![]() ![]() When I first moved to Fort Greene, I did so because it was cheaper than the East village and it was where all the cool Black creatives lived: tons of actors, models, musicians, writers, fine artists and other fashion designers. These images are seared into my brain and I often reference them as a way of grounding myself and staying connected to Little Aaron.īrooklyn, for me, has always been about urban creativity. There were also the cool uncles who sat with their legs crossed and their arms elegantly draped over their knees with waved back hair, sleek gator shoes, leather coats, the most gorgeous girlfriends, and drove cars that would make you think they were either a pimp or a preacher. Sylvia was the first person I knew who wore designer clothes. ![]() I had two aunts, Johnnie and Sylvia, who embodied this - silk blouses, pencil skirts, jazz music, hoity-toity jobs, college educated, and cool sports cars. One that resonated with me the most is what I call "The Black Sophisticate." It is sort of a mixture of bougie blackness with an artsy sophistication and worldliness. You were born and raised in Detroit, but live in Brooklyn – how have these two cities influenced your design aesthetic?Ĭoming from Detroit, as with most "chocolate" cities, there are so many iterations of Black creative expression and style. From there, I began building my brand, A.Potts.Ģ. I applied and got in, and thank God I did because it was the only application I filled out. Oni Akilah, introduced me to the idea that I needed to go to Parsons School of Design. My then art teacher and the most important teacher in my life, Ms. It told me that THIS IS IT.THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE MEANT TO DO. After week two or three, I had what felt like an epiphany.the movie type with the deep voice and the parting cloud effects. When I got to Renaissance High School, I took a fashion illustration/design class in ninth grade. All of these influences, coupled with the fact that I was a pretty adept artist, seems to have set me on a path to fashion. I was a church kid - and there is nothing more glamorous than a Black Pentecostal church on Sunday morning. Other components of this glamour quotient were the experiences of classic Motown, Soul Train, The Scene (Detroit's local answer to Soul Train), beauty pageants, Ebony Fashion Fair, award shows, Style with Elsa Klensch and the style pages of The National Enquirer and Star Magazine. ![]() ![]() I was recently in Detroit and was reminiscing about fishing on the Detroit River and watering the ground under my aunt's pear tree so we could "pick worms" for bait for our fishing excursions. On the flip side of this quasi-Grizzly Adams upbringing, I also learned to love all things glamorous. Since my carpenter dad was very much an outdoorsman, I spent countless hours fishing and camping all over the Midwest, the South, and in Canada. I grew up an artistic, bookwormish kid who was very much a mama's boy. Can you tell our readers/followers about yourself? How did you get started in the fashion industry? We had a chance to talk to the designer about his background, inspiration and recent collection, take a look below:ġ. As one of the only black men at the helm of his own high fashion label, Potts has the unique opportunity to share a point-of-view through his work many might otherwise not experience. Designer Aaron Potts of A.Potts is a rising force in the fashion industry. ![]()
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