APRIL WALKER

NECESSARY REBEL

By Marcus Gregory Blassingame

Stylist: Marcus Gregory Blassingame, Photographer: Andrew Sanford, Hair: Melissa Maria Brand, MUA: Sophie Schultz In the early 80’s at the tender early age of Hip Hop a young teen in Brooklyn began supplying the community with it’s uniform to identify the energy of the culture through her independently owned boutique called Fashion In Effect. The store specialized in silk screen and airbrush art on shirts denim and sweat shirts and custom denim suits. Their logo was a dog that had similar characteristics of the controversial rap band Public Enemy’s hype man Flava Flav wearing a snap back hat, gold teeth (with FIE imprinted) and a big clock around his neck. Fashion In Effect because a staple of the neighborhood and the go-to place for the right look as owner the now legendary April Walker and her team understood the market. April Walker became one of the first designers to go mainstream with a streetwear brand called Walker Wear and established a legacy that paved the way for the industry and culture as we know it today. Known for her works with Notorious BIG, Tupac, Naughty By Nature, Audio 2 and Run DMC, Walker Wear flooded the clubs, streets, TV screens, stage shows, fashion conventions, music outlets and schools worldwide. April continues to influence the community with her wisdom and experience.

With her new venture RAW, a sustainable denim line, April brings resolutional disruption to the world of fashion as always.

MB Did you have any customers purchase FIE who would later become a future celebrity or industry figurehead? AW-Notorious BIG came in to the store because we had Eric B and Rakim airbrushed on one of the shirt in the window. We would talk about Hip Hop and things about Brooklyn.

MB You first entered the industry as a celebrity stylist? How did you begin styling before you created Walker Wear? AW Entrepreneurship in hip hop exploded in the 80s. It became more mainstream when Fresh Fest showed at Madison Square Garden. It ignited the tribe to manifest in every way we can. Thinking back to graffiti on the trains, breakdancers, the club scenes like Funhouse, Lime Light, Studio 54, Paradise Garage, The Fever, Red Parrot, and Latin Quarters, we were in that mix and energy translating it into fashion that inspired our love for the craft. It was the rap duo Audio 2 who first needed custom looks for “I don’t care video”. Styling became a new revenue stream so we expanded our services to include it. From the popularity of our Fashion In Effect the Hip Hop community knew of us, so the demand for our services derived from the artists and their management before the labels since at the time there were no stylists for Hip Hop. There was a lot of push back from the companies as the artists and stylist had to push and almost fight to convince the representatives that a wardrobe budget was needed for Hip Hop artists. Eventually they had to recognize our importance.

MB How were you discovered by the industry? AW Execs such as Shakim from (Queen Latifah’s Label) Flava Unit and Nikki B, Queen Latifah and Naughty By Nature could see the vision. They understood the importance of fashion and streetwear because they are the culture, unlike labels like Universal, Sony and Columbia who missed the value in hiring stylists for the artists and assumed they could dress out of their closet or in other instances the suit and tie types had their own ideas without understanding the culture. In my approach the artist’s aesthetic came first and we created from there.

MB Were showrooms an option then? Or did clients require budgets for purchase? AW Very few fashion houses recognized Hip Hop artists no matter how big they were because the genre had not yet gained their respect. I remember pulling from boutiques, especially in Greenwich Village who were open to loaning for the entertainment business.

MB I remember the lack of attention to the ethnic market from the showrooms. I kind of carved my own path, but I always wondered how others stylists were breaking those doors down. AW As your resume builds they begin to recognize your work, plus if you were around long enough the market changed and Hip Hop became this multi-billion dollar industry and everyone wanted in.

