Fashion is a mode of self-expression. From Stash House to the Snowman phenomenon, it is with that expression that empowers its wearer to believe in one’s self. It is with that self-worth that fuels Cheriss May’s line – Unified Soul [http://www.lovewhoIam.com]. The Kansas City native and Howard University graduate has taken her love of the visual graphic arts and has applied it to this cutting edge fashion that line that has recently found itself under the spotlight.

Most recently, Terrence J., co-host of 106 & Park on BET, wore the olive green HBCU Soul t-shirt – giving it some light on the show. Ms. May is a driven individual who’s love of family, heritage and of culture has pushed Unified Soul into the forefront of the independent fashion genre. In addition to having her own line, Cheriss May is an adjunct professor at Howard University and is a photographer.

The lovely entrepreneur sits down with The Evil Collector to discuss how Howard University alumnus helped to propel the line forward, how her line will impact Black culture and defines her own sense of fashion style.

The Evil Collector: I guess we’ll start with first things first – how’d you cultivate your love of designing?
Cheriss May: It really came from just grinding. The more I grinded, the more I learned about the business and the more I learned about the ins and outs of the business. Everytime I did it, I would get stronger through the experiences. I learned that I could be involved in projects, whether it was through work or through freelancing. Each time I did it, it was a hand’s on thing. I have a background in Computer Graphics. But truthfully, most of what I learned was through experience and things just started to click from that point on.

TEC: I’m pretty sure that you had influence when getting involved in the business – so who were they and how did you adapt those influences and incorporate them into your style?
CM: I was influenced by non-fashion related things. I don’t subscribe to any trends that are current and now. What I create is basically what I felt like at the time. As far as influences or inspirations… the core of it all is, truthfully, my family. They are a more tangible inspiration that I would see daily doing things. I learned from them once you commit to something that you have to see it through. When I was in grade school, I joined the track team and didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I had to do early morning practices in the hot-as-hell heat. So, after doing it for about a week, I said to myself that I was going to quit. But… my dad wouldn’t let me quit. He told me that I would finish out the track season. I learned from that. It was with those lessons that I learned back then that helped me press forward. My inspiration is solely familial… it wouldn’t be anyone in the fashion world. My goals with my career and with the fashion line is to create something that is positive and would help build up the community that I’m in and abroad.

TEC: Clothes are a part of everyday life; they’re an absolute necessity. How does Unified Soul cater to the people?
CM: From what I have heard from others, they appreciate the message that is being portrayed. They usually comment a lot on the color combinations. They like to say that they’re very warm. I like to use a lot of relaxed color tones. Those are things that I’ve heard. They like the fit of the t-shirts. Before I started, I had read a lot of negative comments about t-shirts that Abercrombie & Fitch had done. This was when I was doing solely graphic design. They had protesters who were angered about the messages that were on their shirts. It was crazy. Some of it was based on the fact that it was of poor quality. When I was younger, my mom used to screen print, so I knew a little bit about the industry. I could tell if it was rushed and if they didn’t put any quality into it. I saw a lot of that within the business. So, I started doodling and tried a test run by putting something out there to see how it goes. Maybe subliminally or slowly, some of the positive messages would filter in. With Unified Soul, I want to move us to a new direction. You have people who will say all day that what other’s wear do not represent them. But that is the opposite, what you choose to wear does represent who you are. You can take a look at something like that movie Little Miss Sunshine – it’s kind of sad how these parents rear their kids for strict competition. If you look at how they did those kids, your first introduction to them is their representation of themselves. I’ve even said something to someone who had a shirt on and I challenged their motives. What you wear is what you’re proclaiming. Those t-shirts are a proclamation of what you believe in. I’d like to take a stab at doing something positive.

TEC: On the main page of Unified Soul’s website – you show a lot of love for Black culture. What do you hope that your line’s impact is within the Black fashion world?
CM: That’s a very good question. I show pride because I am a Black woman and there is a lot of love for myself and my culture. I want it to be beyond “us,” though. I want it to filter through to different cultures and ethnicities. I use different languages to connect with others. Especially here in D.C., I can bump into someone who looks like me but is of a totally different culture. There are a lot of issues that reside within our culture. We have negative stereotypes and pre-conceived notions about others. These are based on my experiences. For example – African’s perception of African-American’s is that we’re lazy and don’t take advantage of our opportunities. We have things that we put off on others too that are negative. The impact that I would hope to make is to let people embrace a message of self-love. Whether you’re a Black person or a Latino or other, you should be able to embrace the essence of who you are and not try to subscribe to another culture’s beliefs.

