the closer you know me, the more you know.
13:53I think as a designer, it started out being about me, and then it slowly became about the
13:58women I design for.
14:00So I just really love to see them put it on, tell me how they feel, and I evolve my designs
14:06through that.
14:08Yeah, I mean, for me, it was all about making clothes for my friends back when I was growing
14:14up in high school, and, you know, that kind of evolved in its own way, but if I was to
14:18define it, it would be more so unconventional, very, you know, unparalleled designs, and,
14:23you know, I like to mix different silhouettes, very avant-garde as well.
14:28Next question.
14:34Have you ever felt pigeonholed or limited in your work?
14:38And, Nia, I've interviewed you, so I already know what you're going to say, but has that
14:43ever come up for any of you in your career?
14:47I'm sorry, can you?
14:48Have you ever felt pigeonholed or limited in your work, and how did you fight through
14:52that?
14:53I would say yeah, but I feel like I always like to find a little shortcut to, like, kind
15:01of weave my way in there, because you're not going to snuff my light out.
15:04That's never going to happen.
15:05So I just always want to add a little razzle-dazzle to everything I do, so I guess I try not to
15:12let limiting things limit me.
15:14I mean, there are so many challenges, like, when I started my brand, I was in this wholesale
15:23showroom, and they told me that I should make sure I'm not too urban, and so I had this white
15:29model, and, you know, no shade to her, but I would look back at my lookbooks, and it had
15:35no, like, identity of mine, my own, because I was trying to fit this image in order to get
15:40into, like, sacks and all these stores, so definitely, I think, like, we have this, like,
15:47preconception of what we need to be in order to be where we want to go, but I think I started
15:54becoming more successful when I was true to myself, and even if you feel like you are
15:58in a box, like, you know, like, there are some brands, like, right now, my mentor is
16:03Jacqueline Cooper from Laquan Smith, and his brand is extremely sexy, and, you know, and
16:08they'll be, they'll say, you know, it's too sexy, people, you know, real women don't wear
16:12this, but it's like, what do you think you see? Like, celebrities are real women, you
16:16know, so I think you have to stay true to yourself, even if people try to put you in a box, because
16:21they're always going to do that. Everyone has an opinion.
16:25Exactly, you know, I mean, a lot of people's going to have an opinion of your work. At the
16:29end of the day, you know, I don't put myself in a position where it's not an organic
16:34approach to something, so, you know, if I feel like, you know, somebody's going to try
16:39to stop my flow, I normally just kind of, like, you know, back away from it, and I don't
16:43stress over my design process. Like, if I don't feel comfortable doing something, or if I feel
16:48like, you know, it's not a natural way of doing it, then I just kind of, like, back off.
16:55Yeah, I think you need to take everything with a grain of salt, because at the end of the day,
17:00I'm the CEO of my company, and I have to make the decisions that are going to move
17:06us forward, and trusting my gut hasn't steered me wrong yet.
17:16Next question. Can you discuss the role that mentorship and community plays among black
17:23designers?
17:25Well, community is everything. I feel like, look at us in this room right now. We're all
17:30community right here. Hey, y'all. So, yeah, I feel like it's, like, the foundation of most
17:37of what society is, is community. And mentorship also plays a part in that, because you always
17:42need someone to stare in the right direction, tell you what's right from wrong, and even
17:47if it is wrong, this is a learning lesson. So, both play tremendous parts in whatever you
17:53do.
17:53Every brand that I've seen and admired, their trajectory has never done it alone. It's always
18:01been a team and a community as a huge force behind it, and I don't think it's possible
18:07to move forward without that community, because there can be moments of self-doubt and not knowing
18:12the right path to take, and that's when we have to rely on each other.
18:17I would say it's the most important thing, because as far as, like, a mentor, you can't
18:23go to school to learn this type of stuff. You can't Google it, but we're really getting,
18:27like, insight from people who have first-hand experience in this industry.
18:31Yeah, I think as an entrepreneur in any business, whether it's fashion, beauty, you know, arts,
18:39culinary, it can become very lonely, and you kind of get in your head a lot, but you don't
18:46realize you're all dealing with the same issues, the same hurdles. So, community, even if, you
18:52know, you can't find the right mentor, because obviously, like, mentorship is, you know, it's
18:56like dating. It has to work for both of you, but I think it's dope to surround yourself and
19:01effectively seek out people that are doing what you want to do, things like you, in order
19:07to feel stronger, in order to kind of, like, bond on that, which is what makes me so grateful
19:11to have met all of you, because I feel like we do that for each other. You know, the group
19:16chat is lit, y'all.
