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" I don't think the narrative I was stuck in - the 'black' designer category - was going to go away anytime soon. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Think
Narrative
Going
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" The way I was raised, you get a new pair of sneakers when the old one gets messed up. But when I got to high school, I started dating girls and trying to fit in, and I realized everybody was collecting Jordans. When I would get my paychecks, I wouldn't even take money. I would just trade them for sneakers. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
School
You
High School
" One of the things about runways that I hate is that you can't accommodate so many people because you don't have those in-and-out privileges where people can come and go. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Come
Go
Hate
" I've never seen Ralph Lauren, Rick Owens, or Raf Simons described as white designers. They are just designers. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Never
Ralph
Seen
" All clothes are worn on the street, but 'streetwear' had once described T-shirt brands and skate-inspired brands, and now it's just a lazy innuendo used to describe clothing made by designers that the establishment deems 'less than.' "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Clothes
Now
Lazy
" Systemically, there hasn't been an oppression more overt and long-lasting than economic oppression against black people and minorities in this country. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
More
Oppression
People
" I played baseball, was on the basketball team in high school, did crew at Hofstra, and randomly played ultimate frisbee, too. But none of the organized teams I was on were anywhere near as competitive as the games on the street. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
High School
School
Baseball
" You have these megabrands who make most of their money off hip-hop culture. Where were they in the time of need? "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Hip-Hop
Culture
Money
" I hope that people who don't believe depression is a real thing will stop calling people crazy, because that's dismissive and not a medical diagnosis. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
People
Medical
Hope
" I wanted to be a sneaker designer since I was 10; it was my dream to work at Nike and design signature shoes for Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway. When it was time to select high schools, I wanted to go to one that would help me get a jump-start on my dream. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Design
Me
Help
" I'm desperately trying to unplug. The last thing I want is a watch that connects to my phone which connects to my iPad that connects to my computer that airplays to my TV. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Watch
iPad
Last
" I was going to college on a full scholarship. I graduated summa cum laude. I was always on the dean's list. I was never a kid that started any kind of trouble. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Scholarship
Trouble
College
" All it took was one conversation to know that Reebok was the right home for our team. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Conversation
Right
Know
" A president's power is limited. We need to vote down the ballot as well, from your councilman all the way up to your governors and congressman. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
President
Down
Way
" Think about how much fashion profits from black culture and how underrepresented we are in the industry. If you insist on using black celebrities to peddle your merchandise and add a cool factor to your front row, it is indecent to not care about the plights of that person's community. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Community
Black
Think
" I came back from Standing Rock, and one of the things that struck me was their respect for elders. It was something that I felt like I needed to work on in my life. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Me
Respect
Work
" There were times when gangs would approach me, but my father was way stronger than them. They would come make threats and stuff, and I was like, 'You don't know the opposition I've got upstairs. I'm not scared of you.' "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Know
You
Stronger
" America is a flawed land but a great one indeed. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Indeed
Great
America
" In my shows, I always try to incorporate music because it's the most natural way to set a tone. So if I want to do a show about depression, I use the opera. If I want to do a show about greed, I use spoken word. If I want to do a show about the injustice that's taking place in the world, I might play Sam Cooke. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Try
World
Music
" We're always ready for a pick-up game. I walk through the park on the way home every day and just think to myself, 'I'll take on any of these kids.' "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Game
Day
Walk
" In September of 2015, I did the unthinkable: I used my second-ever runway show to bring awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do professionally. It was lonely. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Matter
Awareness
Black
" I design for social media. My customer reads blogs, is on social media, so I design with contrast in mind. An all-black shirt looks good on the shelf but not online. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Social Media
Design
Good
" A lot of us who are creative and have all these great ideas just don't have the money to do it. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Great
Money
Just
" I want to be fashion's Erykah Badu. What I admire about her is her timelessness and her fearless approach. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Her
Fearless
Fashion
" If you're on the fence about speaking your truth or sharing your world with a greater audience, don't be. We need each other badly. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
World
Fence
Need
" With things that I'm going through, whether they be on a small scale or a large scale, I'm thinking, 'Who else is going through this? And how can I address it and bring it to light to help someone else?' "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Light
Help
Thinking
" The world absolutely needs your voice. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Your
World
Voice
" My dad used to give me old electrical equipment that didn't work anymore, and I'd put things together. I think that's why I like to mix things that don't belong. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Old
Work
Me
" I don't know which was the first love - music or fashion. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
First Love
Love
Music
" I grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. At the time I was growing up with my father - before it was gentrified - it was a very rough neighborhood. He felt that if I got into or started embracing the rap culture, I would be one step closer to being on the streets. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Time
Father
Growing Up
" If you put the collections together, whether it's Rick Owens, Alexander Wang, or whomever, sometimes they do streetwear, but they're never called that. They're always called 'sportswear' or 'high-end' or 'luxury.' I feel like I'm tossed into that streetwear category so that I don't exist in this space. "
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Space
Together
You