- 4 months ago
Join us on the SOKO MRKT Stage for "Real Talk with Saeed Ferguson," the visionary behind All Caps Studio. Saeed will share his journey, from photography project to a full-blown movement. He'll also touch on navigating his dual role as creative and leader, building community, and the courage behind his optimistic designs. Don't miss hearing how his work connects with AT&T's Dream in Black platform, fueling creativity and strengthening communities.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00The Black Girls Super Bowl
00:02The Black Girls Super Bowl
00:04The Black Girls Super Bowl
00:06Good morning everyone
00:08Good morning
00:10Now you know we're at Essence Festival
00:12so we're going to have to be very great listeners
00:14because we have a lot happening
00:16but I am Melissa Mitchell
00:18I'll be your host for today
00:20at the SoCo Market Stage
00:22But I just want to welcome you all to Essence Festival
00:24This is the time of y'all, I'll call it the Black Girls Super Bowl
00:28all the fashions, all the energy
00:30all the brands, all the things
00:32and so today we have the privilege of bringing
00:34some of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time
00:36to this stage
00:38and New Voices has done an amazing job with
00:42facilitating entrepreneurs, helping us
00:44get our dreams off the ground
00:46and this stage is where a lot of ideas are born
00:48and so today we're going to start it off
00:50with an amazing talent out of Philadelphia
00:52and he is sponsored by
00:54our amazing partners with AT&T
00:56and so this is really special because
00:58from designer to designer
01:00I love to meet people who love what they do
01:02and make a passion and living from it
01:04and so we're going to watch a short video
01:06and then we're going to bring our amazing man of the hour on stage
01:08so y'all give it up for him
01:10and listen very closely
01:12So welcome to New Orleans
01:14It's the place where dreamers dream
01:16and doers do
01:18So I just want to get into really quickly
01:20your story so
01:22what made you want to turn photography into something else
01:24what made you think
01:26okay this is it
01:27it's time to take a leap for it
01:28So
01:30it was
01:31something that happened by accident
01:32Wow
01:33So
01:34I was in streetwear
01:35I was working at a store
01:36as a buyer
01:37so I was buying stuff
01:38I was in the culture
01:39I was building a community
01:40just at a store
01:41not as a maker
01:42and after doing that for 10 years
01:43I was also doing photography
01:44and I thought photography was the way
01:46Yeah
01:47and then I couldn't figure it out in Philadelphia
01:49so I was like
01:50I'm going to try something else
01:51like I really wanted to do fashion photo
01:53so I started making my own clothes
01:54to take pictures of the clothes
01:56and then
01:57I started selling the clothes
01:58and then started working
01:59and I just kept doing it
02:00and doing it
02:01and it became like
02:02a thing
02:03an accidental brand
02:04like I wasn't doing it
02:05because I wanted to take
02:06like
02:07photos of clothes
02:08and it just became my brand out of that
02:10You know what's so funny
02:11I'm also creative
02:12as you can see
02:13and I think
02:14the power of being creative
02:15is that
02:16it's almost like a drop in an ocean
02:18it's like that one thing
02:19leads to many things
02:20and so
02:21just looking at your work
02:22you can almost see the evolution
02:23year to year
02:24you're like
02:25this is turning into something
02:26absolutely
02:27so when did it really feel real
02:28like okay this might be
02:30fashion might be my thing
02:32when did it become your thing?
02:342020
02:35I want to say
02:362020 was a side
02:37that's when we went
02:38full time
02:39it wasn't like an art project
02:40it wasn't a side project
02:41it was like
02:42full time
02:43all in
02:44sing or swim
02:45this is gonna be
02:46yeah
02:47and
02:48yeah
02:49it's no fault
02:50so I started it around like 2017
02:51so it took like
02:52two or three years for us
02:53to like fully become confident
02:54in designing
02:55learning how to design
02:56learning how to build a brand
02:57and
02:58once the pandemic hit
02:59we really had even more time
03:00to figure it out
03:01and then we just like
03:02you were locked in the house
03:03you had no choice but to be creative
03:04yeah
03:05I always say that I feel like
03:06we're in the second coming
03:07of the roaring twenties
03:08yeah
03:09how when everybody was at home
03:10they were depressed
03:11they were trying to figure it out
03:12and that is when creators really like
03:14they found their inner strength
03:15and it became something more
03:16and so there's a phrase said
03:18made like this
03:19it's a powerful phrase
03:21a lot of people say it
03:22but what does that mean to you
03:23and as a founder
03:25as a creator
03:26when you hear the word
03:27made like this
03:28what does that mean to you?
