KD: What strategies do you use in creating a close-knit community within your brand? BD: “Authenticity has definitely been a tool for us. We’ve been able to build great relationships by just being ourselves. When I started HFR no one knew who I was; I would have to go to ten events and introduce myself to the same person every time. You have to learn to not take anything personally. Another thing that I do is send cupcakes; I used to send cupcakes all the time when I would get a connection’s office address. It’s a little difficult to do now, but you can still send a Starbucks gift card and say, ‘Coffee is on me today.’ Reaching out and showing gratitude is always a good way to stand out and connect with people.” KD: Can fashion be used as an art form to create positive social change? BD: “Art is so powerful, and it is unfortunately underrated ... I looked at a photo last night on Instagram. It was so powerful, I couldn’t stop looking at it. It was a powerful story of the injustice that has been happening, and this artist decided to capture Ahmaud Arbery’s face in a picture. I can’t even explain everything I was feeling; I was so compelled I could hardly go to sleep. I was thinking: What else can I do? How else can I help, right now? Art can really paint a picture that connects with people’s souls. You can see a piece that you know someone has spent a lot of time creating and you can’t stop looking at it. When a designer has worked on a collection as a true artist, it’s like going to a fashion museum.”
KD: How do you go about presenting a design in a visually exciting way? How do you recommend designers put out their collections? BD: “So, I think the first thing a designer needs to do, before they ever sit down and design, is to think about their intention. Why am I doing this? What am I trying to communicate to the world through this collection? What do I want to say, and how can I do that through this collection? When a designer starts froma place of ‘why,’ it informs everything.”
43
Vol. VIII
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker