Good Bye, 2011!



Wilbur and his goddaughter
at Rockefeller Center 2011



2011 was quite an eventful year.  It began with me wondering whether or not I wanted to continue pursuing a career in fashion design.  My greatest love seemed to be turning her back on me.   It was one of the darkest periods of my life.  Trying to let go of my one true love proved to be a heartwrenching ordeal.  And because fashion is like the air I breathe, I felt like I was gasping to catch my breath.  But I was only swallowing more disappointment.

When my mother was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and had to have surgery, I asked God for mercy and healing.  And I asked Him to change the dynamic of my relationship with fashion.  I was convinced it was not time for my mother to make her way to heaven; He already had the company of my maternal grandmother and my father and a host of other family members who succumbed to cancer.  And I wanted to believe that fashion and I still belonged together, too.  My mother recovered from the surgery.  She has a scar down the center of her chest.  But she is alive and she is cancer free.

Wilbur & his goddaughter on Christmas Day 2011

I decided to step out on faith and press forward in the name of fashion.  That is when I began to see glimmers of hope.  Finally.  I was featured in an issue of JET magazine.  And that led to many plus size women around the country reaching out to me.  Fashion was starting to show me love.  Then I was cast for a new reality show that will be airing on Lifetime called 24 Hour Catwalk.  And then I showed my Spring 2012 collection during NY Fashion Week which received positive reviews in the trade publication Women's Wear Daily and on bluefly.com.  In an effort to capitalize on all the great PR, my business partners and I set up a Pop-UP Shop on our website www.skwilbur.com to pre-sell our Spring 2012 line.

Things seem to be turning around and I can see the light of day.  But it is only through perseverance that I am able to see how resilient I truly am.  And that resilience is my birthright.  I get it honest from my mother.

Here is to health, happiness, and prosperity in 2012!

Peace & Fashion!

Blogging for my Life

Nicole Z. during the fitting with George

The past three months have been beyond hectic and jam-packed with fashion related activity.  Finally, I realized that I just didn't have the time to dedicate to blogging.  But I am back now and ready to share some of my adventures with you.  I listened with envy as many of my friends shared their stories about summer vacations while I was busy with my nose to the grindstone.  But I'm not mad because all my work seems to finally be paying off.

If you've been keeping track of me, you know that I reached a career high when I was featured in the August 8/15 issue of JET magazine.  It prompted fashionable women across America to reach out to me on facebook, twitter, and through e-mail to find out how they could get their hands on SK WiLBUR dresses.  It was a validating moment and I still find myself basking in the afterglow.  My business partners and I are looking to use the new demand for my aesthetic as leverage when we approach stores in the coming months.  I am now very excited about what the future holds for Sorta Kinda Enterprises.

Nicole Z. wears the finished look for the show

The fashion reality show that I shot over the summer has already started getting some mentions in the press.  Although I am still bound by reality show secrecy, I want you to be on the lookout for a new show that will be airing on Lifetime in the near future.  Stay tuned because you will definitely find me on one of those episodes.

As NY Fashion Week was drawing nearer, I was preparing for my first plus size runway show on September 13.  Although I had a deficit of $5000 to contend with, I was confident that the universe was supporting my efforts.  After all, I had just gotten national press and taped a reality show.  While I continued fittings with my seamstresses and tailors, I remained faithful that the money would come through.  Foregoing paying my personal bills, I poured every dime I had into the completion of my collection.  It was not only important, but necessary, for me to continue the momentum that began with the JET article.  I implemented an initiative to raise the money through kickstarter.com.  With kickstarter, you must raise the full amount to get the money.  If you don't, you get nothing.  Since I only received pledges from 5 people totaling $335, it was an idea that crashed and burned.  My diva friend, Josette Robinbson, who is in public relations, my boyfriend, one of my dear friends whom I met  a few years ago during my commute into Manhattan, and my great Aunt Edie all made donations to my cause.  But I was still short.  In the eleventh hour, the day before the show, it was my sister and business partner who was able secure the last $4000 through a personal loan.  My faithfulness paid off.  I still get choked up about it.

