Latest / NAACP+ Inside The Industry / The Making of a Fashion Powerhouse | Brandon Gray on Building House of Gray and Dressing Hollywood

Transcript

The Making of a Fashion Powerhouse | Brandon Gray on Building House of Gray and Dressing Hollywood · NAACP+ Inside The Industry

• 0:00
  Speaker A: Fashion is always a representation of where I'm from. Imagine sitting in a room full of talent and nobody knows how talented you are. Right? All the things you say, I'm better than that person. I'm better than you. I can't believe that person got that break. Well, what have you done? What have you done to put yourself in that position? What have you done to put yourself out there? I still let opportunities go by me sometimes, and I feel like I sometimes still. To play it too cool. Don't be too cool. Talk your mess, man, because somebody needs to hear it. And if the right person hears it, it could go into the right room.
• 0:30
  Speaker B: On today's episode, you're getting an inside look at what it takes to build a career in fashion. From laying the groundwork to commanding the red carpet, Brandon Gray's designs have created unforgettable moments at events like the NAACP Image Awards, Oscars, MET Gala, and more. He's dressed some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Colman Domingo, Tony Tyler Perry, and Niecy Nash, just to name a few. In this conversation, we break down how he got into the game, how he turned House of Gray into a red carpet. Must have. And what it takes to evolve in an industry that never stands still. I'm your host, Ariana Drummond. Welcome to NAACP's Inside the Industry. Brandon, thank you so much for joining us for Inside the Industry. How's your heart today?
• 1:23
  Speaker A: It's my pleasure. My heart is good. It's full. It's happy to be in here and be in a space where I get to talk about what I do and how I've been blessed to do it.
• 1:32
  Speaker B: So amen. I love that. That's adorable. So you've dressed talent across major moments from the Oscars to the NAACP Image Awards, and your designs have been worn by clients like Colman Domingo, Tyler Perry, and Niecy Nash. When you look at all of your major accolades, which moment made you really step back and be, dang, I'm really doing this?
• 1:54
  Speaker A: It would have to be the Met Gala, the moment that made me step back the most. It felt like one of the most surreal moments of my life. A lot of things that continue to happen to me. I always say that the ceiling becomes the floor. So all of a sudden, now when I'm doing something, it's the expectation for what's next or what's gonna happen. And it was hard for that moment to be able to even be in that moment because I knew that that was going to change the levels, and it changed everything. And it was a beautiful moment, man. One of the most just out of body experiences that I've ever had.
• 2:26
  Speaker B: I love that. So speaking of the Met Gala, you know, it's arguably one of the biggest nights in fashion. So I have to ask, are you gonna be there this year or what's going on?
• 2:33
  Speaker A: I might not be present, but I always don't mind if I'm not present as long as Gray is in the house.
• 2:39
  Speaker B: Amen.
• 2:40
  Speaker A: Right, so, yeah, we working on a couple of things and see what comes through.
• 2:43
  Speaker B: Look, look. Give us some tea.
• 2:45
  Speaker A: Yeah. You know, it's always. It's a race to the finish, you know, and honestly, to even be in the race is an. You know, because to be in that room and with so many socialites and the elite when it comes to fashion, it's an honor to just even be considered in that space. So we're praying to see what happens. But even if not, we already blessed.
• 3:07
  Speaker B: Amen. Amen. I love that. So let's shift a little bit to today's fashion landscape. A lot of people equate fashion to today's trends. How do you personally define what fashion is right now?
• 3:19
  Speaker A: How do I define what fashion is right now? It's a story. I always think of fashion in a sense of telling a story. Anything that I wear or anything that I put on clients or anything that I design, like, what do I want to articulate with no words, right? What do I want? My clients, who may feel like they're going to walk in a room and know that they have a piece that's a conversation piece, how do I let that translate them for them? How do I have. How do I deal with that client that wants to be clean but quiet? You know, they don't want anybody to talk to them, but they see what I got going on. Got going on, and they see it looks great. So it's really about storytelling always. I want to make sure that a story is told for each piece that I make or for each client that I dress.
• 4:01
  Speaker B: I love that. So speaking of trends, give me your hot take on something that shouldn't have made a comeback or should have just died. Like, let's bury that. Let's leave that there.
• 4:11
  Speaker A: So my, my. And I'm trying to, as a designer, right, you have to come sometime times, understand the trends and. And know that you got to work with them, right? So my thing is, we for right now is the. The fully flat shoe. It is just such an irony. Like, I used to hate them when, like 2004, when they first came out, like, Steve Madden had them flat shoes. But not everybody has like the really, really flat, like the samba sneakers or like slippings. Okay, Sneakers. Yeah, like sambas. Nike has them. They just did a commonly collab with Jock moose that they came out with some. It's just the flattest sneakers. Low profile, no real lift or anything. It just. And we went from having platforms.
• 4:53
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 4:53
  Speaker A: You know, having this whole extra piece around it to now just being flat on the ground. I'm talking a rock is going to rock your world if you step on it. That is not my favorite, but I have learned to. You know, with fashion, you just got to move with the trends and find a place to make it your own also.
• 5:09
  Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, I will say I love a good sneaker. Like, I don't really love heels like that. So I'm like, I'm really into sneakers, and sneakers that make me a little taller because I'm short. So I'm like, I love those.
• 5:18
  Speaker A: You love all the platforms.
• 5:20
  Speaker B: I'll take them. I'll take them. So some may say that fashion is deeply connected to culture. Talk a little bit about the responsibility as a black designer having and shaping representation and narrative through fashion.
• 5:34
  Speaker A: For sure. Fashion is always a representation of where I'm from. My story is always told in a couple of different areas. I probably can boil it down to three. The neighborhood that I grew up in, the church and the military. You'll always see some type of representation between those three in something that I do. The precision of the line it up, which is the military. Right. The monochromatic, in which I always do the same colors throughout, which is growing up in neighborhoods with bloods and crips and seeing them do all of their things with wearing them same colors. And the church. Easy. Right. Like, that was the first Runway that I was ever on. So seeing that Sunday's best Easter's coming up, you know, you already know what you're going to look like and you're going to put out your best foot forward. And I just knew that my grandfather and everybody, they always showed out. So those are the three pieces for me, for culture that's always relevant.
