THE EVOLUTION OF AN ARTIST’S MASTERPIECE
The Rising Stars Guide DECEMBER 2011
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5 EDITOR’S LETTER
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7 SHINING FROM THE SHADOWS ...........................
1o LIVING THE DREAM
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COLLEGE STUDENT GETS THE FASHION OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME
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14 PUSHING THROUGH THE PAIN ...........................
16 FEATURE
........................... DARREN NESBITT TAILORS HIS DREAMS
22 AFRICA 2030
........................... THE DIGITAL MOTHERLAND
e d i t o r’s l e t t e r My how far we’ve come. From two writers, my Mac Book and a Nikon to a dynamic staff, beyond talented contributors and the opportunity and pleasure to encounter awesome emerging artists. Sculpt Magazine has truly risen. That’s why this issue we’ve chosen to give you a guide to artists that we think are making their artistic talents a reality. We stop by St. Louis to visit a fashion designer whose garments we’re sure will hit a runway at Fashion Week one day. Speaking of Fashion Week, we took a pit stop in Chicago to visit a college student who won an opportunity of a lifetime to intern during the 2011 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Then, we head up to the East Coast to visit a young woman whom we’re sure will inspire you not only with her craft, but with her story. Sculpt Magazine thanks its countless readers for their continuous support toward our vision. Thank you for sharing in our masterpiece. As always, continue to inspire, as we continue to evolve and rise!
Rikki Byrd Rikki Byrd
o t t n ! a u w o We from y at r ack b d a e he nd us you@r fyeahoo.com
Keep up with Rikki via Twitter @RikkiByrd
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s c u l p t EDITOR-IN-CHIEF rikki byrd EXECUTIVE EDITOR jade earle CREATIVE DIRECTOR jeff perkins CONTRIBUTORS marche parnell, brittany king, devin alfred, marc mayes ADVERTISING, MARKETING & PROMOTIONS bridget botchway bradley
contact us at sculptmag@yahoo.com Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter (@SculptMag)
shining from the shadows Aaron Fuller, background singer for Kim Burrell, discusses his journey toward making his dream come true. by Brittany King
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ith his hands shaking and heart pounding out of his chest, nine-year-old Aaron Fuller grabs the microphone off of the stage at San Francisco Triple East Church. The music starts. When he begins to sing, the congregation sways and Fuller is finally put at ease. From that moment, he knew he wanted to sing for the rest of his life. But, singing always came naturally to Fuller. “Ever since I could talk, I could sing,” Fuller says. He officially started singing at his father’s church and quickly became popular in the St. Louis area, singing at three to four churches per week. However, little did he know, Fuller’s impact would go beyond the Midwest. Fuller’s mother approached gospel singer Kim Burrell at a conference one day and gave her son’s number to her. Burrell then gave Fuller a phone call to give him some encouragement. “I fell out of my bed when she called,” he said. “She prayed for me, but I never thought it would amount to much more than that.” The phone conversation did lead to more and offered Fuller the chance of a lifetime. Burrell approached Fuller one day after church and asked him to sing at her church later that night because she loved what she heard. She then told Fuller to stick close to her as her mentee. He began traveling with Burrell and eventually moved to Houston, Texas. “It was difficult, but rewarding to see the fruits of my labor pay off,” he said. “The great thing about it is the networking I’ve been able to do.” Not only does Fuller attend practice twice a week with Burrell, he also works as an Information Technology Business Consultant for HP and spends time working on his own material.
“I keep a schedule [to stay organized],” Fuller said. “Sometimes, I have to say no and prioritize.” Fuller has learned singing techniques and stage presence while working with Burrell. But, his relationship with her does not end on stage or in the sound booth. “Kim is one of the most humble people I’ve ever met,” Fuller said. “She teaches me how to focus, study and how to minister and be a gospel artist.” For now, Fuller is focusing on how he can improve his talent. No matter what comes his way, he stays positive. “I am constantly trying to get better,” he said. “I am trusting this path God has me on. God’s approval is what I’m aiming for.”
Keep up with Aaron and his journey via Twitter @TheInstrument
pushing through the QBJO Fashion designer Keo has the courage to chase her dreams despite obstacles. by Brittany King
Even as a child, Keo dreamed of creating her own clothes that others would strut down runways in one day. She developed a knack for putting outfits together at a young age. “I was always a very weird kid,” Keo said. “I had the freefree dom at age 9 to dress according to whatever emotion I was feeling that particular day. Some days I was over the top girly girl, while other days I had pigtails in my hair, wearing cowboy boots, a plaid shirt and a bandana around my neck.” Though her love for sewing came at a young age, the manner in which she fell in love with the art was not typical. Keo would spend summers at her aunt’s house when she was 11 years old and watch her sew. “One day she left the sewing machine unattended and I decided to sew,” Keo said. “I got my butt beat and right then and there I knew I loved to make clothes.” But, Keo’s real determination was tested when she was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2007 and lupus two years later. Both diseases affect all parts of the body, specifically the brain and joints. She began having seizures in her sleep in 2009 and was forced to leave college. Regardless of difficulties with her health, Keo did not stop working towards her dream. She made a big splash in New York City, working with Gucci, Elle, Vogue and Prada and having her new line Sexy M.F. featured in the city’s famous Fashion Week in February. Keo didn’t stop there either.
