About

I was born twenty minutes north of Boston, MA. in a small suburb called Wakefield. I was raised by my loving mother Betty until the age of thirteen.  After four years of watching her suffer, she had lost her life to A.I.D.S. This was in 1992 when not too many people understood what having A.I.D.S meant. It was in the eyes of many a disease that only "gay folk" got. Although I knew my mother was really ill, I had only learned six months prior to her death that she infact had A.I.D.S. She had also expressed that she wished that no one would ever know of this. For years, I never spoke of how she died. Infact my oldest brother Keith would explain that we lost our mother to stomach cancer.  I had played along. Not realizing that keeping this a secret was tearing me apart inside, I finally confided in my best friend. Even though I had felt a release, I still felt guilty. Many years had passed where I was able to tell some friends, yet I was still holding onto guilt. At a very young age, I had a premonition that my mother was  going to pass away early in life. Since my father lived in Florida, I didn't know what this meant for my brother and I.  I began to drift into a fantasy world, that I invented. I started reading Vogue cover to cover from the money I had earned from my paper route.  I knew names like Nina Ricci, Coco Chanel, Halston, Givenchy, Versace, and many others. I started watching a show on VH1 called "Fashion Television".  This enabled me to sink into a world where mom wasn't sick and I wasn't afraid.  This " safe haven" had become an outlet. After her passing, it became my escape route and means of survival. I was going to need it. I had been in four different foster homes. At age 21, I started at the School of The Museum of Fine Arts Boston. This is where I studied African Textiles, Drawing, Painting, and Photography.  I then started working for Louis Boston. My imagination was soaring and I couldn't have been happier.  I had learned, saw, and touched masterpieces before my very eyes. My mind could not shut off, for I had always been thinking about designs.  It wasn't too long after where I started bringing my designs to life. I was living the alternate life that I had always imagined for myself. I started selling pieces to colleagues, friends, and coworkers. I participated in my first fashion show and it was euphoric to see my name in bright lights. At age twenty four my world came crashing down. I had always tried to choose a path for success, however my brother could not. On Aug 25, 2004 he had overdosed on drugs. This was something that I could not bounce back from. So I had moved to Florida to figure my life out. For the passed nine years I have not been able to sew. Still, trying to find the likes of how I let this happen, I have decided that ends today. My designs reflect my life, my pain, my sadness, my anger, and my desire to move on and reinvent myself. I wish to propel my visions and express who I am. In doing so, my wish is to break boundaries and stigmas attached to those living with or who have lost to A.I.D.S. We cannot be silenced.