Dear Pennies & Pens,
After 3 months of planning, I can officially say that the Pennies & Pens Spring/Summer 2022 Runway Show @ Austin Fashion Week was a success! It was truly a full circle moment for me as a Designer. I mean seeing my pieces on models walking down the runway is a memory I’ll cherish forever.
I remember all those years ago listening to Dream Big by Jazmine Sullivan while on the subway headed to a New York Fashion Week show and now my big dreams are coming true. You see, I officially started my fashion/creative career in 2010 while living in NYC. Although I technically started blogging in 2008, it wasn’t until 2010 that I covered my first New York Fashion Week as a Fashion Blogger.
Right after I covered New York Fashion Week, I was invited to attend and cover Style.uz Art Week in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Yes, that’s right, I received a full sponsorship to create blog and social media posts way back in 2010! I’m the original Travel/Lifestyle Blogger. No seriously, I am, lol.
It’s crazy because after all these years…I never really blew up or received credit for all the innovative things I did. As a Black woman in the creative industry, so much of my work has been ignored and overlooked. I was one of the first Bloggers to cover New York Fashion Week, one of the first bloggers to start using social media – I was on Twitter and Instagram in 2011, y’all.
And yet, I never got a blue check (verified account) or any sponsorships to cover a US based fashion week (i.e., New York). Most designers in New York wouldn’t even let me pull clothes and accessories for shoots even though I’d already blogged about them. In fact, I had some seriously racist incidents with agencies that shall remain nameless.
While still in NYC, I continued to beat the pavement. I started styling and working with clients to provide marketing and PR. My first few shoots were in NYC as were my original clients. It’s where I started to get my feet wet. But honestly, it wasn’t until I moved to Texas in 2013 that my creativity really came full circle.
Even though I liked living in NYC — it’s better in the movies, lol. In real life, NYC is a lot to take in. There’s just so many people, and it’s true what they say, everyone’s clawing at each other to get to the next level. It’s cool at first but after a while, it messes with your spirit. On top of that, it’s expensive as fuck. I could never afford anything.
So I moved to Houston in 2013 to accept a social media management position at a digital marketing agency. After about 2 years, I moved to Dallas. And I’ve been here ever since. Upon moving to Dallas, it’s like my creativity went into overdrive. I think it’s because I feel casual and relaxed here. Like since Dallas feels like home, it never feels like work to create.
My best shoots, events, and now a runway show have all happened in Texas. This is absolutely my home away from home. Note my original home will always be my hometown of Cincinnati.
While it may seem like this long story has nothing to do with me showing my collection at Austin Fashion Week – it does. Because in order to understand how Pennies & Pens came to be, you have to understand me. Lol, I mean I am the Penny of Pennies & Pens.
To actually reflect on the event itself, it all felt surreal. I was so organized about everything. I created a Google Slides presentation of my runway show with Look 1 to 15, the style numbers and the model’s comp card. I had stickers with my brand name on hangers, printed copies of the model’s comp card to clip to their look, my styling kit, macbook, camera, etc. I wasn’t playing yall.
I had to redo my show order because of last minute changes but since it was originally so organized, I just had to reset a few things. And in the end, the show happened. 13 models, 15 looks, and 1 Penny. And major shout out to Anna – an AFW volunteer who was beyond helpful! Anna steamed the shirts and the jeans as well as offering feedback on the models’ looks. She was truly phenomenal!
And so after a 12 hour day on Saturday, April 30th, Pennies & Pens Spring/Summer 2022 @ Austin Fashion Week was a huge success!
Thank you to all who supported the show and continue to support Pennies & Pens and ISLP, The InkSpot, LLC! Shop the ink here: www.islpdtx.com
And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.