03:30it feels like
03:31a place of purity
03:32like if you
03:33make it in the way that you see it
03:35in your head
03:36yeah
03:37that's such a pure place of creativity
03:38yeah
03:39a really special place
03:41it comes from like
03:42that's kind of the way I create
03:44I create from a place
03:45internal
03:47like I look inside a lot
03:49and I try to like
03:50take whatever I'm feeling
03:51or whatever I'm reading
03:52and listening to
03:53at that moment
03:54and try to put it all in the garment
03:55so it's like more than like
03:56fashion
03:57it's more about storytelling
03:59yeah
04:00and it feels like
04:01made like this
04:02like it's
04:03made like this for a reason
04:04for a reason
04:05yeah
04:06that's what comes to my mind
04:08so being creative
04:09fellow creative
04:10it's difficult sometimes
04:11to fight through being burned out
04:13being tired
04:14not being inspired
04:15um
04:16making things
04:17to pay your bills
04:18absolutely
04:19especially with this year
04:20as a creative
04:21personally speaking
04:22it's been one of those
04:23should I just apply for that job
04:24should I go back to work
04:25what should I do
04:26and so
04:27um
04:28being a woman of faith
04:29my mom always says
04:30have faith in the process
04:31like don't give up your path
04:33have faith in the process
04:34so being a creative
04:35in this economy
04:37with everybody looking like you
04:38doing things like you
04:39how do you
04:40how do you prevent yourself
04:41from burning out
04:42or staying inspired
04:43like what keeps you to have
04:44that faith in the process
04:45there's a lot of things
04:47uh
04:48I think
04:49taking time for yourself
04:50and like finding these
04:51ways to like
04:54not break
04:55take a pause
04:56but like a place where you can like
04:57rejuvenate
04:58and like
04:59like find your ground again
05:00yeah
05:01yeah
05:02it's really to like
05:03remember why you're doing it
05:04in the first place
05:05like
05:06it has to be bigger
05:07than like making money
05:08if you're doing it just to make money
05:09you're gonna burn out
05:10and like you're gonna quit
05:11it's just
05:12that simple
05:13if you're doing it for a deeper purpose
05:14a deeper cause
05:15absolutely
05:16to help people
05:17to like really give value to people
05:18then
05:19you have
05:20I think to look back on
05:21when you're not feeling your like
05:22full self
05:23yeah
05:24the reason why we're actually doing this
05:25is to like
05:26build community
05:27to build
05:28and show people that it's possible
05:29the taste of dreams
05:30and that
05:31I always find
05:32it's like a way
05:33to like rejuvenate
05:34yeah
05:35but you also just need to find like
05:36moments where you can like
05:37yeah
05:38the balance
05:39take one step back
05:40yeah
05:41you're always gonna be like
05:42if you're always in it
05:43it's hard to like
05:44look at the big picture
05:45so you gotta step back
05:46and like really look at the big picture
05:47uh
05:48so every quarter
05:49every like three months
05:50like take a step back
05:51really look at what you're doing
05:52yeah
05:53and then go back in
05:54I think that's so important
05:55as a creative
05:56so I'm a painter right
05:58so I'm in the canvas
05:59all the time
06:00but when I look back at my
06:01I'm like wow
06:02I did that
06:03I created that
06:04and so looking at some of your work
06:05and being in stores
06:06and sitting with some of your favorite artists
06:08and you're like
06:09I'm hanging out with Larry June
06:10I listened to his music yesterday
06:12and so
06:13it's like wow
06:14as a creative
06:15how do you continue to keep going
06:17how do you wear so many hats
06:18because I know like me
06:19I'm my marketing manager
06:20I'm my CEO
06:21I'm my
06:22all these different hyphens
06:23but
06:24how do you wear those many hats
06:25without feeling like you're doing too much
06:27or what do you know when it's time
06:28and say you know what
06:29let me try to get a team
06:30so how do you maintain that
06:32I think early on
06:33it's
06:34especially as an entrepreneur
06:36you want to be like
06:37you know how things work
06:39and for me I'm always just like curious
06:41I'm trying to figure out like
06:42what's the best strategy for marketing
06:44what's the best like
06:45what's my favorite way of designing
06:48how do I design
06:49like I'm trying to figure out all these systems
06:50yeah
06:51and then once I understand the system
06:52that's when it's time to build a team
06:54so you can like
06:55teach people how you work
06:56in a way
06:57but like early on
06:58I think it's almost necessary
07:00to be wearing all the hats
07:01to like understand how things work
07:03but if you don't understand how things work
07:04yeah
07:05it's hard for you to build a team
07:06because you just want to be like
07:07like you can't inform them how to like
07:09run your business
07:10yeah
07:11and that's so important
07:12because you think about
07:13when you're an entrepreneur again
07:15most of the times you're behind the scenes
07:17working and working
07:18so when it's time for you to build your community
07:20how do you look at community over clout