• 6:26
  Speaker B: I love that. So take us back to your humble beginnings. I know you're from Inglewood. Inglewood.
• 6:32
  Speaker A: You know,
• 6:34
  Speaker B: at what point did your relationship with fashion evolve from passion to profession?
• 6:39
  Speaker A: You know what? It wasn't even a passion. It was more so something that came and got you. You know, growing up, I could dress, but I don't think that I thought about monetizing.
• 6:50
  Speaker B: It.
• 6:50
  Speaker A: You know, I was a fashionable dude. If I show you some throwback jerseys growing up in high school, I was fabulous, man. I had all the Swing man jerseys, all of them. But fashion was just something that was just in me. But I didn't think about monetizing it until college, actually. For my fraternity, shout out to afi, I started making, like, the first shirts that I would make, and I saw the ability to monetize that. And then when I moved to D.C. to go to law school, I moved out there to go to law school. I never went, but I moved out there for that. And when I moved out there, I started to. That's when the fashion bug really bit me. And I made the decision that this is what I want to do. And I started. I was in finance, but my clients, I started managing their closets too. So it was literally people would come in and they would love how I dressed. I was a WASPy banker, but a little bit of a peacock. So this was the time of, like, Great Gatsby first coming out. And I was just, like, constantly showcasing what I could do. And my clients would want to be able to show a little bit of character, flavor. Living in D.C. you know, it's the blacks, the blues, the grays. When you go to the Hill, when you're dealing with Congress and all of that. So it's not really too much expression in that space. And my clients saw me finding a balance between corporate and expression, and they wanted to gravitate. They naturally gravitated toward that. And that was the first time it. I really started to monetize it and think, like, oh, so that's where styling first started for me. But then it was a moment where I felt styling in D.C. was over so quickly because it was only so much that we could do. And that's when the. The idea came that, okay, maybe I could start to create my own stuff. And that was the beginning of the idea.
• 8:32
  Speaker B: I smiled earlier. Cause you. You mentioned jersey, but I remember in high school where I used to have a little Jersey dress. And I was like, those were a thing, but those were cute.
• 8:40
  Speaker A: Maya, shout out to Maya. She wears the brand all the time. But Maya made that best video with Jay Z. She had the North Carolina jersey on. And then Mariah Carey had the Wizards jersey dress. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So the Jersey dress was so prominent. But, I mean, you couldn't tell me it wasn't like, I know Shorty had it if she had the Jersey dress on. What? That's the it girl.
• 9:01
  Speaker B: I Love that. That is funny. Nostalgia. Nostalgia. So growing up, what do you think influenced your eye for style the most?
• 9:09
  Speaker A: My grandfather. My grandfather, he was the sharpest dude, man. He was a preacher in Norcal, in Stockton. And when I tell you that this man closet had the full rainbow in there, and it wasn't that he had the clothes, it was how he wore the clothes, it was the confidence in how he wore the clothes. Because he would put on a salmon and it would just be something just so cold. But, you know, another, you know, being in a pulpit with something like that, you know, somebody may look at you a little bit crazy. But he followed it up with Bible, not Bible. The word was so strong that he came. He was like, I look good and I sound good. You know, I'm like, this is ordained word that's coming. But the courage that he had when he would put those looks together, and it was like my grandmother used to, you know, just be his number one cheerleader. And that was just so beautiful to see his confidence and the reinforcement to the point where sometimes you may see somebody wearing something. My mom tells me this all the time, like, oh, I couldn't do that or I wouldn't pull that off. But, you know, sometimes it's just about confidence.
• 10:07
  Speaker B: That's true.
• 10:07
  Speaker A: And my grandfather, no matter what he had on, he had like the utmost confidence. And I'll forever remember for that.
• 10:12
  Speaker B: I love that. So what first took you from creating clothes to really getting your brand in front of certain people?
• 10:20
  Speaker A: Oh, man, the. The turn was really just being tenacious. I moved to Paris after I was in D.C. so I moved to Paris to learn how to design, and I moved to go to work for all of these, you know, the. The big major Parisian brands. And I found out I had the wrong type of visa when I moved there, so I couldn't work for the big brands. And in Europe, they don't play with under the table work. It's not like the States. You could come over here and, you know, oh, I'll get a job under the table. They don't play with that. So when I moved to Europe, I learned how to just be in the right spaces. And God was literally moving me in the right spaces. And I ended up working with a designer that was just opening up his brand. I used my banking experience to run his profit and loss. And that was the barter for us, for me to learn how to design. So when I came back to la, I hit the ground running, hit the network of the frat and apuje. Kalu was the stylist that I actually first started styling assisting under. And I did that for about a month or so. And when I sat down after I had a conversation with a and I told him, I said, hey, what do you think if I start the pieces that I'm learning to design, that I'm starting from my clothing line? What do you think if I put them in your fittings? But we don't tell the clients. We don't tell the clients. So I know his eyebrow went up at first. And then I was like, but we don't tell him. We don't tell them, right? So you think about a fitting. When you come in a celebrity, when they come into a fitting, they have a rack full of clothes, right? They don't know what's all on that rack, right? But they know that they're going to choose something from said rack, right? So I just wanted the opportunity to be in the room, right? You know, like, and I think that that's a. That's a whole statement. If I could just get in the room, if I could touch the hem of the garment, like, you know, like, all I needed to do is be in the room. So being in a room, I had the opportunity for clients to start to try my pieces on, right? And then I got real time feedback from celebrities. You know, like, I would ask them, why didn't you choose this Givenchy? Why didn't you choose this Louis Vuitton? And then I would say, oh, why didn't you choose this piece? And they didn't know it was gray, right? It was grayscale at the time, but they didn't know it was me. And they'd be like, oh, the fit was off. This color is major loud. Or something like that. And each piece of feedback I took, and I literally went and went back to the lab, tweaked it. Okay, maybe a pink, but maybe a salmon.
