11 14 19 The Plain Dealer Cleveland native Chelsea Grays makes political statements with fashion des

The Plain Dealer November 14, 2019 “Cleveland na ve Chelsea Grays makes poli cal statements with fashion designs” Chelsea Grays presented her work created at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco during New York Fashion Week 2019. It was no ced by publica ons such as Vice, Fashion Weekly Daily and Fashion United. h ps://wwd.com/business-news/business-features/supimadesign-compe on-1203293468/

Cleveland native Chelsea Grays makes political statements with fashion designs November 14, 2019

By Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Chelsea Grays uses her fashion designs to say something about the world. And it’s clear, after a successful student showcase at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) 2019, that the world is listening.

Grays has been noticed by publications like Vice, Fashion Weekly Daily and Fashion United after her inclusion in a New York Fashion Week show, showcasing work she created at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

The Cleveland native is currently a post-graduate student at the school. The university regularly brings a group of fashion students to NYFW every other year for a showcase.

Grays’ NYFW collection was inspired by three interwoven factors: San Francisco’s homeless population, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and also Grays’ family story.

“My mom growing up in Cleveland when she was younger, she had to take care of herself and her brother,” Grays said. “She would buy clothing that she could wear, but could also pass down to her younger brother. It’s easier for a woman to wear men’s clothing than vice versa.”

Grays also was inspired by the Tenderloin, a neighborhood in San Francisco she would walk through every day on her way to school. The area, known for high crime rates, also had a large homeless community.

She combined these two experiences -- along with artistic inspiration from Basquiat’s street art style -- into unisex outfits that incorporated different patterns and paintings on the fabrics.

The fabric was donated from Globe Sewing Machine, a company in Cleveland.

“That’s the first time I saw Cleveland supporting me, which I was really happy about,” Grays said.

Grays grew up in East Cleveland and lived there until middle school when her family moved to Cleveland Heights. She attended Coventry Elementary School, then went to the International Preparatory School, or “TIPS,” a school that was shut down due to mismanagement and misspent public money.

“Looking back I liked the idea of [TIPS], but I don’t think it was run properly," Grays said. "I don’t even know if I have a legitimate elementary school education.”

She transferred to Roxboro Elementary School, and then Roxboro Middle School. After her mother and stepfather divorced Grays moved to North Carolina with her mother, where she

lived for a decade. She went to North Carolina Central University and received an undergraduate college degree in psychology.

“We would always go back to Ohio on summer breaks,” Grays said. “[My mom] moved back three years ago so now every time I’m going home, that’s where I go.”

Growing up, Grays was encouraged to engage in creative pursuits. Her mother is an avid painter, and Grays picked up sketching in her childhood, she said.

Before Grays started her masters program at the Academy of Art, she took sewing classes to learn how to create clothing. At first, she struggled to keep up in the program and failed a couple of classes, but then she buckled down.

“I would be the first one in the studio and the last one to leave,” she said. “I had to make a commitment with myself to push myself and really learn.”

Grays’ designs revolve around political inspirations. One collection was based on police brutality -- the designs included heavy, protective fabrics and elements from military uniforms.

Another collection was inspired by racial discrimination in the form of the brown paper bag test -- a comparison of a person’s skin to the color of a paper bag to determine societal privileges. That project was chosen as a finalist for the Geoffrey Beene scholarship in 2018, chosen by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Grays wants her art to be political, and to speak out about inequality and injustice.

“I think any form of art is an expression, and for me it happens to be fashion,” she said. “It’s just a part of who I am. I can’t help but want to affect people and create some positive change in the world.”

Now, during her post-graduate year, Grays is studying in Paris. She hopes to find internships in the city and remain in Europe for a few years, traveling and seeing new parts of the world.

But her home remains a big part of her work.

“My family is a big part of who I am and what I’m doing. The atmosphere I grew up in, and for everybody to be a creative, that motivated me to be who I am,” Grays said. “Everybody’s creative in their own ways. I’m very appreciative of my family and where I came from. I think that has benefited me substantially.”

Read more here: https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2019/11/cleveland-nativechelsea-grays-makes-political-statements-with-fashion-designs.html