THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP / ED BY ANDREA DIALECT
Photos Courtesy Mann Family
The first time that I saw her I never knew. The announcement had been made I’m told, but it went over my head. She was like all the other models at the event. She smiled, I snapped, that’s how it goes. But yesterday, when she showed up for the session as photographing Gianni in her visually stunning Afrocentric swimwear, I glanced at the name and seemingly her tattoo somewhat pulsated lingering there for a moment seemingly. Reminiscent, the calligraphy script reflected the beauty of his name which was revisited subconsciously and it’s crystal clear now.
Raheam, a designer and a friend that I’d met undoubtedly when “Trailing Tyrone Chablis.” Just as I’d met so many others in the Fashion Industry when tagging along with the man. Raheam was also Gianni’s favorite uncle; who would have thought?
Mann-Made is an article that I wrote many years ago. Although we hadn’t known each other for very long, it felt as if I had. Raheam was a beautiful soul. He left this place some years ago but forever lives on unforgettably in our hearts. Ironically Raheam’s article fits nicely in each of my Writing Series such as PEOPLE YOU’D LIKELY WISH YOU HAD MET / TATTERED NEWS PAGES / BLACK BOOK SERIES as well as UNFORGETTABLE.
Welcome to Mann-Made if you’re someone who dabbles in design or designing for you is simply shape-shifting the unconventional or creatively making use of many amazing life creations crafted by others. This one’s for you!
“Rumpelstiltskin may have worked from dusk to dawn spinning that thread into gold for the queen a night or two but he ain’t got nothin’ on Raheam!”
Raheam Mann
Occupation: Designer
I don’t go out much anymore because I feel I should be making better use of my time; creatively designing is a better use. I used to run the streets; I guess I needed somewhere to put all that energy. Here, I get to see that pay off. When people want to buy everything, they see that I have made, or try on like, eighteen garments or something, I love that. I’m vibe’n’ right now, ridin’ it all. Ultimately, I’m in the trenches now, but nobody ain’t got to ever know my name – give me the bank!
Today, everybody wants to be a designer, but nobody wants to do the work. But you have to pay your dues. Going to Marshall’s or some store and revamping, remaking, or rejuvin’ somebody else’s stuff doesn’t make you a designer. To get things produced, you have to put up that cash. Logically, you must learn how to sew, because getting whoever to sew for you is a luxury. You can’t look at those big designers, they have the cheddar. So, they can say “I’m feelin’ green dresses, make me green dresses!” Unless you’re making loot like that, you’re in the trenches.
For all you aspiring designers out there, these are the Top Ten Must-Do’s!
- You must love fashion. Eat it, breathe it, sleep it. It’s gotta be in your pores!
- You must go to school, and you have to read books, fashion magazines, or whatever, and learn the history of fashion. You must know why hoop dresses are in style, so you can understand how trends move and flow. Go to high-end stores and see what high-end designer fashion looks like; study the stitching, the hem. Study the clothes.
- You gotta learn how to sew before you learn how to draw. A lot of these little kids want to emulate the ghetto superstar. Remember that the fashion show is the last step!
- Learn pattern making, because you will have to cut freehand. How to use muslim, silicon, and pins on a dress form, how to drape – I live at the dress form!
- Practice night and day.
- Get used to not getting any sleep, because once work orders start coming in, they must be filled, and you’ll still have to function.
- Surround yourself with artistic people on the same level as you: not so much knowing more, but those who have accomplished things, like a store or a lucrative Web site, those who are productive.
- Beware of the hype, man. They’ll promise you the world, and you’ll get so souped. I don’t know how many times I got raped, and on occasion, still do. Cash up front! Nine times out of ten, fashion is going to be a crapshoot. You have to eat off something that doesn’t exist. I used to be charitable beyond a fault because I was so happy to see you in it. I had to pull back from kindness and generosity. It can be costly!
- Be open to your creativity, be open to learn. Be committed to what you give, whether paid for or not.
- You gotta be a beast. You cannot get discouraged! People think because you’re from the hood, you don’t know your stuff. I went to FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology); I’m a veteran. It took me fifteen years to get to this point, and I’m still grinding. But it beats sewing at my mom’s kitchen table and hustlin’ it from the basement. Most importantly, you new cats must understand that the kitchen table & grinding: that’s gonna be your start!
…And that’s all she wrote. Rest in power, Raheam. You are greatly missed!
DO YA KNOW THAT…
Fashion designers sketch designs of clothing, footwear, and accessories. Fashion designers create original clothing, accessories, and footwear. They sketch designs, select fabrics and patterns, and give instructions on how to make the products they design.
The Observation Booth is utilized as a space for Andrea Dialect to stumble through, which aids in life and brand development. It can also be used by readers, subjects, and features to assist or advance our world or their own. It is a peek into one’s world from the outside. It is also for the development of content.
Everything printed here is in draft form; thus, error is welcomed and to be expected. Everything is constantly evolving, is her mantra. Seeing the work in printed format is the initial step and is quite valuable and therapeutic for developing all forms. Like Everything, Andrea Dialect uses this space as a test lab for test study and a test subject.
Here you will also find influencers, professionals, and muses who are considered “clay” who lend their image to change as doing us proud who are contributors to the upward progress of human progress. It is a platform for the growth, inspiration, motivation, and development of herself, her subjects, and her readers. Enjoy.
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