Keo is currently working on her new line that will launch in February, sketching outfit ideas for her next New York Fashion Week appearance in September and also simply enjoying life to the fullest. In addition, she wants to also help others achieve their life dream, specifically in fashion. Keo created a foundation to offer sewing lessons and scholarships to girls with autoimmune disease and epilepsy. Her lessons also incorporate the message of loving yourself despite your differences. “You have to know that God is a healer and that you have already won the battle,” Keo said. “Surround yourself with positive people. We all have our good and bad days, but you have to smile through it all.”
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vexaccesories@gmail.com
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or those in the fashion industry, no matter what the job, the biggest event of the year is the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. It’s a time where the top designers of the world get to debut their new clothes for the upcoming fashion season. Anyone aspiring to be in the industry knows that getting to Fashion Week is a dream come true. For one lucky college student, this dream became a reality. Gabriel Charles Tyler lived out his dream by interning at Fashion Week through Fiji Water’s 2011 Fashion Intern Contest. He created a video, which allowed him to display his personal fashion sense and separate himself from nearly 300 contest entries. Once Tyler won the contest, he was able to network with the world’s top designers and gain the experience of a lifetime in New York City. But, this was an opportunity he almost missed. “I had been on Facebook and Twitter, looking up things with fashion week, and I came across Fiji’s contest. I signed up for the contest on the last day! I didn’t even expect to get a response back,� Tyler says. “A week later I got an email that I had advanced to the next round, and it went from there.� Tyler says his humbling internship experience confirmed his pursuit of a fashion career. “It was overwhelming, just being in that environment,� he says. “I got to see that this is how all those celebrities started, how they were me once! Somebody who had a dream, and made it happen.� He wants to try his hand at fashion writing or publishing and have even more internships. Even before his trip to the Big Apple, Tyler was always interested in the fashion world and skimmed through articles in InStyle magazines as a youngster. This interest followed him through college, where he and others at the University of Missouri formed a group called Blank Canvas. He says he gains inspiration from fashion forward ce-
-lebrities and designers of this generation, such as Kanye West, Pharrell, Kelis, Alexander Wang and Michael Kors. “For me, fashion is what (designers) give you,� Tyler says. “Taste is something that’s timeless. I will wear a jacket completely different than the next guy. You put pieces together to make the style you want.� Tyler shows off his fashion taste now as a student at DePaul University in Chicago. He remains extremely busy working as a writer at a local newspaper and with New York-based designer Stacy Sherri, managing his blog, “Chitown Fashionista,� and working in the men’s department at Macy’s. Through it all, he wants to take advantage of as many fashion opportunities as he can without missing the deadline day.
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t. Louis fashion designer Darren Nesbitt doesn’t want you to get distracted. He hosted his first fashion show in February 2009 at Club Europe in St. Louis with the focus strictly on his clothing, which included bowties and some funky foxtail clips. Nesbitt wanted to keep his audience focused on every aspect of his work rather than every aspect of a loud song playing in the background. The plan seemed to have worked. His show was featured on the cover of the entertainment section of the St. Louis American and gained tremendous attention in the area. Even with the self-taught designer’s accolades, Nesbitt had never set his sights on a fashion career until his freshman year of colcol lege when he started designing seriously. As one of the four members of the media and entertainment brand Made Monarchs, Nesbitt manages events and creates clothing to bring more high fashion into young urban culture. He is interested in pursuing a career in Public Relations and Marketing and has a degree in PR/Communications from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In addition, Nesbitt is also solidifying his fashion label, Maison Parvenu (“House of New Money”), as an electrifying force in the industry. The fashion wunderkind sits down with Sculpt Magazine to talk about his upbringing, goals and views on his hometown’s fash ion landscape.
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Follow Darren and his journey via Twitter @DarrenNesbitt
Nesbitt’s aristocratic style of design and the growing buzz the Made Monarchs have gained in the St. Louis area caught the attention of MTV. The media giant contacted the Made Monarchs in search for a backdrop for an episode of MTV’s Made. The Made Monarchs brought MTV to a local music fest, were given their own sidestage and made the event even larger. As Nesbitt continues to work on his label, Maison Parvenu (“House of New Money”), he’s taking his degree in Communications and PR from the University of Missouri- St. Louis, and wants to build a foundation to make Maison Parvenu a household name. With his interests in advertising and marketing, Nesbitt plans to possibly fuse more marketing with fashion and maybe even strive to be a PR director in a fashion house one day. He’s planning to have another fashion show next year in the spring and surely it will be an even bigger hit!
www.3jewelsentertainment.com
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