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[Andre Leon Talley] Tracy, Mimi, thank you for taking the time from your busy schedules to come and have this
brief conversation about the lack quote-unquote designers. I think we're in
2016 I think we would have moved beyond being considered a black designer. Tell
me how what are the experiences you had as a designer in fashion not just a
black designer but what part of the role of being black African American or
African play in your career? What kind of specific experiences you had on your
journey into being a designer? [Tracy Reese] You know I think it arouses some interest or it did
the time when I started because there weren't many of us out front. So in a lot
of ways I feel like I benefited because I was of interest to journalists and the
press and I think you just you know you have to show that you
are an equal to anyone else in your area of the industry and I think that you know
that was important. I think that I was brought up very old-school you know my
dad took me aside and said you know prepared to work twice as hard for half
as much and don't let that deter you and I think that made me a fighter.
[Andre] Great and Mimi. [Mimi Plange] well my approach to design initially you know the same
things. It was in my my head about what it is to be a black designer it's something
that you know I had already seen it categorized before. I've read about black
designers and it was inspirational and it served its purpose and let me
know that okay also I can also do this but I feel like times have also changed
and I feel like when you approach design from your race I don't see that
as being beneficial when we're trying to touch as many people as possible with
the clothes that we make and so for me I I thought that the approach has been you
know yes you can see the color of my skin
that's not the approach that I'm using in design and it has nothing to do with
the designs that I'm creating and that today's a new day that might
have worked you know. [Andre] back in the day. [Mimi] But I don't feel like that's really beneficial
to you now because we're all trying to build hopefully global brands right that
touch across a lot of different cultures and so there's no reason to be specified
into any one group because it doesn't mean anything because even when you put
us in those groups you're still you're just saying all black designers but
we're all very different black designers too.
We're all making very different products. [Tracy] And when you look at Stephen Burrows or
Willi Smith, they had global clients. Their clothing appealed
to everyone and you know there are plenty of people who probably to this
day don't know. [Andre] Well that they were black yeah. Tracy you've had 20 years in
the business and Mimi six, what type of stereotypes have you faced over the span
of your career. [Tracy] Wow. I think there's being black and then there's also
being a woman you know I think that you know as a woman I think business people
you really have to push them to take you seriously and that's something we
struggle with every day and it doesn't matter how long you've been in the
business but especially starting out that was probably even more challenging.
[Andre] More challenging than being black. [Tracy] Yeah and you know in terms of race you know I
always for me it's to my benefit. It can never be detraction from me achieving
goals and so I never really thought of my race as a problem because I'll have
to see it as an asset makes me who I am. [Andre] Makes you special. [Andre] Makes me special
and it colors all my experiences and also my inspiration. So I always saw it
as an asset someone else might have thought differently and maybe something
didn't come my way because of it but if it didn't it wasn't meant to be mine.
[Andre] Because to quote to go back to the history of quote unquote black fashion
Ann Lowe who is a black fashion designer was a descendent of slaves taught
by her mother or grandmother to be a sore sold clothes and she dressed Jackie
Kennedy and she dressed society ladies. Do you think that the ladies went to her because
she was black or because her clothes were beautiful. [Tracy] because her clothes were beautiful.
[Andre] exactly and when you design it people don't go to stores thinking I
want to wear that because that black designer did it. I don't think people think
that way. Do they? Maybe they did at a time. [Tracy] There are some you know fans um
black women who are really so excited you know to wear our clothes because
they know that we're also black designers and they want to show their
support. [Andre] of course. [Tracy] you know so that's very real but I think the average
customer going into a store yeah it's just do I like this you know does it
speak to me. [Andre] does it speak to my body? Does it speak to my color of my
lifestyle? Comfort. Investment quality. It's the
same goals and other designers would have no? [Tracy] Can you imagine if
you walk into a store and there is like a section for black designers? [Andre] A section for Muslim designers or Latina
designers and Indian
designers There must be great Indian designers you know. [Tracy] fabulous ones yeah.
