'I like to be introduced as a designer, not an African American designer. It doesn't mean that I'm ashamed of who I am. It's just that, when it comes down to my profession, why is skin color introduced first?' LaQuan Smith asks. - NBCBLK
Some of Smith's lows struck early in life, after his grandmother taught him to sew when he was 13. After putting on a fashion show at his middle school, he was thrilled to attend the High School of Art and Design, only to say goodbye to bustling New York in the 11th grade when his mother moved the family to Delaware, a place that held no allure. It was then that he was diagnosed with bone cancer, a truly"humbling experience," he said.
That's when he was offered an internship at BlackBook, the art and culture magazine, working for then-fashion director Elizabeth Sulcer. She was in demand for industry parties and events, and Smith made use of those contacts, showing up uninvited at times dressed in his own designs. He took to handing out his leggings to whoever would take them. In 2010, the effort paid off when he spotted Lady Gaga in a pair as he flipped through a tabloid while with his mom at a supermarket.
"I always tend to feel, I don't know, maybe pigeonholed sometimes," Smith said."I like to be introduced as a designer, not an African American designer. It doesn't mean that I'm ashamed of who I am. It's just that, when it comes down to my profession, why is skin color introduced first?"
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