MB I read that you started Walker Wear out of necessity of fashion aesthetics that was missing in the fashion industry, particularly in Hip Hop. AW Walker Wear was a fluid transition from our store brand Fashion In Effect which served as a great test market to help us understand our customer as Hip Hop was evolving and becoming more commercially viable. Our items became the looks that you saw in music videos and the customer would request certain alterations to match their lifestyle at the time, such as bigger deeper pockets, lower crotch and a more moveable feel to perhaps dance or have a utilitarian vibe. They wore very tight pants in the early 80s and Hip Hop came in and disrupted that. Men didn’t have man bags so they carried

Pink track jacket - Richards Radcliffe, Mola Walker - Pant (Showroom Seven) White coat - Ana Grebec @ana_grebec, Fanny Pack - Moschino, Shoes - Jessica Rich, Accessories - Erickson Beamon

a lot of things in their pockets. This played a part in our design by listening to our customer, so when I eventually set off on my own from Fashion In Effect we took the template of designing for the customer which consisted of items that one could not find in the stores at that time. Hip Hop had no representation for us in retail back then so we met that demand. In our growth through trial and error we learned a lot about the business and opened a private tailoring division dressing artist like Jodeci and others.

We decided to try our own brand Walker Wear, starting with the “rough and rugged” suit, the crew neck sweater, a sweat suit, a fitted snap back cap, a coach jacket and beanies. I wanted the brand to be functional and diverse where you could wear it during the day and transition into the nightlife scene and clubs.

The first show we did was during the NASBA show which was equivalent to what Magic became but instead we rented a suite in a small hotel called The Flat Hotel. Not yet experienced in the fashion business we did not want to risk showing in the Jacob Javits convention center booth so we invited a comfortable amount of buyers to our suit. At this time we were working with Run DMC, Flava Unit and others and Jam Master J went to the Javits invited some extra buyers. At the time we landed Dr Jays which at that time was the biggest retailer in our community as well as Merry Go Round, Vinnie Styles and ten others. From there Walker Wear was born.

MB You have quite an extensive list of legends that you have worked with. Were you inspired by greats like Biggie ,Tupac and Naughty By Nature? Describe that energy. AW I believe that good energy breeds good energy, At that time we did not know what Hip Hop would become, we knew that we believed in it and as a new revolution we were here for it. I was in my early twenties and It was a time when Public Enemy released Don’t Believe The Hype, the crack era affected urban economics and lifestyle and Hip Hop became the voice of the unheard. No media covered us, our community was ignored and no one was interested in our story so the music became that outlet. When you think of NWA, Ice T, Naughty By Nature, Tupac, Poor Righteous Teachers KRS 1, Notorious BIG it was a plethora of diverse sounds and messages which became our CNN news. I was here for that rebellious spirit and that anti-establishment and I wanted to supply the uniform and speak to my tribe members. I was doing it from the heart and not chasing the dollars. The environment organically banded us together as tribe members. I met Tupac a few times, one time he came on set with Stretch Armstrong while I was styling BWP (B..ches With Problems) (under the umbrella of No Face via Def Jam) and again a few times including during the tryout for the movie Juice which he costarred in. He asked me where the outfit I was wearing came from which was our Fashion In Effect store and we connected from there. (Around the time when he was just branching off from Digital Underground) is when I began dressing Tupac. He was a very passionate and creative visionary as you could see in his projects, music and videos and he didn’t allow the fashion to overpower his message.

MB Treach from Naughty by Nature was always a champion for the brand. Eventually he became a fashion influencer at the time. Did you find some of your wisdom shared was helpful to him to thrive in that space? AW “Treach! “That’s my family”. A lot of people didn’t know I was styling at that time. Sometimes we wouldn’t use any Walker Wear if it didn’t fit the artist aesthetic. The cool thing

about having a styling division while you have a clothing company is that you can receive a wardrobe budget to cover expenses and special requests outside of your brand. I understood the importance of product placement and we were one of the first companies that started intentional product insertion as we couldn’t compete with brands like Tommy Hilfiger with their advertising budgets and billboards on Time Square. But the difference is we are the culture and we could put something different on Treach that no one had which was so dope that everyone would ask for it because they connected with it but they could only get that item from us. Artist drove the culture and how can we be different and still compete. We didn’t understand how powerful artists were because they were just forming. Naughty by Nature weren’t who they were now in terms of global legacy and

Hip Hop game changers however they were new and building as were we. It was another way to get the budget to shop as well as get paid to style. Sometimes we purchased other brands and sometimes we customized looks. We listened to the talent and a lot of my best creations were collaborations with the artists.

