(techno music)
But it was hard for me to say it 'cause nobody was doing it.
I've worked with Target three times.
I've worked with Nordstrom.
I've traveled all around the world,
I've been to Berlin and Venice.
I worked with the UN.
I also worked with Beyonce, and I think
a lot of people love talking about that.
That was amazing.
I can't even tell you how crazy that was.
Initially, I saw the lack
of representation for my community.
As far as the industry goes, I think
if we continue to include everyone
and make it very inclusive behind the scenes
and in front of the scenes, it's gonna definitely help
the industry move very, very forward.
My career goal was to be an editor at a magazine
to hire people like myself to be
in covers and features and all of that.
Knowing that there is someone out there
who will look at my work or will look at anything that I do
and go,
I have a spastic muscular dystrophy.
It's basically the tightening up of your tendons
or your muscles, so there's times
where if I'm nervous, excited, any emotion, really,
my muscles get tighter and it gets
a little difficult for me to like, do things.
My first ever day working
during Fashion Week I will never forget.
It was at Bryant Park.
One of the conductors looked at me up and down
and she went, yeah, I don't think
you're the person we're waiting for.
And she leaves and comes back five minutes with a T-shirt
and says, I'm sorry, sweetie, you're gonna have to go home.
This is not a place for you.
Fashion Week is twice a year.
For three or four seasons I kept going back
and kept getting rejected until I made my way in
and I saw that the tents were not equipped
as far as accessibility goes.
The caterers had ramps.
So me being me, I went through the catering ramp
and I made my way into Fashion Week
And I'm very proud to say that because I spoke up,
there's always an elevator at every Fashion Week entrance.
I was told at a very young age, probably eight or seven,
that I was gonna work 10 times as hard as everyone,
but it didn't really compute in my mind
until I was a little older.
But my mom always planted the seed when I was younger
that I was gonna have to work harder,
that the world wasn't truly ready for me
and truly ready for someone like me.
Nothing is given to you without you
actually knowing how to overcome it,
and I knew that this was definitely something that I really,
with my heart and soul, wanted to be a part of.
And we all have that power to shine that light
as bright as we can, and that definitely
will help you go down that dark tunnel.
You're your own lamp.
(uplifting music)