Kerby Jean-Raymond Quotes
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I wanted to be a sneaker designer since I was 10; it was my dream to work at Nike and design signature shoes for Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway. When it was time to select high schools, I wanted to go to one that would help me get a jump-start on my dream.
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I hope that people who don't believe depression is a real thing will stop calling people crazy, because that's dismissive and not a medical diagnosis.
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If I'm going to be the black designer, I'm going to tell it my way.
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A lot of us who are creative and have all these great ideas just don't have the money to do it.
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I want to be fashion's Erykah Badu. What I admire about her is her timelessness and her fearless approach.
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I've never seen Ralph Lauren, Rick Owens, or Raf Simons described as white designers. They are just designers.
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We don't need to go back in time and make America great again, because really, America was only great for certain people.
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All my collections are based on something I like or something I'm dealing with. They are always deeply personal.
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The way I was raised, you get a new pair of sneakers when the old one gets messed up. But when I got to high school, I started dating girls and trying to fit in, and I realized everybody was collecting Jordans. When I would get my paychecks, I wouldn't even take money. I would just trade them for sneakers.
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'Bernie versus Bernie,' for me, is these two extremes of capitalism. It's Bernie Sanders, the ultimate socialist, and Bernie Madoff, the ultimate capitalist.
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We're constantly having to go head-to-head with the Bernie Madoffs of the world who just want more and more money.
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I design for social media. My customer reads blogs, is on social media, so I design with contrast in mind. An all-black shirt looks good on the shelf but not online.
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You have these megabrands who make most of their money off hip-hop culture. Where were they in the time of need?
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I don't know which was the first love - music or fashion.
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I grew up thinking my father was tacky. There was no color coordination. It was whatever was cool. 'These sweatpants are cool. I'll wear them with these shoes that are cool.' He had less inhibitions. I wasn't respectful of his swag then.
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With things that I'm going through, whether they be on a small scale or a large scale, I'm thinking, 'Who else is going through this? And how can I address it and bring it to light to help someone else?'
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In September of 2015, I did the unthinkable: I used my second-ever runway show to bring awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do professionally. It was lonely.
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Music has always been my first love, and I appreciate how a great musician can bring awareness to tough issues through their work.
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Is the 'black designer' label there to warn everyone not to have the same level of expectations for me, or is it some type of prize? I just want to work in an even playing field where I can get press for my work and not just my race and my personal views on it.
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I think that when you rally powerful voices around powerful issues, what you get are positive results.
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The work of black creatives seems to always get undermined in one way or another, and that's what this new generation is actively changing by speaking up. We aren't accepting group categorization and group classifications to describe our work anymore - it just leads to group dismissal.
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The world absolutely needs your voice.
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Systemically, there hasn't been an oppression more overt and long-lasting than economic oppression against black people and minorities in this country.
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There were times when gangs would approach me, but my father was way stronger than them. They would come make threats and stuff, and I was like, 'You don't know the opposition I've got upstairs. I'm not scared of you.'