TEC: You’re an Howard University alumni, right? How did that help push your clothing line out to the mainstream?
CM: I’m glad that I made the decision to go to Howard. It helped me a lot of ways. The culture at that school is one that encourages entrepreneurship. I can recall my professors back then having their own business in addition to being teachers. They’d encourage others to find their voice and all that. The Howard University community is very supportive as far as its alumnus is concerned. It’s almost like a family thing. I went through those channels to promote the line. I connected with old classmates and via MySpace and I made connections through that. One of my first models came from Howard Alumni. At first, though, I used my family for models. I used to bounce designs off of them and get advice from them so I’ve come a long way since then. I try to incorporate my family into the business that I do – my niece and nephew are models on the site.

TEC: The site’s URL address is LoveWhoIAm.com. What inspired the concept and do you believe that Black folks esteem is to that level?
CM: Wow… Okay, what inspired the website’s name is that that Unified Soul was already taken. My tagline that I ran with was “I Love Who I Am” and it was available as a domain name. What happened was that people actually remembered the “Love Who I Am” tagline over the Unified Soul line. You don’t know that that’s the name until you read the background on the fashion line. That is a powerful statement that is easy to remember. We’re far from that message though. There are still a lot of issues with self-image. Whether it is the whole light skin/dark skin thing, you still hear it to this day. What exactly is good hair?! We still embrace those negatives and it’s still an issue that we grapple with. You’ll hear people talking about this all the time and it affects our self-image. It affects our life, itself. It’s a core issue that roots itself in many things.

TEC: You have to think that with the influence of rap music that our fashion sense has indeed shifted. So, ultimately where would you want to see Black fashion go?
CM: I would like to see it open up and break out from some of the trends. I would like for us to embrace other influences. A perfect example is that one trend that I had never embraced was the all over print. I’m so sick and tired of that. A lot of that was done on hoodies. It’s when the design covers the whole article of clothing. We subscribe to a lot of trends, instead of going for tailoring our own style and adhering to our own voice. It’s like if this is the thing, then everyone will go out and buy it. I would like to see some unique touches to things. I love to see it when someone’s personality shines through some things. There are a number of indie designers that are coming up – Harriet’s Alter-Ego in New York, Pieces in New York. As far as individual designers, there’s a line called Fahari out of California that I like. In Philly, there’s this line called Strange Fruit that’s beautiful. These are more than just labels. They have a sense of something beyond that. There’s a boutique here in D.C. called Wild Women Wear Red. Oh, I have to shout out The Kulture Shop. It’s owned by Kindred: The Family Soul. They actually carry some of my stuff in there too. It’s all independent designers. There are no mainstream lines in their store. It gives independent designer a chance to break out the box.

TEC: How would you define your own style?
CM: Nobody’s ever asked me that before, Kevin… My style is laid-back, whatever I feel like that day [laughs]. I’m good with sneakers and jeans. If I’m going to a certain event, then I’ll do it big and I’ll make that adjustment. My personality is laid-back and my dress reflects that. I’m not trying to impress people by what I have on and what not, I just do me. I love comfortable fitting clothing. In the Midwest, it’s pretty much whatever you’re comfortable in. But secondly, I grew up playing sports, so I still have a little tomboy in me. What also comes into play is my profession – being in graphics and photography, being super fresh wasn’t the concern. I’m not taking pictures in stilettos. Just give me some sneakers and some jeans and I’d be cool.

TEC: For those not able to keep up with the rock ‘n roll trend that’s hitting hard right now – why should one support Unified Soul; especially if it doesn’t fit the current market?
CM: I think that one should support Unified Soul if you are for being positive and if you’re for spreading the message of self-love and diversity. If you’re looking to be unique in dress, then this is for you. If you do not subscribe to trends, this is for you. It’s for one who wishes to support an independent movement. I’d say support Unified Soul to support the message of self-love amongst ourselves. I consider that being embracing the message. At lot of times, we put money into things that’s not giving back into the community. I want to continue to have a relationship with the community. On the HBCU t-shirts that we did, the purchases of those shirts, five dollars went to the building fund at Howard University. I have plans on giving back to the other HBCUs, as well. I had something during Christmas where a percentage would go to this program called “So Others Can Eat.” It allowed people to eat and have a place to stay everyday. I wanted to do something that’s beyond a name, beyond a label and gave back to the community that it was in and beyond.

Be sure to check out Ms. Mays’ site at – http://www.lovewhoiam.com…

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 1:22 pm and is filed under Interview, Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.