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.
I grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. At the time I was growing up with my father - before it was gentrified - it was a very rough neighborhood. He felt that if I got into or started embracing the rap culture, I would be one step closer to being on the streets.
I want to be fashion's Erykah Badu. What I admire about her is her timelessness and her fearless approach.
Music has always been my first love, and I appreciate how a great musician can bring awareness to tough issues through their work.
I've always felt like an outcast. My aesthetic is very high-end, but I still get classified as streetwear. There's really no other reason for than other than my age, the way I look, and where I'm from.
If you put the collections together, whether it's Rick Owens, Alexander Wang, or whomever, sometimes they do streetwear, but they're never called that. They're always called 'sportswear' or 'high-end' or 'luxury.' I feel like I'm tossed into that streetwear category so that I don't exist in this space.
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?'
'Bernie versus Bernie,' for me, is these two extremes of capitalism. It's Bernie Sanders, the ultimate socialist, and Bernie Madoff, the ultimate capitalist.
We're constantly having to go head-to-head with the Bernie Madoffs of the world who just want more and more money.
A lot of us who are creative and have all these great ideas just don't have the money to do it.
I don't think the narrative I was stuck in - the 'black' designer category - was going to go away anytime soon.
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.
Our first fiscal year, we were profitable.
All it took was one conversation to know that Reebok was the right home for our team.
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.
I've never seen Ralph Lauren, Rick Owens, or Raf Simons described as white designers. They are just designers.
My earliest memories of defying my parents were through music. I remember rap being banned in my house, and then getting a Cam'ron album.
I don't know which was the first love - music or fashion.
I was going to college on a full scholarship. I graduated summa cum laude. I was always on the dean's list. I was never a kid that started any kind of trouble.
One of the things about runways that I hate is that you can't accommodate so many people because you don't have those in-and-out privileges where people can come and go.
