Interviewed by London
I was 16 and was a pretty glittery Goth. I'm half black and half white so trying to find a gothic look with dark skin is always a challenge. I've always been an outwardly happy person so even with my dark things I always incorporated anime, hello kitty and comics into my look. I was pretty elaborate every day in school. I wore all the makeup and a lot of handmade things (by my self and my Mom), used things, and as time wore on I got a little more simple.
2. How would you describe your style now?
I wear a lot of red and black and love red and black stripes. A lot of things I like end up making me look kinda like a punked-out-rockabilly-pirate! I love skulls and even have a cute shirt with pink ones all over it that I found somewhere. I'm still pretty Gothy at heart but I usually dress down for day to day life.
3. What inspired you to become a Goth fashion designer?
There are already enough mainstream designers and gothic/alternative fashion is much more of a challenge. When anyone asked me to make something [custom that is] hard, I always jump at it because I love be challenged. You can't really do that with jeans and a T-shirt. I started to do the Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat style because I love gothic clothing, Japan, cute things and girls style. It's a great style on girls (and boys) of just about any size. I also want to be the one to make it big in America.
4. How did you get your start in fashion design?
I've always been into art and illustration. My parents started nurturing that when I was about 4. I used to watch Ftv and Video Fashion when I was in middle school every Saturday morning in between cartoons and I thought, "I could do that." I would draw dresses and makeup designs and finally,during my sophomore year in high school, I asked my Mom to teach me how to sew. I was commissioned to do my first prom dress during my junior year.
I graduated from the Lola and Rudy Perpich Center for Arts Education (or Arts High) in Golden Valley in 1999. I was a Visual Arts major and mostly worked on comic art and fashion. The next year I went to the College of Visual Arts for Illustration and decided to drop out and take a break and pursue comics and fashion on my own. I'm 22 now and have owned my own online clothing store for about a year and a half. I get orders from Germany, California, Canada, England and Norway. It's a great boost to know that I've achieved what I have so far with only the support of my friends and family and what I call 'too much ambition.".
Continued......