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.

1.       Style & Substance: You have been designing the line since 2008, what is your inspiration behind FAQ Clothing?
Most of our inspiration comes from architecture & music. Both my business partner and I studied architecture together out here in Los Angeles, and a lot of the techniques that we use along with ideas (aesthetics and philosophy) come from architecture. Music plays a big part in our lives as well; the different types of sounds & tempos we hear definitely trigger our imagination.

2.       Style & Substance: The clothes are simple yet striking what is your motivation between the 3 collections?
All of our collections are based off of a theme, where each collection is a series of events or ideas within a concept. For the Forecast Collection, we created a design to represent the different weather patterns. The Transmutation Collection is a series of collages put together from various magazines. The main concept is to create a sense of dynamic by fusing a various amount of pieces together in order to form a balance. The Mini World Cup Collection was created due to the passion we both share for the soccer event that occurs every 4 years. We picked our top four teams & played with the idea of each country’s flag using abstract ideas.  The t-shirts are designed to be versatile, where one can still wear the t-shirts during & after the World Cup is over.  Something completely new & different is always created in each of our collections. The only thing that is always consistent is the idea of keeping everything minimal & simple with our abstract sense of style.
3.       Style & Substance: Where can fans purchase FAQ Clothing ?
        FAQ Clothing can currently be purchased off of our website, www.faqclothing.com and also through our Big Cartel store, www.faq.bigcartel.com

4.       Style & Substance: What is the most difficult part about staying motivated to design?
It’s not often that we become unmotivated to create something new. We are constantly striving to make time to produce the many ideas we have lined up. Motivation never lacks when you do something your truly passionate about. 

5.       Style & Substance: Was it hard to get financing to create and produce the clothes?
This is something that we put together little by little over time and morphed into what it is today. As time went on, funding became easier to work towards.

 6.       Style & Substance: Have you done any major fashion shows?
We’ve been a bit reluctant with the idea of a fashion show. Perhaps sometime in the future we might do one when our brand progresses into something bigger. If we do have one, it will definitely not be your typical fashion show. It’ll be a fashion show with our own twist.

 7.       Style & Substance: Where do you see the line progressing to in 5 years?
5 years from now, we hope to expand our brand into boutiques and other online stores. We also plan on releasing more collections per season.

 8.      Style & Substance:  Describe your style and substance?
 Our style is minimal, dynamic & schizophrenic. We keep our designs simple in terms of colors and/or complexity of the graphics. Releasing different themed collections and being consistent with a minimal aspect is what makes FAQ what it is today.

Creator of MEO, Tiffiny E. Dixon

Looking your best should always be your top priority. But these days time and the daily grind has some people not giving their full attention to how their appearance is perceived to the world. You could have a dated hairstyle, unflattering clothing or just not looking your absolute greatest self. How can you change this? This is more than finding a trendy top or the of moment coveted tresses, it’s about feeling good inside AND out.

With the help of an image consultant like Tiffiny E. Dixon, owner of MEO Total Body Beautiful, she and her team of experts can transform you into the person you want to be. MEO isn’t just a company that gives you a quick makeover and sends you on your way, it’s about determining how to project a better you. It’s more than just clothes and lip-gloss it is a state of mind! Ms. Dixon turned an opportunity into a fruitful business. See how BEFORE meets AFTER!

1. Style & Substance: What was the concept and idea behind creating MEO?
I know there was a moment in time where I made a conscious decision to start MEO, the agency, but it’s really always been a part of my life, my lifestyle and me. Of course there were moments along the way that definitely shaped MEO, like working as an instructor at the Ophelia DeVore Etiquette School. But the major turning point was a little over 3 years ago when a woman came to me and told me about problems she was experiencing in her marriage, which she believed were caused by her self esteem issues. In our discussion she told me about specific image issues she was battling with. We spent some time working on these particular issues. A week later she and her husband called to thank me for helping them fix their marriage. This helped me understand the importance of strong self-image in regards to self-esteem, which became the guiding principle of MEO, born 1 week later when I named it.

"Little" Tiffiny (blue dress) imagining MEO, way back when.

2. Style & Substance: How did you get your start in fashion and image consulting?
My start was at Ophelia DeVore when they invited me back as a teacher. Before that I never even considered working in image management and etiquette as an option. I knew I loved it but it never dawned on me that I could make a living doing this.

3. Style & Substance: Why is it so hard for women and men to look good on a daily basis?
I think there are several different reasons for different people. But typically it’s either of the following two:

 1) The idea that they are not the “dress-up” type.
2) Over estimating the amount of time it takes to look decent every day.

4. Style & Substance: Do you have to have a lot of money to look your best?
Absolutely not! Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big advocate for investment pieces, just not when it requires that you spend 80% of your investment portfolio on your wardrobe. In our Wardrobe Planning session we help our clients build fully functional wardrobes and help them maximize the usage they get from every item. The goal is to break the wallet draining habit of buying something new for every function you attend.

Additionally, there are way too many mainstream label chasers out there giving the impression that style is directly related to how much you spend on your clothing, when actually it’s not a major factor. Think about it, let’s say, you give $100 to a label chaser, $100 to a person with true style and tell them they can only shop at Target. Who do you think will look better? Spending more money for higher quality and longer life spans is a great option if you can afford it, but it is not the only way to look your best.

5. Style & Substance: You look fab in a recent Style spotter in Essence Magazine, what is your mantra to looking good on the go?
Thank You! You should always look appropriate for your activity. My biggest style pet peeve is the idea that you have to always wear heels to look good. One of the key elements of a complete wardrobe is weekend and/or casual attire. There’s nothing worse than seeing a woman in severe foot pain at 1pm standing on line at the post office.

 6. Style & Substance: The hardest part about being your own boss?
Each victory only last for a fleeting moment (literally) and within seconds I have to start working on or thinking about the next booking or concept to keep MEO at the forefront of the industry.

7. Style & Substance: The best part?
An overwhelming since of pride at watching something you’ve created take on a life of its own.

8. Style & Substance: Describe a day in the life of Tiffiny E. Dixon.
Meetings, phone calls, emails, sales conferences, client meetings, research, speaking engagements, writing, developing and executing marketing tactics. Many people focus on the glitz of the industry, at the end of the day it’s like running any other business. The fashion shows, shopping and events, that’s all done after a traditional long day at the office.

9. Style & Substance: What is your style and substance?
My style is my mood. If you don’t feel it no one will believe it.What makes MEO substantial is our knack for making our clients feel at ease. Many of them express previous hesitations they had about working with image consultants for fear that some label chasing “fashionistas” turn his/her nose up at them. Here at MEO we appreciate individuality no matter how it’s packaged. As long as its presented well.

For more information on MEO or to inquire about services, click here.