• 12:36
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 12:36
  Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? Not a hot pink. Maybe the fit. Oh, I like my clothes fitted, but that may not work for everybody else. Maybe adjust the fit a little bit. So I tweaked everything. And then before I knew it, my first actual placement was on Jay Ellis, who we know from Insecure. Of course, a lot of people know from Insecure, but Jay's done so much recently with the Showtime and. And all the shows and the movies that he's been in. So he's. Man, that. That was pinnacle for me at that time. Him from Insecure, Jay, the. The IT guy from Insecure, putting on My piece. And that was the beginning. That was the beginning, Jay. And then from there, it went to Neo. And from Neo, it just started to snowball. And more and more we started having the clients in the pieces. I got the opportunities to make customs, and Apu J really opened that door for me. He gave me the opportunity to be able to showcase my talents. And I was shout out to Pooje. Big shout outs to Apu Jay. Big shout outs.
• 13:29
  Speaker B: So what was that moment for you? Like, especially with jls prominent name, like, what was that moment for you to have him wear your designs?
• 13:38
  Speaker A: It was surreal. It felt like I didn't understand what was getting ready to go, you know? Like, I knew when I moved to Paris, I knew I wanted to do something. I knew when I came home, I had an idea of how I was going to execute it. Right? But literally, the prayer was really like, lord, order my steps. And just being in those right rooms, in those right places at the right times. It was nothing but God showing up for me and just kind of placing me, like, I got you, son. Let me do this for you. And that made it feel so good, you know, because I can't say that I don't have this, like, crazy overcoming story, you know, like, that. It's not. It wasn't like that. Literally, we went overnight. We started booming. I'm metro booming. Like, it started booming, and it started happening. And, you know, so many people speaking life into the brand, too. Oh, you gonna be the young black Tom Ford. I'm like, me. Little old me. Like, that's crazy. But I was appreciative, and I stepped into it. And it was also a moment of, like, opportunity, meeting, preparation. That intersection needed to occur. I was prepared, and I was ready to be able to move in those spaces and in those rooms. And as a result of the opportunity, you know, I showed up and I showed out.
• 14:50
  Speaker B: Amen. I know with a couple of earlier guests, we talked about, like, having imposter syndrome. Like, do you ever feel like that? Or, like. And how do you navigate that?
• 14:59
  Speaker A: All the time. All the time. Sometimes when I'm looking at big brands, you know, sometimes I get just a little bit shy when I'm thinking about, like, how big or the scale of stuff, because I know what my mind looks like. Right. I know my pockets look like, too. Right. So when I'm. Sometimes I. I think it's not even about imposter syndrome. It's about comparison, being a thief of joy.
• 15:22
  Speaker B: Amen. Amen.
• 15:23
  Speaker A: Right. Like, I need to put my blinders on and do the best version of what I can do and know that whatever I'm showcasing you is just a tenth of what I could do. You know what I'm saying? Y' all doing that with big budgets. I'm doing that with just me. So imagine if I got your big budget. I go crazy, too. And I have to remind myself of that at times. Like, you're doing great right now, you know? And don't think about tomorrow. Tomorrow has its own worries, right? Like, you need to be here today and what you're really working on. So sometimes with imposter syndrome, it's also a good job to look back. Sometimes I think that rearview mirror looks a lot closer than it is. And when you look back on what you came from, or I look back at that first Pepto Bismol pink jacket that J. Ellis wore, and I'm like, okay. Mm. I would never put that on nobody now. But the amount of. The amount of pride that I had when he put that thing on, you know what I'm saying? At that moment, that was good for that moment. Right? And I think the imposter syndrome, it just comes with always wanting to be better than what you were. So it's a. It's. It's a good balance in having that staying on your P's and your Q's. But also, you gotta be able to understand what you came from in order to know where you're at and really appreciate it.
• 16:29
  Speaker B: 100, 100. So with all this success and accolades and you don't have to name names, but has there been a moment that you've ever had to, like, turn down somebody to dress?
• 16:38
  Speaker A: Oh, I'm definitely not naming names, but, you know, it is a moment of elevation and access. Right. And I think that that's something that's really difficult to navigate because access previously doesn't mean access currently. You know, I mean, right. It could be with your. With your ex boyfriend, and you don't give him another chance, he'd be like, you had your chance, right? When it comes to fashion, as the brand elevates. Of course, when I was starting out, I did a lot of seating, so you might have seen the brand on a lot more people. Right? And then you kind of tighten that up. Right? Like, so now it's a little bit more of. I have a certain vision of who I would like to see the brand on, and now it's more. So in the most respectful way, I want you to pay to play. Right. I have given you the free subscription, Right. I'VE given you the 30 day trial you tried on the pieces, you've worn the pieces, you've gotten the feedback for what it looks like of you and the pieces, you've gotten the confidence that the pieces give to you. Now I need you to give back to me.
• 17:40
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 17:40
  Speaker A: Right. Because we're in the business of making money in the end of the day. Right. Like, so just having everybody have access to the brand is beneficial in some capacity. Right. But as far as us still being a business, you have to be able to find that balance in that.
• 17:54
  Speaker B: So outside of, I don't want to just say like, outside of like money, but is there anything else that contributes to figuring out who best or what best aligns with your brand?
• 18:06
  Speaker A: Yeah, it's just where you're, where you're headed. Right. Not where you're at, where you're headed, what you want to see. Because each year you got to think about award season. Yeah. We only have a strong four months to be able to showcase. And you're looking at who, whose movie is big at this time, whose play is big, who's. Whose TV show is big. Right. So there's only a select few of people at that time. So you create your wish list and you start to go after those people. So you definitely, you know, shoot for the stars, fall amongst the, you know, the clouds. But at the same time, you, you have to have an onus of knowing the worth. Like, nah, if I can get these on the right people, it'll show.