Edward Wilkerson & me during FNO

Days before my big runway show, Josette convinced me to come out for Fashion's Night Out.  I didn't want to do it because I still had plenty of work to do.  I had decided to gift the guests of my runway presentation with mini SK WiLBUR tote bags.  I couldn't afford to order them, so I decided to make them.  What a daunting task!  But back to my story, for Fashion's Night Out, Josette and I met at Lord & Taylor where I introduced her to my friend from several years ago Edward Wilkerson, the designer of the fabulously chic and affordable line Lafayette 148.  It had been years since I'd seen him and he is just as funny and lovely as I remembered.  From there, Josette and I moved on to the BCBG store where we might have been too early for the party.  But then we separated and I headed off to Lane Bryant on Fulton Street in Brooklyn where I was surrounded by plus size lovelies and the cast of the reality show Big Sexy.  Although I was exhausted, it was important for me to make an appearance so the ladies knew that I still had nothing but love for them.  But by 9:00 p.m. I was on my train headed home.

I was super excited about the show.  Women's Wear Daily had already confirmed that they would be in attendance.  Afterwards, writer Marc Karimzadeh from the trade newspaper interviewed me.  It was all too surreal.  The next day, my friend Albert who lives in Paris sent me a note on facebook with a link to the article.  Yippee!  Another validating moment for my career.  NY Fashion Week is not just for the rail thin models anymore.  It's time for the curvy woman to be represented.   And I am doing my best to be one of the proponents of that.

Peace & Fashion!

Vitamin Me

I have always held myself to an incredibly high standard.  My feeling is: If I'm not going to do my absolute best, then there is no point in me doing it at all.  Yet, lately, despite my best efforts, I feel like I am falling short.  I have promised to write in my online journal regularly, but I have not.  It is with the best intentions that I start my week promising to get back to my exercise regimen and start eating right so I can drop some of these unwanted pounds, but I have not committed to climbing out of bed at 4 a.m. so I can get to the gym before I head for the plantation.  And by the middle of the day, I am so frustrated that I just want to head over to Dunkin' Donuts and buy a half dozen of those chocolate glazed cake donuts.  And at 320 calories a pop, that kind of behavior is just really counterproductive - to say the least.

The truth of the matter is that I have just not been motivated.  With the holidays here and me trying desperately to stretch my dollars to make sure that there are gifts under the tree for my loved ones, I have become increasingly disgusted by my financial situation.  And I do not want to pour that kind of energy into this blog.  Earlier this year I wrote that I was only giving myself one more year to make a go out of Sorta Kinda Enterprises.  And after the less-than-stellar reception by retailers of my spring collection, I am feeling disconnected from my dream and beginning to wonder if this may very well be the end of an era that was filled with some triumphs, but mostly struggles.  I have almost always felt certain about my path in fashion - like the universe had called me to this career.  And although I have not yet counted myself out, I cannot help but start to wonder after 12 years if I have been on some crazy vanity ride.  I told my sister, Ashanti, who is also one of my partners in fashion crime that I have been put in a place of total surrender.  In the past, I have done everything outside of magic tricks to keep up the momentum of getting the Wilbur brand off the ground.  Any one who has known me during the last decade and change, knows that it's the truth.  But at this point, the well has run dry of all resources.  So as my church folks say, "I've got to let go and let God."  To that end, we are working with Nakeisha Jennings of Prime Planners who does brand building and raises money through corporate sponsorships.  She has quite a Rolodex at her fingertips and I am praying that she is the key to finishing and presenting my fall 2011 collection "Eye Candy" this coming March.



Wilbur & Kitty Kat are all smiles at the wedding reception of A & R



My dream has sustained me all these years.  Fashion saved me from a life without purpose.  And whatever the outcome, I know that there is something better around the bend.  I am wishing all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.  I am going to take a moment and revitalize my spirit and try to refresh myself so that I can be better prepared for this part of my fashion crusade.  See you in 2011!

Peace & Fashion!

Sex in New Jersey?

