Designer, Mika at a recent event.

Brooklyn-based designer Tamika Haywood is taking the apparel world by storm.  Her line, Culture Flyy is the extension of her real-life wardrobe; super girly, feminine and frilly with an edge for rare shapes and colorful silhouettes. Her unique eye to capture more than trends sets her apart from other budding designers.  From pinup to playful there is always room in your closet for one of her unique pieces. Animated cartoon The Jetsons was the inspiration behind her  “turning heads” futuristic ensemble she wore to a recent event.  Mika, as she is known wants you to be her next customer!

1.       Style & Substance Magazine: How long have you been designing the line?
          I’ve been designing for 3 years now.

 2.       Style & Substance Magazine: Your design aesthetic is one part feminine and sexy, who is the Culture FLyy Woman? The CultureFlyy woman is a woman not only hip to the latest trends but knows how to flip it, stand out and make it her own.

3.       Style & Substance Magazine: Have you always longed to be in the fashion industry?
I actually wanted to become a professional dancer since I was in elementary school. I always liked fashion and revamping my clothes growing up but God gave me a sign three years ago to take fashion seriously and here I am!

 4.       Style & Substance Magazine:  What sets your line apart from the pack?
What sets my line apart from everyone else is its constant homage to pop culture. The same way Andy Warhol artwork was inspired by a person, place or event in time, Cultureflyy’s piece are inspired by those same things as well. Art imitating life.

5.       Style & Substance Magazine: Do you find the process difficult to create an entire line from concept to execution?
It’s not difficult to create a line as long as I don’t over think or try to keep up with trends that are in right now. I just go with what feels right to me and the statement I want to make.

 6.       Style & Substance Magazine: What are your efforts to get this line out to the masses?
I plan on shopping the line around to local boutiques in the NYC area but for now, customers can make orders for custom made pieces on the website or email me at Mika@Cultureflyy.com.

 7.      Style & Substance Magazine:  At a recent event you wore a bold striped shoulder- heavy dress, a crowd (and website) favorite, the inspiration behind it?

Thanks! My inspiration behind it was the futuristic fashions from one of my favorite cartoons growing up, The Jetsons. And I really love the nautical/sailor striped look so I combined the two and the result was that dress called “Space Sailor”!

 8.      Style & Substance Magazine: Describe your style & substance?
My style is exactly what Cultureflyy is, inspired by different things in pop culture. From punk glam 80’s to Mod 60’s to 50’s pin up; it’s always ever-changing and fun.

Bestseller, "The Gates" leather bag

1.      Style & Substance Magazine: You created the line with your cousin, Undra Duncan in 2004 when did you realize you both had a desire to jump into the fashion industry!?
 Fashion has always been our first love, as little girls we would put on fashion shows with our dolls that’s how far back we go with fashion.  We actually started Cousin & Co while still in college, we made the bags by hand back then and each one was unique. We started a production when the demand from friends and family became overwhelming.

2.      Style & Substance Magazine: To secure funding you worked with the Tory Burch Foundation, explain the process of finding out about this unique opportunity and working with one of the most well-known designers in fashion?
 Tory Burch is a strong supporter of Accion, an organization that provides small to mid-size loans to minority owned businesses.  We were already working with Accion, but once Tory Burch became aware of our company we were able to secure additional funding. Tory was very impressed with our line and the growing success of Cousin & Co and featured us on her website. She’s shown continuous support by tweeting about us several times and inviting us as special guest to her fall 2010 runway show at Bryant Park.

3.      Style & Substance Magazine: The bags in your line are very “It” bag-worthy, what is your design process? Our design process is a bit unconventional, each season we research and consider what’s trending in the market but we never become overly consumed with trends.
We find that our own natural design instinct for fashion has never steered us wrong.  We love bright colors, texture and shiny things! We both sketch and design what we think the direction of the new season should go, then meet Sundays after dinner and collaborate; we have similar styles so we’re almost always on the same page with the design direction. 

"The Dean"

4.     Style & Substance Magazine:  Where do you see the line growing in the future?
 I see the line expanding into SHOES, Undra definitely would like to see us expand into dresses and home goods! Branding and licensing is so vital in order for a business to grow, so with that in mind the sky is the limit.

5.      Style & Substance Magazine: What are you most excited about the brand of Cousin and Co.?
We are most excited about our upcoming events, we’re doing Sheckys Atlanta on November 18th, Tribeca Retail Club event on September 24th in NYC and Fashion Night Out NYC on September 11th (location TBD). These great events allow us to meet and greet our customers in person and get immediate feedback on the collection. We are also submitting pieces for charity at the This Old Bag Fundraiser in San Francisco CA on October 15th. We would like to get more involved in other women’s charity organization in the near future. We will be offering a tote and t-shirt in the new collection where all profits will go towards women’s issues. Overall we are excited about the continued growth and success of Cousin & Co, we’re doing what we love.

The Gabriel

6.   Style & Substance Magazine:  Describe your style and substance?
Style is the statement; substance is having the right accessory to emphasize that statement!!

To learn more about the line and to purchase, contact them here.

Joi-Marie McKenzie has created her own niche industry. Who knew a blog started 3 years ago would become a go-to guide for partying in and around Washington, DC. This isn’t your average site, Ms. McKenzie gives you a  front row pass into the most coveted  fun nightlife spots in the District. From new lounges, great concerts, Inauguration ’09 coverage, and all that that should be on this week’s radar of activities you should know, she has got all the news.

The Fab Empire was started when McKenzie wanted to spice up her life beyond the usual daily work grind. At the same time DC was reinventing itself as more than  just a political stuffy city. New spots have popped almost overnight, giving the Nation’s Capital more than just the moniker “Chocolate City” but “Party City” as well.As the popularity of her site grew, she created  Fab sites in the cities of, New York, Boston,  and Baltimore  with readership of over 120,000+.  This has also created more prospects beyond her full time job and sprouted a career as an entertainment columnist and reporter. See how one blog entry has created endless opportunity!

 1. Style & Substance: What was the inspiration behind creating DC FAB and the blogs you have in other major cities?
DC Fab! started in 2007, at a time in my life where I was bored with my day job. I was looking to do something for myself. I’ve always loved to write and have kept a diary since I was in  elementary school so I decided to follow my passion and create a blog.   Still, I had no idea what to blog about or how to blog in general. After starting a failed site called Fab University (since I had just graduated from the University of Maryland), I changed the name to DC Fab!  I decided to focus on nightlife and entertainment in D.C. The name and the idea stuck and I have been blogging about nightlife, society and entertainment ever since.

 2. Style & Substance: DC nightlife has changed so much in the last few years, why  do you think the influx of new lounges  and clubs have begun to increase here?
In any major city you have waves of nightlife increase and decrease because of the economy and other factors. Still, with President Obama being in Washington, a new light has been shown on D.C. An allure has found Washington and everyone wants to be here. Investors are starting to put their dollars in the area, which has caused an increase in restaurants  and lounges.

Joi-Marie (DC Fab!) and Mia (Bmore Fab!) of The Fab Empire

  3. Style & Substance: You have become quite the socialite since starting the blog in 2007, has this lead to new opportunities for you personally and professionally?
Of course! I’m proud of where DC Fab! and The Fab Empire has taken me professionally. My passion has turned into a full-time career where I  freelance for many local publications including NBC Washington and the  Afro American Newspaper. Still, I’m more proud of the fact that The Fab Empire has also brought opportunities to the many photographers,   correspondents and writers that work with me. Everyone who works with The  Fab Empire has benefited professionally and to be able to help my peers  reach their goals means a lot to me.

 4. Style & Substance: Describe your perfect evening out with the girls?
My friends know that my favorite place to chill is the W Hotel. A perfect night with the girls is chilling in the Living Room or the POV Lounge at  the hotel, sipping champagne, saying, “Hi!” to Ed (the general manager)  and talking about whatever comes to mind…then going home by 10 p.m. so  we all can get up and go to work the next morning.

5. Style & Substance: How do you stay abreast of all the hot events and parties that come to  the city?
It’s my job! I’ve been doing this for three years now so I’ve made some great connections and fostered relationships along the way.

 6. Style & Substance:  What is the worst and best thing about partying in DC?
The worst thing about partying in D.C. is looking for parking and not  being able to find a spot in 10 minutes. D.C. has one of the worst parking  situations in the Nation. (The statistic is that 1 in 3 drivers in D.C.  are looking for a parking spot). So, not finding a parking space starts your night off very bad when you’re trying to go out in hot spots (i.e. U Street, Adams Morgan, Downtown etc.)  The best thing is that D.C. has great neighborhood partying that offers a variety of options and flavors. You can party in U Street and have a totally different experience than if you were to party in Georgetown.

 7.  Style & Substance: Do ever grow tired of partying; you can log in hours like a full time job!?
Of course I get tired of partying. But DC Fab! isn’t just about partying…it’s shining a light on the fabulous side of D.C., meaning telling our readers about great restaurants, happy hours, events, fashion shows and parties that they should check out.

 8. Style & Substance: What sets you apart from other bloggers in the area?
I don’t think there is a blog like DC Fab! in the D.C. area. We shine a light on a certain lifestyle in D.C., the yuppies (young, urban professionals), who enjoy going out, great parties, rubbing elbows with  celebrities and enjoying the metropolitan area.

 9. Style & Substance: Describe your style and substance?
My style is classic and elegant. I’m not into fads much and I’m not afraid to wear stilettos one day and a sweatshirt and Uggs the next. It’s about being fabulous inside and out and clothes don’t necessarily make one fabulous.  My substance comes from a strong Christian background that’s also visible through the site with Gospel Fab!