As a stylist the biggest relationship you will have is with your client and artists based on building trust and we remain transparent and honest.

MB When I started working with the labels, instead of focusing on wether I could share in developing that artists image, but they focused on how many “free items” I could get from designers. I used to hate that about working with the representatives. What about the art? You have been referred to as a “disruptor” in fashion, the industry or both. How did you earn this acclaim? AW Depending on who you ask you may receive a different answer. Ive been called the “Sacajawea of Fashion” for clearing the path for Hip Hop brands. (Sacajawea was a Shoshone guide/interpreter woman who, at age 16, met and helped the Lewis and Clark

Expedition in achieving their chartered mission objectives by exploring the Louisiana Territory. Sacagawea traveled with the expedition thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific

Ocean, helping to establish cultural contacts with Native American populations and contributing to the expedition’s knowledge of natural history in different regions) When we began there was no lane for us, no “streetwear” category in fashion, only our community’s inside burning passion to create. We were trailblazers that formed a tribe that rebelled against the industry norm, unapologetically putting our brands in the same spaces as the mainstream at comparable price points. We dared anyone who would judged us letting them know to get up to speed or “miss out”. My degree was in business communications rather than fashion and growing up around my father who was in the music business of

Jazz, and R&B, toured with D. Train, Jazz O and JayZ, going to

Zanzibar, Barnes Intl, Copa Cabana, being backstage, seeing Luther Vandross with him gave me a different perspective in business through entertainment and fashion which for us goes hand in hand. Nothing against 9-5 jobs, but the Sacajawea in me, that rebel encouraged me to forge my own path. In the rebellion I saw the vision and had enough faith to follow that vision. At the time product placement on Hip Hop artists was unheard of. We made sure to have Naughty, Tupac, Biggie, and you name them flooded in Walker Wear so 6 months in the buyers were hunting us down to write orders. Considering that we began with consignment deals and no money upfront was a major risk for brands like ours who’s market had not yet existed.

MB Isn’t it always great when the client had that one employee who was the cool hip kid that you could relate to? AW At Merry Go Round there was a kid who didn’t know me but was pushing Walker Wear so heavy he tried to sell me my own designs. It was refreshing that our community believed in us to keep us in that conversation.

for a multi billion dollar genre. How do you feel this affected markets such as “The Magic Convention”? AW When I attended my first Magic convention you could hear a pin drop. Magic didn’t understand what category we should be in so they put us and brands like Karl Kani and Cross Colors in a small conference room. They had no idea where to place us. We themed the room like a jail cell and sent out invites to buyers to come “serve time with us”. Needless to say we each wrote 2 million at that show, which lead them to inviting us on to the main floor. After that others followed, like Phat Farm was one of the first then PNB Nation and others. Essentially we made Magic cool (especially since it didn’t have the panache of Fashion Week and further more new fashion is mostly discovered by the youth). The original environment was stiff and non-progressive nor creatively inspiring even though its purpose was towards fashion.) The energy felt stale while a bunch of old car salesmen hovered over the buyers. We ushered in the new wave and filled the aisles with new energy, music, culture and style. It became a wave of crowds of buyers excited to write orders and eventually other brands by people “who looked like us” like FUBU, Ecko and LRG began to show. I had a dream team of sales reps like Gloria Blake (who went on to Ruff Ryders), Kenya Warfield, Kola Walker sales reps like Tony Shellman (who later branched off and started Mecca) Danny Shaw (who started Pure Players and 1020 Blues), those which became 30 to 50 million + dollar companies. I held an umbrella of Street Wear brands that branched off like a dandelion who went on to do great things. Till this day they pay homage. It feels good to see it become a multi billion dollar industry.