• 18:43
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 18:44
  Speaker A: Right. Because the truth of the matter is, I'm showcasing you my talent. And if my talent doesn't get the chance to be the screen in front of you, then sometimes you may never know who I am. Right. So when you get that opportunity, you gotta show up and show out. So when somebody wear the brand, they don't even know that they've been seeing you. I've been priming you to know that you've been in love with gray and you didn't even know it. So now you come and you see the brand and you like, oh, you did this. Oh, you did that. Like, I've been around, you just didn't know. So now it's all about making the brand more of a household name.
• 19:16
  Speaker B: Yeah. What do they say? Stay ready so you don't have to get ready.
• 19:18
  Speaker A: I don't got to get ready. Opportunity meeting, preparation.
• 19:21
  Speaker B: Amen. Amen. Nicely said. So you talked a lot about getting into this industry without having the connections. What do you think has been the
• 19:31
  Speaker A: hardest part of your Journey finding. Finding man as. As finding somebody to believe in your vision the same way that you do, you know, And I think that a lot of. A lot of minority companies or whatever, we. We have the space or the capacity and the wherewithal, the knowledge, the skill set to be able to do that. But there's so many companies that I saw even fall by the wayside when it came to the pandemic, right? The pandemic was dropping left and right like flies because we didn't have the ability to sustain. And I. I've seen brands that had no business still being here, you know, making it through those tough moments. And it's tough to see because you don't want to be a yesterday, you know, thought of yesterday, and, you know, you still have so much to give. But in the end of the day, funding matters, you know, like funding these black businesses and these ventures. Like, we need that. We need people to pour into us. We need people to believe in us just as much as we believe in ourselves. And the proof is in the pudding, you know, like, it's not like I'm asking for no handout. Clearly, the brand has been doing okay. Okay? Right. And it could only get better. Right? So refining that process, reshaping that process and knowing when to partner, that's the. That's the tough thing.
• 20:47
  Speaker B: So speaking of that, what's maybe one lesson that you learned or that you wish you learned earlier on that you know now, or maybe that somebody would have told you, gave you a heads up about?
• 20:58
  Speaker A: Um, you know, I think being from California, we are too cool. We are too cool. So I spent five years living in D.C. and the first thing that I recognized when I lived in D.C. was that it moves, right? The east coast moves. I don't care if you want a job or a date, you gonna know within the first three minutes if it's going down, right? Because some people might call that social climbing. And I understand that there needs to be a balance between that, but I appreciated DC just so much for being able to show me straight up and down real quick. What do you do? Who do you know? Can you help me? No, you can't. It was a pleasure meeting you, right? And it was like, okay. Like, at first, when I was first moved from la, I was taken aback, like, yeah, right. Like, I feel like you're trying to use me, right? Like, that's crazy. But now, you know, as a. As more as a shape, more of a businessman, right? I'm moving like a businessman. Like, now. It's not Personal, it's just business. I need to know because my time is valuable 100%. So if I'm spending time in this room, it's no need. If I'm in this room specifically for that, let me clarify that. If I'm in this room to network and I'm looking to network up, then there's nothing wrong with working that room and networking up. Now, I'm not saying that any conversation you have with anybody needs to be benefiting you, but if you're in a networking sense, you know, and you're knowing what you're looking for, you have to go find that, right? And it's a numbers game. You have to have more conversations. But California, me, when I first started out, somebody would tell me that they like what I wore, right? And that was just me in California. They would tell me I like what I wore, they like what I'm wearing. And I would say, thank you. Right. Fast forward five years after living in D.C. somebody would tell me what I like what you're wearing. Oh, thanks. This is for my brand. It's called House of Gray. Actually, I designed it. Something I can make for you would be something that makes you feel just as good as you saw as you saw when you felt me. So when can we set up an appointment? Here's my car. You know, like the, the level of closing and aggression and not in a negative sense, but the ability to see something and see it as an opportunity. I think sometimes I still let opportunities go by me sometimes, and I feel like I sometimes still to play it too cool, right? So if there's one thing, it's playing it too cool. Like, I appreciate my, my people that get out there and pitch themselves, you know, because it is. It is a tough world, you know, to champion you wherever you go. And sometimes I don't. I don't have the social energy to be able to do that, right? But when you get out in these streets and they say, oh, house of gray, or people still call me grayscale when they see me too, you know, like. And it's like, I appreciate that, but I know I have to put something on. I know you're looking for me to give you this and tell me about that. So don't be too cool. Don't be too cool. Talk your mess, man, because somebody needs to hear it. And if the right person hears it, it could go into the right room. So own what you do.
• 23:49
  Speaker B: Yeah, 100%. I think to your point, we come into these rooms and we don't want to Be, like, thirsty, I guess you would say. And. But like, I've noticed to your point, New York has a complete. Or New York east coast has a completely different hustle.
• 24:01
  Speaker A: Right.
• 24:02
  Speaker B: But, you know, in order to get that bread, you got to do what you got to do.
• 24:04
  Speaker A: So. I mean, because you imagine sitting in a room full of talent and nobody knows how talented you are. Right. Only thing you saying, I'm better than that person. I'm better than you. I can't believe that person got that break. Well, what have you done? What have you done to put yourself in that position? What have you done to put yourself out there? You know, like, getting used to those no's.
• 24:25
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 24:26
  Speaker A: Is never easy, but the more that you're used to them, the more that they roll off the back of you and you just keep on going. Right. But that first one hits like, a ton of bricks. Like, oh, my God, I can't believe you told me. No, I'm so hurt. Like, by the time you hear it 10 times, you, like, is what it is. On to the next one. Like, you know, it's like. So you get that out the way. Get that out the way. Don't be scared of that. And if you are scared of that, let's go ahead and just face it head on, because that success is on the other side of that fear.
• 24:51
  Speaker B: Amen. Oh, you spitting gems today. Okay, so talking about being in these rooms, how important are relationships and access in shaping this industry?
• 25:01
  Speaker A: They're everything. Your. Your. Your network. What do you say your net worth is? Your net worth. It's. They're everything. The relationships that you build. And I'm not talking about build and leave. I'm talking about build and harvest.
