The creative director and Gossamer contributing editor on nurturing cultural shifts, community organizing, and the beauty of being Black.
AS TOLD TO GOSSAMER
I love my work, but my work is not who I am. My career does not make me. I am a fashion and creative director, but there’s so much more that I want to accomplish outside of it. I’m definitely an Aries, in the sense that there are a lot of things that I want to be part of.
I was born and raised in Richmond Hill, Queens, but grew up in New Jersey. The area I grew up in was not diverse at all. There were only a handful of Black people, and that can form and shape who you are and how you view yourself. But I grew up in a very Haitian household, too. Both of my parents were very, very instrumental in making sure that I loved my Black skin. I loved my culture, I loved Haitian culture, and I loved being Black.