Hip Hop Artists genuinely pushed for us because we didn’t just worry about “the fashion industry” but developed relationships in the business and our culture. Mind you we were not a billion dollar backed market so our community was important. For instance Shaquille O’Neal purchased custom items and supported our brand while still loaning his name by wearing our clothes. We need to build our own tables because that’s how we win is in how we support each other.

MB How has the tech world affected the business of fashion for you? AW The tech world has affected it in a good way. It inspired me to relaunch Walker Wear in the digital space and surpass the “gatekeepers” in fashion who are in league with the retailers. What you said earlier was gold a lot of the business owners with the suits and ties have no idea of what the kids or the market wants, they just want to get paid with or without merit. In this digital age you can build your own audience and create your own narrative without someone dictating to the masses. I wanted to create again, utilize the equity in my brand and I have such a rich history with Walker Wear so when I entered the social media space I received communication from all over the world with thanks for my contribution. From Africa to New Zealand, I talk to over 80 people a day hearing 30 years later people still appreciate you.

I created my own narrative and it is very successful. The transparency is the same now as it was when we started. It’s not as cookie cutter instant as people think, but to consistently tell your story, craft it and hone it. I did test marketing the same way I did before the Internet. It takes time to build like anything in business. That’s what creating is about, everything is not going to be a masterpiece. It’s ok as long as you Are growing as you go , if you keep swinging with aim, eventually you will land some punches.Tech is only a tool, you must cultivate it.

MB Are you surprised at how the major fashion houses struggled with connecting with current the market since social media? AW No, its like when Apple went to the record labels and enlightened them of the changes that were coming with the offer to partner up, but the record companies took them lightly. Soon after that digital era took over and a lot of labels lost their businesses. As a business you have to be conscious of the shifts and where the numbers move to see that things are changing and be agile enough to move with the changes, especially if there hasn’t been any disruption in a while, prepare for it.

I read a book “Who Moved My Cheese” which has some very real information in it. If a culture is changing and your are not changing with it, you might lose business in that shift. That’s what’s happening with some of the major brands is they came late to the table, and though its never to late, it’s more of a hurdle now. The longer you wait the harder it is, especially in technology. Tech is where the world is and that’s where your business needs to be.

I’m trying out Clubhouse and still in the learning phase of that platform which is voice only chat room style. One would have to be mindful of time which “time is money” so its about the value and in February we did a campaign for my RAW denim release for Womens Empowerment Month. You have to be mindful of how your use it.

MB On Clubhouse The Black Fashion Congress addressed Tyson King’s issue where Givenchy allegedly copied on of his hat designs. Whats your take on cultural appropriation? Have you experienced it? AW Cultural appropriation is much like America, the land was acquired by looters who came in and took with no regard, that bend laws when it serves them and thrives off of the state of denial. The good news is that through the pandemic and Black Lives Matter and the exposure to this country’s division let humans know that if we can’t face it then we can’t fix it. Healing can’t begin until we acknowledge. Though it is now acknowledged we still have a long way to go. (Virgil Ablo has been addressed in my letter regarding this subject.) We have to stop waiting for others to validate us and start standing on our own. (We are divided) and Stylists need to pull more designers of color and take ownership of our roles in unity. We need to round up our own with intentionality. Designers like Fe Noel, Sergio Hudson, Laquan Smith, Fear Of God, Telfar need to be on the red carpet more.

To our younger generation we don’t need someone else to bring us together we need to do it ourselves and stop waiting for other people to approve and validate us.

Empower our own consumerism, ownership, we need to celebrate our own the way that others do. Strengthen our foundation including our financial issues. We need, black owned banks and distribution. We have enough consumer power but there is no real financial structure because we have not developed a financial strategy.

