Daily Dose of Inspiration by Illustrator  & HFR Family Kris Keys.  Check out her site. www.bykriskeys.com

To purchase click here.

Price: $530.00

Description:

Gathered V-Neck Stepford wife dress. Poly taffeta floral print.

Cotton Lining

Yesterday I got a chance to drop by the MadFree event hosted by Sundae Sermon and Michaela Angela Davis. The event featured Ruben and Isabel Toledo. In case you’ve forgotten. Isabel Toledo designed Michelle Obama’s inauguration dress and coat.

The Toledo’s are the ultimate artists. During the conversation, someone asked Isabel about creating magic as in making amazing things happen in your life.  Her response was, “Magic is in Time”. She went on to explain that if you just stay on your path things will happen. What is there to say after that?

I brought my professional camera with me to the event only to find that the battery was completely dead, so please excuse the blackberry photos below.

Oh yes, and buy the book: Roots of Style.

Ruben and Isabel Toledo in conversation with Michaela Angela Davis

The fierce Michaela Angela Davis and Guest

After the event, I walked across the street to Central Park and read a little of the book.

I realized that Ruben had done an illustration of me in the book.  As one of our twitter friends wrote, “this is like being photographed by Bill Cunningham” Priceless!

Isabel mispelled my name. Ruben got it right when I told him, so she wrote is over and over in the book so she wouldn’t forget. Love!

xo

Brandice

Untitled from Brandice Henderson on Vimeo.

At the HFR Conversations event with icon Beverly Johnson, I met Lauren Maillian Bias and she was carrying such a great handbag. During our conversation, Lauren mentioned that the bag was Sukari a 5 year old brand by emerging designer Alicia Ferriabough Taylor. I went home later that day, checked out the website, and immediately connected with the designer. I want to share  this newfound treasure and introduce Alicia to all of you.

What is your background?
By trade I am an entertainment attorney.

You are no stranger to fashion. I read that you were a commercial model for a while. Who did you work with and how did you get into that area?

I grew up idolizing Iman, Naomi Campbell, Christie Turlington, Tyra Banks, Linda Evangelista and Beverly Johnson, so I wanted to model too and wear top designers’ clothing. After high school I spent summers in NY pounding the pavement until I got jobs.

As a commercial model I didn’t work with too many big names like the runway models, but I did work with famed photographer Fadil Barisha once and did some work for Essence magazine as a fit model for Halle Berry and Tia and Tamera Mowry.

So, how did you get into handbag design?
I decided that I wanted to design a bag for myself. When I was younger, someone actually gave me a leather making kit, so maybe it started there.

Tell us a little bit about the process of designing your first bag?
Well first, I found a sample maker. The sample maker asked me so many questions about lining, hardware and asked if I had a blueprint of the bag I wanted designed. I asked him for an example. That conversation led me to find someone that could cast metal to make the hardware for the bags. I literally measured out every piece of the bag and came back to him with every detail for the bag. He made the bag and it came out better than I ever expected. So, I told him that I had another design idea. The sample maker eventually told me that I had a collection and that I should sell it.

That must have cost a small fortune. 
It was thousands because I also developed my own hardware.

What makes the Sukari collection different from other brands?
I’m not just designing an average bag with a high price tag. I put so much love and care into every detail of the bags, including the hardware, which is plated in 24kt. gold, and variety of skins

Sukari is an interesting name.
It means “sweet” or “sugar” in Swahili. People sometimes think the name is Italian, French, or Japanese. I like that because I wanted a name that sounded global.

Where do you see your bag being sold?
Bergdorf’s, Barneys, Henri Bendel’s and eventually Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales. For now, I would love for them to be sold in smaller boutiques.

Your biggest challenge has been….
I had no idea it would be so hard to get into stores. That has been the biggest challenge.

Any celebrity interest?
Halle Berry, Nia Long, Ivana Trump, and Beverly Johnson have all worn the bag.

What is your vision for Sukari’s future?
I see a lifestyle brand. I already see Sukari sheet sets. I have a 5 week old and I’ve already started sketching out baby clothes and I just received the first completed sample of my new diaper bag, which I plan to start wearing tomorrow; it’s beautiful!

Finish this sentence. My greatest joy in life has been….
My children. I had no idea motherhood would be so joyful

If I could live anywhere in the world it would be…..
New York… and maybe Kauai in the winter. Once you’ve lived in NY, it’s hard to imagine life anywhere else

One of my proudest professional moments was …..
Gosh, I have a few, but first it’s being featured in Black Enterprise Magazine. But Tim Gunn telling me “nice bag” when I wore my Bombay to a Fashion Week fashion show was pretty cool too.