19:20I mean, I feel like I'm a product of my community just sitting right here. You know, I wouldn't
19:24be here today if it wasn't for people back at home believing in my vision, you know, supporting
19:29me in different ways. You know, I can go on and on about the ways they supported me, but
19:34it's just like to have individuals believe in your approach and kind of see the vision
19:40through, you know, that's amazing. And having a mentor is huge as well. This is my first time
19:46being paired with a mentor, and it's been very insightful.
19:51Beautiful responses, guys. How can the industry ensure that designs are reflective of the
19:58diverse assortment of customer experiences? I feel like this is a great question for you guys.
20:02Yes. So, yeah, how can you guys continue doing what you're doing, basically, is what I'm asking.
20:10Shop black businesses. Amen.
20:14Share black businesses. I can't tell you how many times a customer is like, I went out and
20:19she had my dress on. I'm like, girl, I hope so. Like, share it with your friends, please.
20:28We are not your best kept secret. Facts.
20:33I think there's a big misconception that the only way to support brands is by buying something
20:38on our website, especially if we're selling something at an expensive price point that
20:43not everyone has access to. But even, you know, reposting our content on your feed or your
20:48story, that helps so much. Signing up for our newsletters, telling a friend, there's so many
20:53ways to support other than just monetary. And I would say just really spreading the word
20:59about all the black designers and the black brands out there.
21:04So I'm also curious, what is your, all of you all's thoughts on making luxury more, I don't
21:11want to say accessible in terms of price point, but just creating kind of a vision that is
21:20reflective so that customers who maybe feel uncomfortable in the past, they may be able
21:26to resonate with what you're doing. How could that, how can you guys kind of do that for
21:32us?
21:33I think it's important to show different people, different women, different sizes,
21:37different colors in your, with different styles in your pieces. I personally love to do a restock
21:43and I learned that because you might see, I mean, the dress is $400. Not everyone is
21:49like, okay, cute, add to cart. It'll take some time. And I had customers constantly like two
21:55years later, three years later, like, is this dress still in stock? So if it's a bestseller,
22:00I'll restock it because I know that someone is like eyeing it for two years from now when
22:04like, you know, she turns 30. So yeah, no, I think it's just making it accessible and, and
22:11being consistent. I mean, we also have to do our jobs of staying in stock, creating new
22:16styles, listening to our consumer.
22:18Exactly.
22:19Yeah. It's a whole job, right?
22:21Yeah. I mean, being, being consistent, you know, sometimes when you do the design, you
22:26do the back office and you, you know, doing everything yourself, it's hard to kind of like,
22:30you know, show up and show out every time, but it's just like, you know, showing people,
22:34um, and kind of like making sure that everybody understands like your backstory and like the
22:40whys of your brand. I think that helps you. The outlook.
22:44Yeah. I feel like people like, of course, they're going to love your clothes, especially
22:49if you're making some really good stuff. But I feel like the best thing that you can
22:53do is make someone fall in love with you and your brand and not just the stuff that you're
22:57making.
23:00I love that answer. I'm, I wish I had a notepad.
23:03Okay. So can you each share what you feel separates your brand from others in the fashion
23:10market currently?
23:12I mean, for me, I feel like, um, my unconventional approach to creating garments, you know, kind
23:19of rooted from not having money to even, um, make clothes for myself at the time. So it was
23:25just like using different, um, material, like, you know, plexiglass, acrylics, and different
23:30things that I source, um, like by upcycling or creating myself is, I think it's a unique
23:36approach to kind of combine different materials with, with fabric that you normally don't see.
23:41So I think that's, it's different.
23:44I'd say by using like different unique fabrics, um, being bold, um, I believe this fabric is
23:51from like 1989. So of course it's going to stand out to so many people. Probably took hundreds
23:57of hours to make different stuff like that. So just pretty much, I say, do the most to stand
24:02up.
24:05Okay. Oh, well, I, you make a lot of my pieces from like older vintage pieces. I'm an upcycler.