MB What approach should one take to attract the attention of today’s young consumer? AW I have been working with a young team. By putting them in the spotlight, celebrating them, mentoring them, teaching them, letting them have a voice and letting them make decisions so that they learn from those decisions to become the decision makers of tomorrow. Energy feeds off of energy as we influence each other which translates to our internal team and philosophy extending externally to our tribe.

Building a brand must be consistent, authentic and innovative as they are communicating our brand to their fellow younger audience, as I step aside as a representative of our seasoned generation and allow the newer energy to vibrate through the brand and understand that April Walker is more than a brand but a lifestyle that caters to various age groups.

MB How do you feel about today’s Luxury Street Brand direction?

AW I love the fact that we have street luxury brands and I see growth since the 80’s until now. We’ve been conditioned to buy the Gucci’s and Fendi’s so Its refreshing to now have options like Pyor Moss and

Telfar that reflect us. I believe that it is revolutionary and as technology plays a part I see it only getting bigger.

MB Will we ever see a Black Luxury Brand? How far are black designers from having that celebrated logo?

AW I like what Fe Noel is doing, When fashion and travel comes to 27

“WHILE THERE ARE A PLETHORA OF TALENTED BLACK AND BROWN STYLISTS IN THE WORLD, THIS CAMPAIGN SHINES A LIGHT ON A FEW THAT, IN SPITE OF A FASHION INDUSTRY FULL OF SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION, THEY CONTINUE TO SHAPE AND SHIFT THE CULTURE FORWARD.” —RAW

Marci Rodgers is an award-nominated costume designer who created the rich palette and ‘70s wardrobe on Spike Lee’s highly acclaimed film, BLACKKKLANSMAN, which won an Academy Award in 2019. She also did an American saga of WuTang

CL White-He has worked with talent such as Beyoncé, Naomi Campbell, Cardi B, Lori Harvey, DSmoke and many more. He has also worked with companies such as Parkwood Ent, RocNation, Essence Magazine

Kwasi Kessi Is a celebrity wardrobe stylist, creative director and co-captain of Adidas Runners NYC Harlem. He’s worked with BET, was ASAP Ferg’s stylist and also marathon runner.

Domo is a 26 year old Fashion Stylist from Brooklyn, NY. Her styling career started at LIM college where she studied fashion media and styling. Her keen eye for details and use of layered jewelry are two distinct components of Domo’s styling.

Janique is the artist Conway’s stylist. “Nique” Heard is an Artist, published Editorial & Personal Stylist based in New York City with roots in P. G. County. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in fashion marketing, she landed a job instantly as a stylist for the 34th Street

Macys.

Toni Scott Grant, who has worked with Madonna and JLo, a

Houston native who is a costume designer and wardrobe stylist who 28

mind I think of her collections. Louis Vuitton didn’t start out as a top brand, they had to grow, also I believe brands like Sergio Hudson is on its way. I’m reminded of Dapper Dan’s shop and how he worked into his luxury profile and remember that at that time no black owned brand did what he did. Its up to the consumer to show up. Also remember that the Madison Avenue to Paris brands are legacy brands and have be around for decades as opposed to the black designers of today who are brand new. Only time will tell with the right structure and direction. The world as a whole must be healed of the supremacy, elitism and racism to give black designers a fair chance so as we see all around change the future can hold great promise. We can’t wait for the fashion industry to change for us, we have to create our own wave. I wouldn’t be as successful in the business if my goal was to be in the fashion industry, I’m a disruptor because I’m not here for them to validate who I am. MB Tell me about the RAW project. AW RAW is a project that is dear to my heart born out the desire to tell our story. I desire to show the diversity of people while revealing their common thread by including the spectrums of the rainbow, beginning with black history month and sustainability. I’ve enlisted a team of stylists and custom designers by way of amplifying them and telling their story and how it relates to RAW denim, the most environmentally conscious sustainable version of denim which otherwise is the most wasteful and harmful of materials in terms of dyes, toxic chemicals and use of water. We use raw denim in its natural state. Raw denim actually ages better and evolves more around the individuals wear. MB Is this collection going in the sustainable fashion direction? AW Yes because of the removal of the toxic and wasteful process. MB How did you select your team of creatives for it? AW We built relationships over time. Not only stylists but also designers, Some are newbies sort of speak. The team varies in gender and generations, it’s been literally organically, authentically and (spiritually) a pleasure bonding with them. Being a fan of their work I connected with them in indifferent phases.