• 25:17
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 25:17
  Speaker A: You go and you. You get in that soil and you know, like, if. If. If success is divine, like, you need to be close, right? Hello. I need to be. I need to be stained. Make sure that I'm planted right in that. I need to be close enough to feel what it looks like when this is going good and when it's going bad. But if I'm never harvesting or tending to that, I planted that and left it. I don't know what's going on. Right. Like, I. I have to be locked in to hear, see, feel what is going on in my industry.
• 25:46
  Speaker B: So how has social media changed the way designers build visibility and connect with their audience?
• 25:53
  Speaker A: Social media is such a gift and a curse.
• 25:55
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 25:57
  Speaker A: I think now if you think about to, like, the. Or the origin of, like, Instagram and stuff like that, it was really just people just sharing their. Their talents. Right. And just showcasing what they could do. And if I have 40,000 followers, then 40,000 followers. Saw that right now there's algorithms. And sometimes you can get discouraged as a creative thinking that you don't have the reach.
• 26:19
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 26:20
  Speaker A: That you're. That you would, you know, like, how do I have this many followers? But if I look on my page, one tenth of that have seen my product. Right. And that can get very discouraging. And sometimes we have to make sure that we're staying true to ourselves in that process of still figuring out how to navigate social media. Because in the end, the. The vulnerability, the realness that always is going to shine through. You're going to find your niche audience when you find that.
• 26:44
  Speaker B: Yeah. The truth.
• 26:45
  Speaker A: So don't feel like you need to succumb to what social media does. And of course, you play the game, then you understand the algorithms, but at the same time, stay true to who you are and who it needs to reach. Will reach. There's a. There's a person out there that is literally looking for what you do, but you need to be authentic and stay in that so they can find you.
• 27:03
  Speaker B: What do you think when you look at some of these upcoming designers? What do you see? The biggest mistake is that maybe that they're making when they're. When they're trying to grow or when they're trying to expand.
• 27:15
  Speaker A: Skipping steps, skipping steps. And I think that comes with, like, business acumen. I think that's one of the biggest areas of opportunity that I see when it comes to the industry is because the business acumen will take you so, so much further. It'll allow you to be able to move in rooms that maybe talent won't keep you in, you know, because if you're talented but you. You can't respond to emails or you can't correspond or you're not palatable and you don't understand how to. Sometimes people, please. You know, it's like, this is. You're not. You're not trying to get your talent in front of these people. You're understanding that my relationships matter. Right. Like, so when I'm in those rooms and I'm the publicist, don't rock with me. That's the key. That's the gatekeep. Right. The publicist and the manager understand. You could be locked in with the talent and the publicist and the manager don't rock with you. And all of a sudden, now, all of a sudden you're out the door and you're thinking, I'm way more talented than the next person that they brought in. I put way more better looks together. I put whatever you may feel right, but are you harvesting the business side of that? They feel like they got a good business person. You're always on time. You don't ever have to be asked for nothing twice. You're doing the things that are not asked of you because it's just the way that you operate, right? So now you're moving as a. As a unit who is solid as opposed to just having a high propensity in one area and that's all you can offer. Like, you have to be well rounded in this game and sometimes skipping the business side of B school and things of that sort. Like, I think that that's feels is so underrated now because so many people, you know, I don't want to be in school forever. I just want to go do the work, you know. But you have to know how to do what you're doing. So spend that time. If you're not going to go to school for it, spend that time under somebody who's doing that. Humble yourself, you know, like, you have to know what you're doing before you jump out there. Because if you jump out there, you only got one time to be able to have your name be tarnished. And then all of a sudden, oh, I don't work with her. I don't work with him. Because they move funny. They don't know what they doing. It's a very talkative industry and you have to understand that. Use that to your advantage, though. So when I do a great job, when everybody talks about their experience with you, they're speaking highly of you. They're speaking about the. The favor that they see. They're speaking about a great experience, you know, and that. That will go so much further than Tyler can ever take you.
• 29:39
  Speaker B: Yeah. So you talked about putting yourself out there. Like, how do you navigate the pressure of, like, following trends versus just being original, doing what you want to do?
• 29:48
  Speaker A: It's a balance for me. I sometimes laugh because you almost got to have some little bit of a profit in you. I may put something out and it may not hit for three years. And do you know how that feels? How crazy that's crazy? You know how crazy that feels to put something out. And you be like, dang, the timing wasn't there yet. You know, as whatever people may have their opinions about Kanye, he's that type of person that has done that many of times, right. With the 808s. And with the way that he sampled, like, so much ahead of your game and with coming ahead of your game sometimes comes scrutiny, right? It comes that imposter syndrome. Because you're expecting. And we're in a microwave generation, you expect everything to hit right now. So as soon as I put this out, you're gonna buy a thousand of them. Duh. Right? And it doesn't happen like that. So now all of a sudden, I'm feeling like, was this right? Did I do it right? Was it at the right time? But when the timing matters, you know, and when it comes and when it hits right, all you need to be able to say is quiet to yourself, man, I knew that was hot. I knew I had it right there. And when it. When it happens, it's just affirmation that you are skilled in what you do. You're talented. So fill that moment. You are kind, you are smart. Know that that moment is there. Right? So if you. If you. If you let that waver because of what people say, I can't base my worth on what you feel about me. Right? My worth is not gonna waver. Just because you didn't rock with this today, you'll be around tomorrow. Don't worry.
• 31:21
  Speaker B: So talking a little bit about. Or pivoting the conversation a bit, talking about the future of fashion. You talked a lot about redefining luxury. What do you think the next era of fashion will actually be like or look like?
• 31:35
  Speaker A: I hope that the next era of fashion is a little bit more of a personal side where we. We move a little bit away from fast fashion. Fast fashion has gotten to a space where it's diluted the process and the idea of the. Because now I'm seeing people literally wear things one time. If I'm getting a fit for $7.90, I might wear it one time. And I'm just. I'm stowing it away. Right. But I think the stories that you may start to have with the pieces that are worked in and that are worn for a minute, as I. When I remember when I was younger, my J's would have to be pristine, clean, Right? But now I got some of the most expensive pair of Jays that are beat.