[Andre] it's funny because I never thought of fashion in terms of as segregated
because when I became and wanted to be passionate about fashion I was very
young man in school and I was looking at fashion in so many different places and
particularly Vogue but I must say I didn't think oh well that's a black designer and
Stephen Burrows I related to his clothes because they
were wonderful and colorful.I was excited to see him in Vogue but the
clothes excited me much more than you know his being black. I just thought by
the way he's a great black designer no. [Mimi] I mean you can't ignore the fact
of you know like when we talk about stereotypes I would say that one thing
that I had noticed is when you're trying to make really nice quality products
sometimes I feel like and we were talking about this earlier but I think
it has a lot to do with like classism too not just you know you being black or I
mean it's just a fact that you know there's only about 12% of black people
in the United States and if you look at you know the statistics of how many have
wealth or don't have wealth and then you look into this industry when you're
trying to make product that's a high-end product sometimes it's like would I buy
this product from you. D you understand this product or should you be making
streetwear because that's where we feel like maybe you can come from. I mean
those are the stereotypes that you know I had faced and above all those
things I think that our brand has been able to shine because we understand that
it's not just about that it is just about the product you know at the end of
the day like you said you can I mean you can try to you know put people in any
kind of box that you want to but I think that you know fashion is about creating
desire in people so that's the most important thing above all else. [Andre] and both
of you have branched out in some respect maybe it's not known but both of you
have particularly great talents for making beautiful things for the home like
Tracy your story you had beautiful pillow slips and sheets which are very
important and Mimi you have a line for ??? of fabrics for ???
sofas and things. So tell us about that I mean how do you branch on and make other
products other than fashion? [Tracy] I think there's a natural desire. I
think amongst a lot of designers to branch out and you know you look at your
product and you think wow this would be a terrific bed or this would make an
amazing table or gorgeous curtains and you know we started out just doing it
ourselves and we sort of made a signature out of the things that you
know we couldn't make extra wide sheets so the signature was our borders were up
the center because I have a joint but to that to this day you know when I look at
those sheets. [Andre] They look wonderful. [Tracy] Exactly and they're their unique.
but I think that because we love prints and we love to have color
it translates beautifully to the home into an eclectic environment which is
what I love. I'm not a beige person never have been never will be youwdon't
walk into my home and see a nice muted atmosphere. It's very colorful
and alive and there's lots of texture and pattern and I love that you
know all things that you love can be put in an environment and somehow work
together because it's an expression of you so sharing that with other people
has been a joy. [Andre] and Mimi what about your home. I'm sure it's full of color no?
[Mimi] Lots of color and lots of patterns and because you know we do
prints. We do all of our own custom prints. We were approached by Roche Bobois to do a
poster there Mahjong their iconic iconic mahjong set which um it had some since
1950s and so that you know was an honor and I think for us looking at doing home
is more so about thinking of doing lifestyle. I think you know as a brand
now the fashion designer you can focus on just fashion but I think that there's
so much more to it especially because of social media and everybody wants
everything everywhere now and they want to have all different aspects of you.
They want your shoes. They want your bags. They want you know what you're sleeping
on and so you know to think more globally in a brand that can touch as
much as possible you know just branching out into lifestyle and home is just the
next step. [Andre] What do you strive for? What do you think is you can give to fashion and
be unique today both of you? [Tracy] you know I design clothing for women and I
am a woman and I think that our approach to design is different because we're
wearing the clothes and I think in these changing times when women have so much
more responsibility and we're so incredibly busy and we're on the go
addressing the needs of a customer it's so urgent that the clothing is
comfortable and that it really works you know you don't want to sit down for a
meeting all wrinkled because you are in a cab or in a hot environment whatever and
you arrived crushed you don't want your feet to be aching. It takes an edge off
of your competitiveness if you are not comfortable so you know looking
gorgeous and being comfortable. [Andre] and unique
true to yourself. [Tracy] yep exactly and that's what's beautiful now you can be
feminine and powerful and there was a time when you had to choose you know
being powerful meant you had to. [Andre] The executive suit the corporate board suite.
[Tracy] Exactly and now just being yourself and expressing your individuality is more
powerful. [Andre] I think this is why this is an important event, important exhibit.