in the world of film, media and television has worked with a host of celebrity clientele. Toni’s works includes, the Hulu’s 8-part series ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ and Emmy-award winning Dick Wolf’s production of ‘FBI’ on CBSand she has her own line ‘how to swag’.

Jai Hudson’s passion ignited her design studies at Syracuse University and gave her the gumption to become a celebrity fashion stylist and designer. Hudson’s designs date back to creating for the late Aaliyah Haughton in 1999. Her styling and design credits include Teyana Taylor, Iman Shumpert, Remy Ma, Sean Combs, 50 Cent, JayZ, Trey Songs, Total, Lil Kim, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, and Missy Elliott. Jai has also collaborated in creative direction and design to brands i.e. Angela and Vanessa Simmons’ “Pastry” sneaker line, the Misa Hylton brands and her Fashion Academy, plus MCM.

Keia Bounds is an accomplished film and TV costume designer. She worked as a fashion designer before entering the entertainment industry. Keia credits her design education and fashion design experience for her success in her costume design. While working as a designer for Ralph Lauren, Keia began styling celebrities. She eventually left Ralph Lauren to pursue a Costume Design and styling career. She first landed Chappelle’s Show, and soon after, What Not to Wear, Law & Order, etc.

Next, Keia began to be asked to design episodic shows. Her credits as a costume designer range from “NURSE JACKIE,” to “CONNECTING” on NBC and most recently released film “CHICK FIGHT”. She used her son for the shoot and also has a sustainable line.

Phil who did a shoot with D. Smoke, is an incredible stylist who I met at Essence Fest.

All of these people have inspired me in many different ways.

Young people inspire me because “they are not having it, as rebels they make statements like “because we are gonna win, swing with aim, by all means necessary”! I like to see when creatives are moving forward in spite of.

They are a mixed bag of apples who are all doing different things in their own way and I wanted to celebrate them and also be conscious and intentional about the planet.

Suit, hat - Kas Lifestyle, Necklace i - Georgina Herrera @georginajewelryofficial, Jacket - Richards Radcliff (Showroom Seven), Clutch - Moschino

MB What are some of your goals for 2021? AW I have a lot of goals, its really a 2021 to 2023 list of goals I wrote book called Walker Gems “Get Your Ass Of The Couch (E book dropping soon) I’M excited about my digital course about the business called; BYOB (Build Your Own Brand, Be Your Own Brand). I’ve been doing a lot of teaching and mentorship for black and brown people.

MB What about necessary rebellion? AW I consider myself as a disruptor to the school system because I believe we’ve been put in an educational box growing up, told to pick a career, work hard for someone else, (there is nothing wrong with that) but I really want to promote independence and creative thinking, even if you are working within the system and infrastructure, realize that we are in the age of individuals. Be sure to understand that you are a brand wether you accept it or not, how we show up for ourselves is how the rest of the world welcomes us and treats us, so its really important for us to understand that being a brand is how you are perceived. Be a great negotiator, know your value, level up, and pour into your own brand. It starts at home and in the education system, entrepreneurship is mainly believing in yourself and doubt will take you under and kill your dreams. Believe and everything else can be figured out, you can learn but really seeing it when no one else can and owning it is the first step. Thats what BYOB is about as the backdrop, with fashion I don’t do that alone, I’ve been teaching with Milk D of Audio 2 who teaches the music component and I teach the fashion.

I’m currently working on my memoir book to release next year and studying the cannabis business with plans to open a cannabis and wellness store online.

I’m looking to collaborate with more Black designers and continue to build our community.