The "Just Be" Campaign

As I kid I cried and pleaded to get certain things to fit in and my family refused. They wanted my brother and I to be "proper": we wore London Fog coats in the winter and catalogue garments all through the school year that no other kid was wearing because there was no way in hell we were going to run around looking like the hood-rat kids in our neighborhood.

Then middle school happened. My aunt bought me a pair of skinny jeans, though they weren't called that in 1993...puberty had struck hardcore and I was all hair and big butt and pimples, but still not this huge brand follower or anything. This is the thing, I'm still not. I like what I like when I like it. I like being comfortable. I don't need boxes to feel comfortable or appreciated. I may be biased because I design some of my own stuff, but I see certain garments and I am already redesigning it in my head. Gosh, I do this so much, I go off on a rambling rampage...my point is not that. My point is that I like to just be whoever I woke up being in the morning. I don't use other individuals to dictate my manner. I am like no one else in my family. I am not like my friends. We have things in common, but you couldn't confuse us if you tried. I'm not putting all of this effort into anything that doesn't require it. For example, I work with a young lady who is nowhere near the age of 30, and she looks at me one day and says "You know what I've never experienced? A hangover! I've got to do that one of these days!" I explained to her that a hangover shouldn't be a goal, and it's usually something that just happens. I didn't drink until I puked until around my 29th birthday. These things just happen.

I just feel like in this era of instant gratification, no one knows how to just live anymore. One of the complaints my ex-boss had about me was that I had no sense of urgency. I did, I just didn't always run around like a chicken with my head cut off. I am a Pisces. I float through life as needed. If I need to pick up the pace then I do, but there is no reason losing my shit over menial things. Things are just things. Stuff is just stuff. Relationships are sacred unless they are toxic, but then you need to run quickly in the other direction.

I even feel that way when designing garments. I ask myself and my models certain questions as I go along: Are you comfortable? How does this fabric feel on you? I look at the colors that are being used. I listen to the colors as I am making my choices (as you read my posts, you will realize that I can hear colors and see sounds and feel energies all over, this is how I do what I do and it is always accurate!). Bottom line is that I stay true to me throughout the whole process, because if I lose sight, it's not genuine anymore and not worth anything.

I grew up in the 80s and was always encouraged to attempt leaps beyond my imagination. Prove naysayers wrong. Know that people will doubt you and that is where you prove them wrong. It was impressive to be smart and intelligence was #goals at the time. I still feel that way. I want my designs to not be viewed as some flash in the pan trend for now. I want my garments to be an experience no matter what it is. You should be able to experience something in that skirt, bag, dress...whatever! What I don't want is for you to put it on and pretend to be me. I want you to put it on and react to the way YOU feel in it. Shine in your best light. There is only one Andre Leon Tally. There is only one Beyoncé. Solange. Naomi Campbell. There is only one you, even if you have a kid who looks like you and has your features, that kid is his or her own person. We need to make more efforts to simply be who we are and work from there. We are here to evolve everyday, not be a photocopy of someone or something else.