[Tracy] you know so it's a really exciting time and I think that we have a great
natural understanding of the needs of our customers. [Andre] Tell us about some of the
experiences Mimi you had growing up in Ghana that you brought into your fashion
brand signature. [Mimi] being born in Ghana I have kind of a displaced kind of feeling
because I came here when I was five years old and so I'm very much so
African American and I'm very much little African because in our house it
was very traditional what I've been interested in in fashion and when I was
made to look at stories and people using Africa's inspiration I guess I just
didn't like how it was always based off of only like the prints or the wax
prints or I felt like there was like so much more story in there and I felt like
it was always on the surface and it was always the same and I felt like there
was not a lot of depth like no one was really going back in researching and so
I started looking at a lot of pre-colonial African tribes because my
mom has a scar on her cheek and she told me she got it when she was 13 and it was
like a tribal mark that she had and I started researching different tribal
marks and what they meant and it took me to the Omo Valley where they do a lot of
decoration all over their body with florals and and different items and I
wanted to express that in a way that was really elegant. Taking something that
people because scarification is definitely something that people look at us you
know it's not beautiful it's like tattooing and scarring the skin but
who's to say that that's not beautiful. You're a product of your environment
so however wherever you grow whatever people kind of tell you you're going to
feel that way you're going to find the beauty in it so I just take some of
those traditions and try to create really elegant silhouette so allow
someone to look at a garment and just say oh my god this is so beautiful and
then when they hear about the inspiration they're like oh my gosh I
didn't even know it came from there so it's always really supposed to be
you know subtle and to give a new vision of Africa one
that's really unexpected. One that's um you know kind of whimsical and new you
know that's really what we're trying to do and that's I guess where the
uniqueness is. [Andre] so tell us about your experiences Tracy growing up in
Detroit. [Tracy] right I'm a native of Detroit and so proud of it and I think that it
definitely colors my design inspiration and you know everything I do and last
fall we actually filmed our fall fashion film in Detroit and it was just a great
celebration of the city and a family and all the things that I know and love
but I think as a Detroiter you know we grew up loving fashion and I think
people of color loved to dress up and you know everybody still dresses to go
to church and you know here in New York you can you can run into Church in your
jogging clothes and that's fine but in Detroit you still dress to go to church
and to go to the theater and to go to a nice restaurant and so that's what I
grew up with and my my mom and grandmother they always dress my mom
sewed for so many occasions you know she was going out that evening she would
literally start sewing a dress [Andre] that afternoon. [Tracy] exactly and I would do
the finishing while she did her makeup so that was our routine but I
love that and the excitement of it and just the celebratory mood and I
think that we have to keep that. As casual as life is becoming, I
think you still you know when you're dressed properly for an event and you
walk in there's nothing like the feeling of knowing that you look good and I
think our customers expect that from us. They need that extra lift and we
all need it as people and we don't just do it for ourselves, we do it for those
who will see us because you know how many times has someone come up to you and said
they love what you have on or or what you had on made them smile or the
color made them happy or whatever so I think it's also something
that we do for each other. [Andre] I remember, maybe you didn't grow up with it in Africa. I
hope you did, but I remember we growing up Tracy Soul Train we used to
people [Mimi] I love Soul Train. [Andre] Of course you love Soul Train. You met with some
to dress. I didn't go to Soul Train but you dress up in the attitude of
Soul Train when you were going out to go to dance or something. So it's always
about us getting dressed to go out to celebrate if you celebrate life. [Tracy] It's funny that
you mentioned that too because you know that ??? Boone was my
first boss design boss and she loved Soul Train.
She had VHS tapes of old Soul Train episode. [Andre] I have a whole set, a box set. [Mimi] I love it.
[Andre] Just wrap it up ladies I want to ask you a special question. Our First Lady
Michelle Obama has done so much for fashion. She's embraced fashion not only
while a quote unquote fashion designers but fashion. Now you both have had the
privilege of having our first lady wear some of your designs have you not. [Tracy and MiMi] Yes.
[Andre] What was that like when you first saw her wearing your dress?
[Mimi] Well for me it was unbelievable. Would have never thought that something like that and I
would have never thought that like a First Lady would look at an emerging
designer because we were very new and give us an opportunity to dress her on that kind of
a stage that she's on being the you know the First Lady really of the world and
so um it's been a huge huge honor and it made us step up our work and
caliber everything you know like this is how it has to be you know it's just um
it's been a blessing all around and it's something that you can just cherish
with you and its history. [Andre] Yes and Tracy. [Tracy] Right it's you know what
it's I think it's I don't wants to say it's the cap but it is one of the ultimate
experiences of my career and you know she's I think not just because she's the
First Lady but she's someone we admire so greatly and you know she's been
so supportive and so loving and so inclusive of all of us of the
fashion community as a whole and you know it's when you're dressing people that you
admire then you know that your work is
worth while and it takes on exponential meaning so it's been such a
pleasure and you know to know that she wears the clothes and she wears in her
private life but you know whatever little space she can carve out for
herself as well as in her public life has been you know just gives me an
amazing feeling. [Andre] Well we're going to miss her. I'm going to miss her.
in both your design. [Tracy] We're going to shed salty tears. [Andre] We're going to shed loads of tears.
We're going to miss her. I can't wait to see him say the farewell on the helicopter
leaving you know or going to Georgetown where she is but I think that she's
incredible. I think we're going to miss her. [Tracy] She's been a blessing to
us all. [Andre] Not only in fashion but just as an inspiration. So ladies I thank you
very much for this little chitchat. [Tracy] Thank you. [Andre] Wonderful conversation.
Thank you so much.
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