• 32:17
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 32:17
  Speaker A: And I still wear them. Right. Because there's a story that goes along with that, and there's a way that ownership actually lies with that. Some of the best luxury brands. Louis Vuitton, if you ever recognize the way that the handles. The handles being so tan is something that you think that you want, but as a connoisseur of the brand. All I see is that you don't even carry that bag. I see that that's something that you keep on a shelf. I wear my bag, I'll use my bag. Right. My hand oils are blending with that. That my, My piece shows usage. It shows that I'm actually not just consuming these, but I'm using these things right. So I would love for fashion to be in a space where people are keeping these pieces a little bit longer. A good thing about what I do suits people who keep for a period of time. But I can see like, you know, like the T shirt brands and stuff. Like, it goes. It comes and goes so quickly. So I would love for a relationship to be made with your clothes in the future.
• 33:09
  Speaker B: I love that. I know off camera, we talked a lot about, like, your mentorship in the community. So anybody growing up right now or 10 years from now who really wants to follow your path, what mindsets or habits do they need to instill in themselves or adopt right now to really have a. A shot in this industry, you gotta have.
• 33:31
  Speaker A: Man, it feels like the same thing with a relationship. You gotta have consistency. This is not something that's gonna happen overnight. Yeah, it's not. You gotta. You gotta really stay focused on it. Communication. You gotta be able to talk to people and tell them what you want. Right. Put it in the atmosphere. If people don't know how talented you are or even what you want to do, they're not thinking about you when they're coming across opportunities. So if I talk to five people and they don't know what I do, I failed myself. Right. They need to know what I do, how I do it, and why I do it. So when they meet somebody and say, oh, you know what I do? Got somebody to make suits. I'm the first person that's coming to mind for them. Oh, I got a good dude that I think I'm gonna put you in. Or I got a guy. I love to hear that. I got a guy. Right? So I think you gotta be consistent. You gotta. You gotta be able to put yourself out there. And I think you also have to be able to learn what that push, pull looks like. Right? You gotta wrestle with it. Right. And when you're thinking about your relationship with whatever it is that you want to do, it's gonna have highs and lows. Yeah, right. You gotta have the ebbs, the flows, the peaks, the valleys. You gotta understand how to ride that. And when I say wrestle with that, the true thing that I really mean Is you ain't letting go. I'm not giving up when it gets low. Right. I know that I. I know that I'm locked in on this. I know that this is what I want to do. And this is that. That kind of goes into the space of actually, you know, having what you want to do really be with what you want to do. Because you're not about to wrestle with something if you don't think that it's worth it.
• 35:03
  Speaker B: Yeah, that's true.
• 35:04
  Speaker A: You know, if I don't think that it's worth it, as soon as it gets tougher, as soon as it gets difficult, I'm gonna go do something else, you know? Now if I'm. If I'm locked in on this now, I'm gonna make this work. I'm rework this. I'm going to change the way I go about this. I'll revamp it. I'll do a complete 180, whatever it is. But you and me gonna work.
• 35:22
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 35:22
  Speaker A: Right? Like, and that's relationship or fashion, whatever you would want to put it, that communication, that, that compromise, that consistency, you know, it's the same thing.
• 35:30
  Speaker B: Yeah. On the last episode, somebody was talking about, like, there is no plan B. This is it. So.
• 35:34
  Speaker A: Right.
• 35:34
  Speaker B: We got to make this work.
• 35:35
  Speaker A: Regardless. Some people, it still boggles my mind. Some people tell me they'd be like, oh, that's all you do. And I don't think that they're saying it in a demeaning way. They're saying it. That you put that much faith in just that.
• 35:48
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 35:49
  Speaker A: Yes.
• 35:49
  Speaker B: 100%.
• 35:50
  Speaker A: 100%. Because if I'm out here, if I'm out here. Right. Definitely. But if I'm out here bouncing back and forth and I'm not all the way locked in. Right. You smell that on me. You could see that. Oh, they make clothes part time. They do that every now and then. You know what I'm saying? I have a friend that has a sewing machine up top somewhere. No, this is what I do day in, day out. I create. I make people look good. That is my job. I own it. And I know that that's what I do. And so I make sure that everybody else does too.
• 36:24
  Speaker B: I love that. I love that. It's beautiful. So for aspiring designers right now, what should they be focus. Focusing on the most right now that people might overlook?
• 36:35
  Speaker A: I think the process is important and trying to jump the process. I talked with a couple of young designers and I asked them just like, what do you want your brand to evoke in Somebody, you know, what, what is it that my, my ethos of my brand, you know, what does my brand stand for? Knowing those things sets you up for success in how you build, right? And having a solid foundation is important because if I don't have that, then I'm going to waiver, right? Or anything could kind of make that foundation. Now I don't know what my brand stands for. I don't know what my key, what my key ponas are like, I need to keep in a space where I'm so confident because I've done the homework right, and the homework is knowing my audience, right? If I, if I was able to be in a space of so many other brands, why is this specifically my audience? Why would you choose me? Right? Who am I speaking to? I don't need to, I don't need to speak to everybody. I just need to speak to my audience and cater to them. So do the little things. It's the, it's the, it's the early steps that people say I'm going to just go to creating a T shirt or doing this. But have you done the early homework for even having a mission statement for your brand? You know, like, the business side is important. Again, I go back to a lot of us fail in the business acumen. So it's do the things that you feel are the things for corporate people. The most successful people are some type of a battle, some type of a balance between corporate and creative.
• 37:59
  Speaker B: You talked a lot about like knowing your brand, knowing your audience. With that being said, like, what do you want your legacy to be?