24:12Um, I believe in sustainability, save the turtles. Um, so I just, that along with, I guess, my
24:20otherworldly approach to things, I see things through like a fictional lens. So when I look at
24:27everything, I want to make something that you're not seeing, like walking down the street, you know?
24:33Definitely supporting a slow fashion movement and movement at Nia Thomas. Currently, all of our
24:39pieces are hand knitted and hand crocheted. So one of our dresses can take up to three days to make
24:45and we number each dress saying this is number one out of 50, two out of 50. So people know that
24:50they're getting something that's truly limited edition.
24:56My next question is, when faced with adversity during your journey within the fashion industry,
25:01what is your go-to solution?
25:07When faced with adversity during your journey within the fashion industry, what has been your
25:12go-to solution?
25:13I think the best thing you can do is stay present. A lot of the times people are like,
25:19we tend to just get wrapped up in like the fast paced world. Like everything moves so fast
25:25nowadays. So I think just taking a second to just look around, smell the roses, love your
25:31family, love yourself, take some self-care days, drink some tea, like just relax.
25:38I love that saying where they're like, it's not happening to you, it's happening for you.
25:46So that's just like been my mantra through things. I feel like a lot of times we're like,
25:51woe is me. Like, why can't, why didn't this happen? Why didn't that happen? Where it's like,
25:56we're all on this world doing our best. So yeah, like take care of yourself, but like,
26:02it's going to be hard. Anything you want to do, anything that's worth doing is tough,
26:06but you got to keep at it and look for different ways to get, get through it.
26:11Anytime I'm facing adversity, I really just stop everything, sit down and think of the real reason
26:18why I'm actually doing this. For me, I call my mama, tell me what to do. And if that fails,
26:28then I usually draw back to like, okay, what is the problem? What options do I have? Make a mind
26:34map, draw it out, make a pros and cons list until I can come to a solution?
26:38I just go to sleep.
26:42No, I mean, you know, for real. I mean, who don't? You know, I mean, just, yeah, that's what I do.
26:50I just like.
26:51I love that for you.
26:53What changes would you all like to see take place in the global fashion industry? And what role do you hope
27:03to play in shaping that future?
27:05I would say more younger designers and like bigger platforms, like how you just mentioned Pharrell
27:12Williams and Virgil, but of course, like younger, it'll be pretty cool to see like young kids and
27:17stuff in a big position like that.
27:19I would love to see America to have their own version of an LVMH or a caring and umbrella group
27:26that can support, you know, a plethora of designers and we can share resources, share factories, make
27:32sure everything can be manufactured in the USA again. I'd love to be a part of building that.
27:39Yeah. To honestly piggyback off of what Nia said, share your resources. That's like the best thing you
27:45can do.
27:46Yeah. I mean, growing up, you know, it was hard to kind of find that help, you know, resources. A lot of
27:54things was kind of gatekeep, but I think nowadays it's more easier because of like the YouTube
27:58and, you know, you have a stronger community now, but, you know, resources is big, you know, knowledge.
28:06I think there should also be more like education on entrepreneurship in our schools and, you know,
28:12like even, and also more like funding options for us and not just like tech, but having like people
28:19believe in art again and not just like the bottom line. I think that we, they should pour
28:24more into the arts and into the community.
28:31So before I wrap, I want to make sure that I ask each of you where people can find you.
28:38Can you say your Instagrams and your websites?
28:42You can find me on Instagram, teenageheartthrob with two Bs. And my brand page is planetheartthrob,
28:48or you could shop planetheartthrob.store online. Yeah.
28:54My Instagram and website is niathomas.co, N-I-A-T-O-M-A-S dot C-O.
29:03My Instagram is at the trap designer and my website is freddiastale.com.
29:09You can find me right here, so come say hi. No, my Instagram is, my personal Instagram is
29:17girlinthewhiteglasses. My brand Instagram is muletterlabel, and that's M-U-E, M as in
29:25Mary, U-E-H-L-E-D-E-R, label. And you can shop at muletter.com.
29:32My brand underscore victim 15, the word victim. And Shreif Mosby, you can find me.
29:43Woo! Let's clap it up for these incredible designers, guys.
29:45Thank you for having us. Thank you all for being here.
29:49Thank you. I appreciate you.
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