Tag Archives: OddBox

(2/3) “It began to seem like my destiny was to be a fashion…

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(2/3) “It began to seem like my destiny was to be a fashion designer. So many things started happening for me. I started studying fashion at the Art Institute. I was invited to show at Fashion Week in South Africa. I won an award for emerging designers. Then right before graduation, the greatest thing of all happened. I got an email from my favorite actress’s stylist. You have to understand how much I loved this actress. I used to daydream about being her best friend. She was my inspiration. She was the model I used for all my sketches. And now she wanted to wear one of my dresses during a trip to Kenya! The stylist requested that I send ten samples to choose from. I borrowed $5,000 to make the dresses. I worked for weeks. I couldn’t sleep. I even skipped my final portfolio presentation to deliver the samples. I told everyone: my friends, my professors, and even the president of my school. Everyone hugged me and said: ‘We aren’t surprised. You have so much talent. You were meant for greatness!’ Over the next few weeks, I refreshed the actress’s website all day long, waiting to see my dress.”

(1/3) “I used to work at a bank in Cameroon. I designed…

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(1/3) “I used to work at a bank in Cameroon. I designed clothing as a hobby, but I never really saw it as a possible profession. There really is no such thing as a ‘fashion designer’ in Cameroon. If you make clothes, you are known as a ‘seamstress.’ When I arrived in America, I realized that it was possible to pursue a career in fashion. At first I tried to become as Western as possible. I tried to change my accent. I wore extensions and straightened my hair. I started wearing high-end name brands. But when I finally went back to Cameroon for a visit, I was able to see my country with new eyes. I’d always viewed the culture as local and primitive because it was all I’d ever known. But having gotten some distance, I could appreciate its beauty. As soon as I got back to America, I cut my hair and sewed myself a traditional dress. I wore the dress to my job at Saks 5th Avenue, and a customer asked me where she could find it in the store. That gave me so much confidence.”