• 38:13
  Speaker A: I want the world to know that first of all, that this is all God's doing, right? This is a faith based operation. At the bottom of my box, it says John 3:16. There's no confusion about where my success comes from and where it lies and where my faith is, right? And when I think about my legacy, it's just that a kid from Inglewood that had no quit in him, you know, and was able to overcome all the odds, but still brought his community along with him when he does that. I champion Inglewood and I'm from la, but I'm from Inglewood, like, you know what I'm saying? And anybody that I know that's from Inglewood, that don't say that you ain't from Inglewood, right? But my culture and my community came along with me. I didn't leave that by the wayside. I didn't change who I was. I found a way for that to stay constantly a part of who I am. And that's staying true to who you are. Why you're developing is something that, it is a struggle sometimes, but I'm still in my community. I still do things in my community. I still design for my young high school students that go to prom in Inglewood. I still design for people that are downtrodden. I do giveaways and stuff like that. You'll never hear it or talked about or anything. I don't need to. But the work is still there in the city. So I want to make sure that I'm known as somebody who is about their work and that their work speaks for them.
• 39:36
  Speaker B: You talked about legacy before we end. I mean, again with inside the industry. We really want to be a blueprint for people who are just, like, navigating this industry, don't know how to break into it. So what are three tips that you would leave somebody watching this right now? Of, like, three things. They have the talent. They may not have the connections. How do they break into this industry?
• 39:59
  Speaker A: I know nobody want to hear this, but internships, man. Yeah, Sometimes they're, Sometimes it's unpaid. Okay. Sometimes it's unpaid. But look, right? But listen, it's so much like, if you give me the opportunity to showcase my talents and my skill set and it's worth something, that definitely can parlay, right? And it might not even necessarily be where you're at, right? It's a showcase where it's a point where I don't have the space to maybe hire you, but I do know somebody who does, right? Or when I hear about that job that comes available that you have that you step into that, oh, I got somebody to put you on. Right? And that is, that's that staying ready. Right? But some internships are important, man. I, I, I think so many people just. I don't want to work for free. And I hear you right, These kids nowadays, I don't wanna. And I get you at the same. But at the same time, do. Would you rather you work for free in some place that you wanna be, or would you rather you work and get paid but doing nothing that has to do with anything about your dreams? Understand the difference between those two? And then when you find that out, holla at me.
• 40:59
  Speaker B: Okay?
• 40:59
  Speaker A: All right, so internships, networking, Networking. And I'm talking, I'm talking a corny style. I'm talking a corny style. I'm talking, I'm at you. I'm at your neck. When you, when I say that, I mean, sometimes it's, I know where these people hang out, right? It like. And it sounds silly, right? But here, think about this, right? I got a Soho membership. Half of my Soho membership is just getting dressed and going to Soho, right. I know that my client hangs out at soho. There's no question. I. You have a surplus of money, right? You're. You're affluent, right? And you. And you're in a space where you're probably an industry or industry adjacent.
• 41:38
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 41:39
  Speaker A: I've. I've done the homework to know that that's where you're going to be. So when I put myself in that space to be successful, and I am, it's not by accident. So if I want to work for a stylist, and I know this stylist is always at the Ruby, or I want to work for a designer, and I know this designer is always at Mood Fabrics, right? I'm in that space. I'm in that space. And when I see you, I can't be scared. I got to pull up, be like, yo, I've been a big fan, you know, I would love to. If you have any internships or opportunities for work, you know what I'm saying? I would love to showcase, show you what I could do, you know? And that's what I mean by the corny side, because everybody want to get put on from the homie, okay, I got somebody. I'mma just plug you. It doesn't happen like that. It's not always like that. Right. But if I am aggressive, sometimes it's people that get taken aback because so many people in these nowadays aren't. Right. But if I see you and I take advantage of that opportunity, I love that. So put yourself in these spaces where they're at internships, and then. Listen, man, I think the last thing is that preparation, preparation, preparation, preparation. If I Proper preparation, you know, the rest of the P's, right? I need to make sure that I am prepared to. When these opportunities present themselves to me, that I have the skill set and the wherewithal to be able to take advantage of them. And know when these opportunities are presenting themselves to you right there. Sometimes we may be in a space where we don't see down the line, right? So I may be only thinking about right here. Sometimes you need to be a little bit more telescopic and not microscopic, right? So the microscope, you hit you right in here. You only looking at this moment. Telescope. I'm looking at the big picture, right? So when I have an opportunity that presents itself, that may feel like I ain't gonna do that I'm passing that up. That's crazy. They crazy they think I'm gonna do that. Oh, you know how much my day rate is? They crazy they think I'm gonna do that. Sometimes it's not about the money. Right. Sometimes, again, I may get in. All I need to do is show you what I can do. Right? If I could show you what I can do, I'm gonna take this job and the next three that y' all gotta. We'll talk about the money later, but let me showcase just what I could do for you. So being willing to step into some spaces that others may not is benefits, and it's an ability to win in that. So it's. The malleableness is what's the key portion? I have to be able to change. I have to be able to adjust, and I have to be ready.
• 44:01
  Speaker B: See, mic drop, man, that's all we needed. We can go home. You ready to. No, but, Pharrell, thank you so much for being here today. I really appreciate you. Like, you 100% drop some gems. I know our viewers will be 100% interested in everything that you had to say and just the insight, perspective, everything.
• 44:16
  Speaker A: So thank you so much.
• 44:17
  Speaker B: I appreciate it.
• 44:17
  Speaker A: So it's been a pleasure, and I'm always honored to, you know, talk about this industry that I'm blessed to be able to do. And that's all I do, you know, and to even be tapped as somebody to be on this, you know? Like, I really appreciate NAACP for allowing me to just be in this space and just kind of have this conversation, too. So thank you.
• 44:38
  Speaker B: Okay, so we have some games for you today. So the first game that we're gonna play is called real talk or industry cap. I'm gonna give you a statement, and you're gonna tell me if you think it's industry cap or facts and why.
• 44:49
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 44:50
  Speaker B: Ready to go?
• 44:50
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 44:51
  Speaker B: Drumroll, please. No, I'm just playing. People care more about who you dress than your design.
• 45:01
  Speaker A: How is the first one gonna be something that could be for both. Right? Like, okay, so who you dress matters because you needed to be seen.
