Design for Balance

“You are a holistic designer. You don’t stop at the clothes, you see the whole experience.”

— Nehprii Amenii, puppeteer & playwright

My philosophy on design is building systems, infrastructure, a creative conduit, a safe space for a particular mission or purpose to thrive. This mindset is applied to everything. I do — costume design, fashion design, styling, creative direction and even my own life. I’m a firm believer in tasting your own food before feeding it to anyone else.

One of the first pieces I was commissioned to design for 2021 was for muse, a member of my sister circle, and vocal powerhouse Shenel Johns. The objective was to design a piece to not only honor the power of women but balance the weight of the massive stage and the acclaimed 15 member all male orchestra whom she would be sharing the stage with. Her ensemble was a exploration of male and female collaboration.The metallic silk gold dress played call and response to the JLCO’s brass instruments as their instruments in turn rolled the red carpet out for her arrival. The gold wool linen blend cape was a warm firm hug from all the powerful women who came before. It reinforced that we are all comprised of masculine and feminine energy — no matter what vessel we may occupy.