07:22so like we're talking about
07:23hanging out with celebrities
07:24you know I don't made it now
07:25I'm hanging with Erykah Badu
07:27I'm with Jill Scott
07:28I don't have to do all this extra stuff
07:29but for me going back to your original statement
07:31remembering my why
07:33it was never to be famous
07:34yeah
07:35it's always about legacy
07:36it's about
07:37continuing to be a blessing to my community
07:39so how do you build your community
07:41and not focus on the clout
07:42how do you intentionally say
07:43you know what
07:44I'm from Philly
07:45I'm going to New York
07:46I want to be a part of the fabric of this community
07:48how do you intentionally build community
07:50I think through collaboration
07:52and like the right ways
07:53yeah
07:54through collaboration
07:55through events
07:56I think finding different ways
07:57to like build moments
07:58for people who support your vision
08:01people who are like-minded
08:02right
08:03giving them a space to connect
08:05I found that has been like a really good way
08:07so we put it on an event
08:08we've done stuff like community hikes
08:10and like we of course have like a running club
08:12and run clubs are pretty popular these days
08:13but like finding different ways
08:14to like get people together
08:15other than a reason to like buy stuff
08:18so like you can come up with a million different ways
08:20you can do that
08:21like you can go to a museum together as a group
08:23like it's so many different ways
08:24just find like real authentic ways
08:26to connect with your why
08:28with your community
08:29and like get people together
08:30like that's so key
08:32I love that
08:33you know being a fellow creative
08:35sometimes it's a very vulnerable experience
08:38100%
08:39like literally like it's like
08:41it's like letting somebody watch you shower in a glass shower
08:43it's like wait a minute
08:44this is too personal
08:45so how do you have the courage
08:47to put your stuff out
08:48that you've never seen anybody do anything before
08:50and it's like it's the first time I've seen that hat
08:52so how do you give out your authentic self
08:55without feeling like you know having that imposter syndrome
08:58or feeling like maybe it's not going to be good enough
09:01how do you push past what you think people won't like
09:03and just say you know what I'm just going to go for it
09:05and put it out into the world
09:07yeah I mean it's
09:08it's difficult
09:09it's hard
09:10it is
09:11but you have to push through
09:12because I believe everyone has a deep creative being inside of them
09:17yeah
09:18and it comes
09:19for most people it comes from a very personal place
09:21so
09:22that sense of vulnerability is always going to be there
09:24no matter what
09:25like I still feel vulnerable
09:26I've been doing it for
09:27so long
09:28I've been making the arts since I was 15
09:29I'm 30
09:30ooh
09:31you only 30?
09:32now I feel old
09:34it's fine
09:35it's uh
09:36it's hard
09:37but like
09:38I think there's so much growth
09:39yeah
09:40that happens when you put
09:41share your ideas in the world
09:42and it doesn't become real
09:43until you put it out in the world
09:44yeah
09:45you can hold these things inside of you
09:47you can like have all these ideas inside your brain
09:49but
09:50it won't really manifest
09:52and take the course
09:53that it needs to
09:54until you
09:55put it out there
09:56yep
09:57and have that discourse
09:58and you grow so much more from just doing that alone
10:00yeah
10:01so I've learned to like
10:02take the leap
10:03yeah
10:04show the world
10:05and let it exist
10:06and then from there you can take on feedback
10:07yeah
10:08make tweaks
10:09make something else
10:10do it again
10:11yeah
10:12it's just a process
10:13one of my favorite quotes that I say often is that
10:14um
10:15it's my resource
10:16I'll never run out of inspiration
10:18and so
10:19so what I love about your work is that
10:21every year it's like a new
10:22it's a new layer
10:23like you're peeling pieces of a flower off
10:25and so when you're building these different partnerships
10:27how do you make sure that your collaboration AT&T is still authentically you
10:31while still merging to the vision of the brand
10:34so I know like I had a couple of collabs
10:36but I had to walk away from things
10:37because if it's not in alignment with what I've asked you know God for the creator for
10:41I'll walk away
10:42I'll walk away
10:43so how do you say
10:44this is something that I'm in alignment with
10:45and how do you walk away from something that isn't
10:47yeah
10:48I
10:49alignment is 100% key
10:50I think alignment comes through
10:52I like to first
10:54if I'm working with any new brand
10:56I like to pitch them
10:57I like to tell them our story
10:59then pitch them an idea
11:00and if they like the idea we go with it
11:02but if they don't like the idea and they make tweaks to it
11:04I then simple myself would be like is this okay with me
11:06like do I want to continue this
11:08and then if it's not I don't do it
11:10and if it is I continue
11:11but you really just have to like
11:14brands are coming to you to help like help you tell your story