• 45:11
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 45:11
  Speaker A: Right. If I. If I put something fire on somebody that nobody knows, you know, it kind of. It's like a tree falling in the forest. We don't know. Right. But that tree did fall. Right, Right. But if I put something fire on everybody's favorite guy, then all of a sudden, it's. It's. It's making headlines and it's making waves. So that's facts. Yeah.
• 45:35
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 45:35
  Speaker A: That's facts. Yeah. Okay.
• 45:38
  Speaker B: Once you get one big break, everything gets easier.
• 45:41
  Speaker A: Oh, that's Cap. That is absolutely. Cap. Everything is not going to change overnight. There's no Cinderella story going on here. Get that out your mind. It's only probably even. You gotta be careful what you ask for because you might get an influx of work that you're not ready to scale for.
• 45:57
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 45:57
  Speaker A: You know, so it doesn't get easier once you get one big break. We understand and appreciate that moment. And then you continue to still do the hard work.
• 46:08
  Speaker B: Well said. Originality is overrated. Everything is inspired by something.
• 46:12
  Speaker A: I don't even know what the second portion you said, because Cap. No Cap. That's Cap. No. I think my mom used to say, there's nothing new under the sun. Right. And if that's the case, how do I put my spin on it? Because there's a merger between the two. Right. I can always have some type of reference or idea where this came from. I could trace the true genesis of this. But with that being said, I am still going to put my spin on it to bring originality to it. So if I have a jacket that I bring. Yes, the silhouette is a jacket, but ain't nobody did it like this.
• 46:46
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 46:46
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 46:47
  Speaker B: Ain't nobody can do it like me.
• 46:48
  Speaker A: What's the song?
• 46:49
  Speaker B: And then last but not least, exposure doesn't pay, but it can open doors.
• 46:55
  Speaker A: My industry people gonna be mad at me with this one. I. I think that's true. That's fact. Exposure does not pay. It does not pay the bills, baby.
• 47:04
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 47:05
  Speaker A: Because you can have your clothes. You can have your clothes everywhere. And sometimes in the. In the industry, sometimes, in case y' all don't know, celebrities wear stuff for free. Right? Like, so that's exposure, you know, so all the times it's not. It don't pay for the bills. But you would hope that when. That if you get it on the right celebrity, that they have a following that is influenced by them and a real following that is activated. Because there's a difference in a following and an activated following. Yeah, right.
• 47:32
  Speaker B: Yep.
• 47:32
  Speaker A: An activated following is somebody like Kim K. Activated. Whatever she touches, those people will go and buy skims or whatever it may be. Those people are going to go and buy. I see her do this. I want to be a part of that. Right. That's activated. But then there's some people who may have. Not necessarily the fashion wherewithal, but they have a following. Right? So, okay, you got a million followers or 10 million followers or whatever, but nobody's interested in your fashion sense, right? So what you wear doesn't move the masses, and people don't understand it. They say, oh, I have all of these numbers. They were like, tell me what fashion blog has ever said your name. Ain't nobody care what you wear. It matters. It matters. So facts. Yeah.
• 48:12
  Speaker B: Love it. Love it. And the second game that I'd like to play is called inside your industry bag. So I have a few questions. Just. You can pull one. It's sits next to you in that little cup that's not really a bag,
• 48:24
  Speaker A: but that's my bag. Is this on the camera?
• 48:27
  Speaker B: Here we go.
• 48:28
  Speaker A: Voila. My industry bag. Okay. Taking that bag deep, deep in my bag. Okay. As you go here. All right. It's like a fortune cookie. The job you thought would change your life, but didn't. If you didn't hear me say earlier, I moved to Washington, D.C. to go to law school. I am a double Howard non attendee. What I mean by that? So I was going to Howard for undergrad, and my mom had bilateral hip surgery. She lived in Compton at the time. So I decided to stay home. Closest place to where my mom lived was Cal State Dominguez Hills. So that's where I went to college at. After college, I was pre law, so I was going to Howard to go to Hustle. I was going out to D.C. so I moved out to D.C. to go to Howard Law. And this was during the time of the recession. So I moved out to D.C. during the time of recession. And I'm telling you, your. Your waiter had a jd Everybody was having all of these. These. These loans and all of these things. But at that time, the jobs was not hit.
• 49:35
  Speaker B: Okay?
• 49:36
  Speaker A: The jobs was not hit. And that was really a moment for me where I. I had to sit down and extract what it was why I wanted to be a lawyer. That was the first real time that I had sat with that and asked myself why I wanted to be a lawyer. And I really realized, like, growing up in the hood, first of all, there's a little bit of a savior complex. Like, you come in with your briefcase and your nice shoes and your nice suit, and you help all of the homies. That's then had it done, whatever they gonna do. But it was Inglewood in high school, whatever. But, you know, it's the savior complex. So you appreciated what they looked like and what they did. But I don't know if I was really ever interested in the law, right? I was just interested in the prestige that came along with that esquire and the biggest portion of that that I took away was that I was interested in the way that they looked. So I said, well, I can make that. And that was literally the moment where I said, okay. So I decided no law school. And then that's when I decided that fashion side was really what was. So there was the beginning of the turning of the wheel. First, it was just suits in the business aspect of what I was making, and then my creative side took over. And now very rarely do I ever make a business suit. You know, all of my suits are. Have some type of, like, creative flair or something to them. But in beginning days, all I made was business suits. That was the beginning. But I knew that I allowed myself to broaden my horizons and kind of, like, really dig deeper into what it was that I want to do. And from there, I was able to discover, like, oh, fashion and the business side, I like that. But I think that I have something creative to give the world. And thank God that I did.
• 51:13
  Speaker B: Amen. Amen. And trust me, you make some amazing suits. I'm a suit girly. And, yeah, you make some incredible suits.
• 51:20
  Speaker A: Thank you.
• 51:21
  Speaker B: Maybe. And that's the game for today. I hope you enjoyed today's episode with Brandon Gray. No matter where you are on your journey, we're here to be a resource. If this conversation sparks something special for you, make sure to, like, subscribe and share and drop a comment letting us know what conversations you'd like to see next. I'm your host, Ariana Drummond. See you inside the industry.