My Account
I am lucky to have beautiful, personable, and brilliant cousins. Leshae Monae is one of them. I was so pleased when my cousin agreed to be my model. She is beautiful! Look at that face! I am so grateful for her hard work and positive attitude. It was so wonderful to spend the afternoon with my first cousin, Monique and her daughter, my model. I want to thank them for coming down to Philadelphia.
I really wanted to have a model with an average body type that would be relatable to a greater audience. The lovely thing about slow fashion is that you can make your own rules and don't have to completely play into the fashion industry's ideas of beauty, timelines or exclusivity. It feels very authentic to be so involved with my product, from initial design to final product. I want to keep this level of authenticity as my line grows.
Rachel Sanchez did a fabulous job photographing my first collection. When I showed Rachel my Pinterest board for the shoot she was like "Okay" in this self-possessed way that she emanates. And because I am a skeptic by nature and wasn't convinced that she really understood my level of anxiety about it, I said, "No Rachel, this is more important to me than my wedding pictures," which she also photographed. Looking at the over 300 pictures that she took at the photoshoot, she understood and did an amazing job.
Photoshoots are funny little events. It's the first time that you see and feel your collection really come together and it's exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. I've attended a few photoshoots before I had mine and really tried to glean what worked and what didn't. Personally, I think less is more and tried to keep it really
simple, straightforward and timeless.
I used the studio of Lillian Jackson Textiles as a venue for the photoshoot. The light that streams into that space is so perfect. Thank you for letting me use your space!
I so look forward to my next photoshoot. I can't wait to see where Neutral States takes me and hope that you enjoy the ride right along with me.
--DC Boyd