11:17your story
11:18yep exactly
11:19so if you can't do that
11:20that is probably not the partnership for you
11:21so I would like rethink about working with them
11:24or finding different ways to work with them
11:26you could always
11:27I had this one opportunity where they pitched me an idea
11:29and I didn't like it at all
11:30so I re-pitched them another idea
11:31and then we ended up doing that new one
11:33it felt good
11:34and it felt better
11:35I love the name of your brand All Caps
11:37it's almost like it's yelling at you
11:39exactly yeah
11:40without yelling
11:41and so
11:42if it's all said and done
11:43if you can't make another piece of clothing
11:44another piece of art
11:45what is the legacy you hope to say
11:47All Caps really meant dot dot dot to the culture
11:50like how do you want
11:51you're leaving an intention in the culture
11:53so
11:54what we want to leave behind is that
11:57whatever you believe you can do
11:59or a thing you can do
12:01start it
12:02and that dreams do come true
12:03and that's why we named it All Caps
12:04is because
12:05yeah
12:06I was yelling at a point
12:07I got a
12:08like a feeling of frustration
12:10because I couldn't figure photography out
12:12I couldn't like
12:13that was like really like my dream
12:14I wanted to be like
12:15shooting magazine covers
12:16shooting editorials
12:17and that was like
12:18I thought my life
12:19yeah
12:20but I just couldn't crack
12:21get in the doorway
12:22it was so hard
12:23but then we found another way
12:25and we kicked in the door
12:26and threw a whole different action
12:27like it's always possible
12:28you just got to figure out
12:29how to get to the path
12:30yeah
12:31so like
12:32the thing I will leave behind is that
12:33you can achieve your dreams
12:34but just keep exploring
12:35yeah
12:36keep finding new ways to do it
12:37and
12:38it's all possible
12:39it's all possible
12:40that's beautiful
12:41and so
12:42I love that you mentioned 2020
12:43because
12:44although I've been painting for a while
12:45I feel like 2020 was like a
12:47a global reset
12:48it was like a button that you press
12:49and so every five years
12:51I check in with my brand
12:52and say
12:53am I really doing what I want to do
12:54you know
12:55I'm really who I want to be
12:56so we buried some of your work right now
12:58in a time capsule
12:59and we opened it up at 2030
13:01what would you hope somebody would feel
13:03if they pulled a piece of your work out
13:04like wow
13:05this shirt means this
13:06what would you want somebody to feel
13:08from your collection that you've done so far
13:10in the past five years
13:11I want them to feel like
13:15at peace
13:16yeah
13:17feel like a sense of like
13:19calmness
13:20that's really what I'm going after
13:22the next chapter in my life
13:23is like
13:24a real like
13:25inner peace
13:26I want
13:27I'm like
13:28trying to put out ideas that
13:29feel
13:30calm
13:31and
13:32almost like you're in like
13:34nature
13:35by a body of water
13:36by yourself
13:37like that kind of vibe
13:38yeah
13:39like it's really like stillness
13:40kind of take so much wisdom
13:41like
13:42real like
13:43I don't know
13:44like
13:45you can really like
13:46sitting with yourself
13:47in a place of solitude
13:49you really get to learn a lot about yourself
13:51and I feel like that's the chapter that I'm in
13:53beautiful
13:54so if we were to find your information online
13:57like how do people reach you
13:58what do you hope people see on your page
14:00because I know I'm a storyteller on my social media
14:03what does your social media say to the world
14:05if I go to your page
14:06what does Saeed talk about on here
14:08what is your voice online
14:09do you think there's a separate person
14:11on stage online
14:12are you the same
14:13like what's your person
14:14I'm the same yeah
14:15you're pretty even
14:16yeah yeah yeah
14:17on social media I'm like
14:18trying to give out like
14:19educational content
14:20so I'm like giving games
14:21and like talking about
14:22how to like
14:23give
14:24I'm giving like creative advice
14:25like giving like brand building advice
14:26okay
14:27and then on the brand side
14:28we're just doing like brand marketing
14:29like
14:30storytelling
14:31making short films
14:32stuff like that
14:33but I'm kind of like the same person
14:34okay
14:35all around
14:36so we have like three minutes left
14:37so I want to make sure
14:38everybody can reach Saeed
14:39on social media
14:40so
14:41let us know your social
14:42how can they reach you
14:43yeah
14:44social media
14:45Saeed Ferguson
14:46how do you spell Saeed
14:47because you know we're going to be
14:48a little letter challenge
14:49yeah yeah yeah
14:50S-A-E-E-D
14:51Saeed
14:52Ferguson
14:53F-E-R-D-U-S-O-N
14:55yeah
14:56that's it
14:57that's it and that's all
14:58but thank you Saeed
14:59for taking time to spend some time with us
15:01thank you
15:02we're going to get you back
15:03get you some a dream
15:04and get on to your next event
15:05thank you guys appreciate it
15:06thank you all for having us
15:07bye
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