Before Sunday when the heatwave came crashing into the tri-state area like an uninvited barbecue guest, I visited the quaint resort town of Asbury Park, NJ for the opening of the eclectic art exhibit "Made Out Of Beautiful" at the Parlor Gallery.  I'd never been to the Jersey Shore despite the current rage in reality tv land and so my boyfriend and I piled into my friend Gillian's SUV along with my very dear model friend, Marcia and hit the GW Bridge.  I didn't really care if I saw any of those reality celebrities like The Situation or Snooki, I was going for purely personal reasons.  You see, my photographer friend Miles Ladin whom I've known for more years than I care to count was showing a batch of his vintage black & white prints at the gallery.  Miles has worked for The New York Times and turned his lens on everyone from Rihanna to Steven Spielberg.  He has also turned his lens on some of my career's biggest moments.  When I staged the unsanctioned renegade sidewalk fashion show using masks of the characters from Sex and the City during New York Fashion Week almost a decade ago, Miles was there documenting my watershed moment.  One of the photos that was on display was the image from that hot day in September 2000 that was published in Women's Wear Daily.  It was also the image used to promote the exhibit and I felt extremely honored.  Marcia is featured prominently in the foreground and was equally excited to join me on my trip down memory lane.  Sometimes I forget how important some of these moments have been to me and how they've validated my decision to pursue a career in fashion design.  And it was just a pleasant experience to recall how I skyrocketed from obscurity to become an ALMOST celebrity myself for just a little while.  Thank you Miles for showing the fashion world that a black man from humble beginnings has a voice.

Peace & Fashion!

Making Lemonade

There is an old adage that goes, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." And I am stirring my pitcher as we speak. AND I've added a little Bacardi to my brew. Because at times like these you've just gotta spike the punch. Yesterday afternoon, I was speaking to my seamstress, Alaina, about some of the details on the first sample for Fall 2010. It seemed like a normal enough conversation that we've had several times since we started working together this April past. But something happened. And I am not sure what. Because waiting in my email box early this morning was a "Dear John" message from her saying that she could no longer work with me. It sent me into a tailspin. What was I going to do? How could this happen to me - AGAIN? I left a voice message and sent an email begging her to reconsider. At the very least, I pleaded for her to finish the piece we discussed yesterday. Especially since she'd spent the entire Monday completing the preliminary pattern. But all my cajoling was for naught. Alaina is moving on with her life. And I've got to move on, too. So I called the number listed in an ad posted in my trade newspaper, Women's Wear Daily, that offered quick and efficient patterns and samples. Less than 5 minutes later, I was surrounded by sewing machines, cutting tables, and pattern pieces hanging from the ceiling at 7th Avenue Fashion Design. Amid the clutter and seemingly controlled chaos, George and I discussed construction, fabrication, and measurements as we dissected my sketch. We exchanged business cards and I assured him that I would return on Thursday with my new fit model, Ila, in tow. Time is something very precious that we all have very little of. I've got to make the most of what I have before January when we will be photographing the "Fine & Dandy" collection for Fall 2010. How I will pay for these samples is still a mystery, but I am stepping out on faith. Just like Alaina is starting anew, so must I. And after I finish this pitcher of liquid courage, I'll be ready to turn the page to the next chapter of my odyssey. Bottoms up!

Peace & Fashion!

Do You Believe?

When I picked up my mail today there was a special insert included with my edition of WWD. For those of you who don't know, WWD or Women's Wear Daily is a trade newspaper published Monday through Friday (mostly) that serves as the fashion professional's go-to resource to find out the latest & get the industry 411 on everything from runway show spectacles to company financials to trade shows to which industry titan is flexing its muscles. It is like a cross between The Wall Street Journal and People magazine for the fashion set. That aside, the insert is titled WWD Collections and it is brimming with an encapsulated montage of color photos and stories even more colorful from the New York, London, Paris, and Milan fashion weeks. The reader is treated to a concise overview of the runway trends, the editors top 10 favorite presentations, and profiles of fashion's most rich & powerful. Yours truly has been fortunate enough to have been featured in this publication twice! This time out the magazine profiled Ralph Lauren. Great! Ralph Lauren is my hero. Business wise he is at the top of the heap. His message is always clear, not convoluted. And his clothing is always well made and wearable. If I were to model myself after anyone , it would be Mr. Lauren. In the article he says, "Be as good as you can be and give it your all to project what you believe in. . ." These are certainly words to live by. At SK Wilbur/Sorta Kinda Enterprises, we are committed to doing our best. I am creating tops that are fun, happy, affordable, and easy to care for. And because I believe color can incite joy, each piece is infused with a myriad of colors. We are also in the process of creating accessories, like our "tee" bags, that are functional and fun applying some of the same vibrant colors from our tops. For us, it is about taking something that we might see everyday and tweaking it so that it is fresh and new. My team (Serosh & Ashanti) and I are working diligently to acquire the financing to bring our line of happy tops and bags to the consumer as soon as possible. Sometimes we feel as if we are chasing our tail, but we continue to give it our all because this is a project we believe in.

Peace & Fashion!