The song I play to get inspired is…..
Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough”

3 words to live by……
Make It Happen

To make a Sukari purchase go to:

http://www.sukarinewyork.com/

First Look: Beverly’s Full House

On March 28th, HFR hosted a conversations breakfast with Beverly Johnson. This event was so special for me. I mean she is an icon! When I found out that Ms. Johnson was launching a new hair/skincare product line as well as the new show, Beverly’s Full House that premiers this this Saturday at 10/9c I wanted HFR to celebrate with Ms. Johnson. Because of her boldness and what she’s done to pave the way it was only fitting that we pay homage to her at the start of her new journey.

The room was filled with editors, fashion mavens, and NY influencers. Everyone from Audrey Smaltz, Michaela Angela Davis, Bevy Smith, Chef Roble, Harriette Cole, and Phillip Bloch came out to support. Editors from Ebony, ESSENCE, Jones Mag, Jet Mag, Black Enterprise, Manhattan Magazine, and Lucky Magazine were all there.  Even at 10am in the morning every single person in the room looked stunning.  As a matter of fact, after Ms. Johnson walked in the room and greeted every single guest she couldn’t stop gushing about how great everyone looked. Her statement exactly was “You’re all hired”.

Rog Walker tells the story beautifully through the photos he captured at the event. So, I will stop here and let you see the thousand words.

See All Photos Below

I recently had a chance to sit and speak with designer LaQuan Smith in his new studio that he shares with his new investors. Smith appeared as eager as the designer I met in 2007, but there was a noticeable dose of maturity in every move he made. With New York cheering him on, LaQuan is set to take the industry by storm. He now has items available for sale on his website and if you can’t afford the higher priced items, you can support by purchasing a cute canvas bag. Check out the video below, I believe LaQuan says it all here.

xo

Brandice

L to R: Phillip Bloch, Tracy Reese, Brandice N. Henderson, Stephen Kolb, Fern Mallis, Memsor Kamarake, Bevy Smith, Michaela Angela Davis Photo Credit: Jessie Adore

If anyone needs proof of fashion’s power to bring bring people together, a snapshot of the audience at last night’s HFR Conversation would suffice. Before a crowd of fashion enthusiasts that included Fern Mallis, Philip Bloch, Bevy Smith and Tracy Reese, HFR’s Brandice Henderson took the stage at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to interview Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Widely known for recognizing the fashion industry’s most talented individuals, the non-profit is a leader in supporting America designers, most notably with the highly coveted CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award, the Fashion Incubator mentoring program, and the annual CFDA Awards. Last night, a very candid Kolb shared what it takes for budding designers to get on their radar.

Phillip Bloch and Brandice N. Henderson Photo Credit: Jessie Adore

“It’s really about talent,” Kolb said, “It’s about having a point of view and bringing something different to the fashion conversation.” Though dreams of fashion grander are common among the industry’s up-and-comers, Kolb pointed out that it’s those with the most discernible perspectives, impressive records of editorial and retail success, and concrete visions for how they see their business flourishing that catch the CFDA’s attention, especially when the committee selects its ten Fashion Fund finalists. “The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, to be honest, is not for everyone,” Kolb said. “You really have to have carved something out very special to get picked as one of the ten and you really have to have a high level of visibility, too.” Citing Prabal Gurung as an example, Kolb also noted the importance of gaining experience with an established brand before branching out on one’s own. Prior to becoming a 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist and being tapped for the Incubator that same year, Gurung held positions at both Cynthia Rowley and Bill Blass–a move that Kolb says helped lay the foreground for his entry into the the CFDA’s elite circle of designers.

Fern Mallis  Photo Credit: Terrence Jennings

Other highlights of the discussion included the plight of New York’s diminishing Garment District, as well as the CFDA’s 50 year anniversary exhibit, currently on display at the FIT Museum. When asked to describe his “pinch me moment”–the time when his career led to an opportunity most people only dream of–Kolb talked about making the rounds at Fashion Week. “I always feel blessed that I’m able to go to those shows,” he said, adding that “watching pretty girls in pretty clothes,” never gets old. The CEO’s story of cheerleaders chanting “Put Steven in!” during his brief stint as a high school football player garnered laughs from the crowd, but it was his remarks about the CFDA’s goodwill efforts that perhaps resonated attendees the most. To date, the CFDA has raised over $50 million for breast cancer research, over $35 million for HIV and AIDS organizations, and millions more for disaster relief efforts. “People think fashion is superficial and all about service, but there’s a real depth and heart to fashion,” he said. “Creative people are sensitive souls… they want to affect change and they use their talent and fame to do that.”

 Memsor Kamarake and Bevy Smith Photo Credit: Terrence Jennings 

Steven Kolb and Brandice Henderson Photo Credit: Harrison Crite

Fern Mallis, Steven Kolb, Brandice Henderson Photo Credit: Harrison Crite 

Photo Credit: Terrence Jennings 

 Photo Credit: Terrence Jennings

Photo Credit: Terrence Jennings 

Brandice Henderson and Tracy Reese Photo Credit: Harrison Crite

If you are press, please RSVP at press@harlemsfashionrow.com with your name press affiliation.

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