....and...we're back!!
wassup everybody!! it's me, Bless Roxwell backatcha with
"She's So Fresh" Fridays, where I'm profiling a different woman in Hip Hop and Urban Arts every Friday! unfortunately, we were down for a little while due to technical difficulties but you know what stuff happens, it is what it is.
the Bloom Blog will be back up and popping again shortly and you'll be able to once again catch
SSF every Friday either here or there, cool? cool, so let's move on..
artists are always pushing the envelope and trying new ideas, new images, new mediums. so our feature this week decided she was going to express herself thru one of this author's fave things in the entire world. sneakers. that's right, and she gets BIZ! Ladies and gents in case you don't know allow me to introduce you to:
PINK EYE
I first met Pink Eye a couple of years ago at a show and was so impressed by not just her art but also her entrepreneurial energy. she had all her stuff set up, table, stickers, pics, business cards...I mean a sista was bout her B.I.
since then I've seen her making her moves and growing as an artist and an entity. whether doing interviews for fashion mags or at a spot set up, she builds with people and maintains those relationships.
having moved around quite a bit as a child, she found expression in art and in documenting the world around her to make sense of the world around her. by creating images and giving voice to her creativity she developed a strong sense of independence and character that has helped to sustain her dream. Pink Eye: the artist and right behind that, Pink Eye Fashions.
after studying art and design at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, she's already owned her own store front and is now focusing her sites on the next steps for her brand.
she's had her work featured on VH1 Hip Hop Honors, Latin Mixx Music Conference and Justos Mixtape Awards and so much more. and she's caught shine in SLAM Magazine, Urban Ink Magazine and Lady Caprice Magazine just to name a few. now as some of you know, I like to give my features a chance to share their own perspective with the world, so Pink Eye was gracious enough to answer a few questions for me:
me: what made you decide to express your art through sneaker design in particular?
Pink Eye: I started drawing seriously in like 3 grade. I would take my Dads comic books and draw. Then my love for sneakers started in like 6th Grade. I started taking the city buses to school and got exposure to all the hot kicks I would see. When I got older I would mess around and draw on my kicks and I did a few pair and was my own billboard and people would ask me where I got em from and I took a few orders. So It took a life of its own I wanted to push it further and see what else I could do on sneakers. Do more than what the companies were offering the public. Seven years later here I am.
me: did you always envision Pink Eye Fashions as being more than just sneakers?
Pink Eye: Pink Eye started as a hustle for me just to earn a few bucks here and there. Once I started getting more involved with it I saw the possibilities to take it further with kicks and clothes and as an overall custom lifestyle brand. A resource that people could go to when their retail fashion needs cant get met with items "off the rack" they could get something personalized to them and their style.
me: where do you draw your inspirations from for a particular design? the individual you are making them for?
Pink Eye: Its definitely the individual. That's who I am doing them for. That's why I'm very particular with getting to know my clientele. I can talk to them for a few minutes and get the idea in my head while we are talking and will stop the convo and drop the idea on them and sometimes they are astonished that I can do that. That's how I gain the trust of people and they don't even need to see a sketch because they know I will give them what they want plus that little extra of Pink Eye to it to make it special.
me: how long, on average, does it take for you to finish a pair of sneakers?
Pink Eye: Kicks take on average 4-5 days to finish for simple designs. They go through processes beyond just painting on them to make sure the paint stays in. More intense designs can take 5-7 days. I have done a few pair overnight to meet customer needs.
me: where do you see Pink Eye Fashions in 5 years?
Pink Eye: Many people ask me this question and my honest answer is to let Pink Eye take its own course. I have ideas and plans for it that I'm doing like collaborations with other brands etc, but I'm totally happy with Pink Eye holding the steering wheel while i just give it gas. I don't like to force too much with it especially since its still artistry and people appreciate it more when it flows naturally. I'm working with stylists more now and online retailers that want to sell it as a featured brand now so that can mean it will get bigger in its own time, So watch out!
so there you have it good people, that's why Pink Eye is SO Fresh! because she chose a medium, that is so dear to the hearts of so many true Hip Hop heads, including yours truly, sneakers. and not only is she lacing them (no pun intended..lol) but together with her business sense, drive and integrity is carving out a niche for herself that can only lead to greater things! so while a lot of people talk and talk and don't walk, Pink Eye is
building and
climbing and
moving forward full steam, so
pay attention! check out more of her work on her website
Pink Eye Fashions!!
DID YOU CATCH IT YET?
so til next week good people! for those who are new, WELCOME!! and I hope you come back and for those returning, supporting and checking for "She's So Fresh", thank you! stay tuned because 2010 is shaping up to be a really good year, lots of fun and lots of dope shows to be had, see y'all there!!
peaces,
rox
I first met Pink Eye a couple of years ago at a show and was so impressed by not just her art but also her entrepreneurial energy. she had all her stuff set up, table, stickers, pics, business cards...I mean a sista was bout her B.I.
since then I've seen her making her moves and growing as an artist and an entity. whether doing interviews for fashion mags or at a spot set up, she builds with people and maintains those relationships.
having moved around quite a bit as a child, she found expression in art and in documenting the world around her to make sense of the world around her. by creating images and giving voice to her creativity she developed a strong sense of independence and character that has helped to sustain her dream. Pink Eye: the artist and right behind that, Pink Eye Fashions.
after studying art and design at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, she's already owned her own store front and is now focusing her sites on the next steps for her brand.
she's had her work featured on VH1 Hip Hop Honors, Latin Mixx Music Conference and Justos Mixtape Awards and so much more. and she's caught shine in SLAM Magazine, Urban Ink Magazine and Lady Caprice Magazine just to name a few. now as some of you know, I like to give my features a chance to share their own perspective with the world, so Pink Eye was gracious enough to answer a few questions for me:
me: what made you decide to express your art through sneaker design in particular?
Pink Eye: I started drawing seriously in like 3 grade. I would take my Dads comic books and draw. Then my love for sneakers started in like 6th Grade. I started taking the city buses to school and got exposure to all the hot kicks I would see. When I got older I would mess around and draw on my kicks and I did a few pair and was my own billboard and people would ask me where I got em from and I took a few orders. So It took a life of its own I wanted to push it further and see what else I could do on sneakers. Do more than what the companies were offering the public. Seven years later here I am.
me: did you always envision Pink Eye Fashions as being more than just sneakers?
Pink Eye: Pink Eye started as a hustle for me just to earn a few bucks here and there. Once I started getting more involved with it I saw the possibilities to take it further with kicks and clothes and as an overall custom lifestyle brand. A resource that people could go to when their retail fashion needs cant get met with items "off the rack" they could get something personalized to them and their style.
me: where do you draw your inspirations from for a particular design? the individual you are making them for?
Pink Eye: Its definitely the individual. That's who I am doing them for. That's why I'm very particular with getting to know my clientele. I can talk to them for a few minutes and get the idea in my head while we are talking and will stop the convo and drop the idea on them and sometimes they are astonished that I can do that. That's how I gain the trust of people and they don't even need to see a sketch because they know I will give them what they want plus that little extra of Pink Eye to it to make it special.
me: how long, on average, does it take for you to finish a pair of sneakers?
Pink Eye: Kicks take on average 4-5 days to finish for simple designs. They go through processes beyond just painting on them to make sure the paint stays in. More intense designs can take 5-7 days. I have done a few pair overnight to meet customer needs.
me: where do you see Pink Eye Fashions in 5 years?
Pink Eye: Many people ask me this question and my honest answer is to let Pink Eye take its own course. I have ideas and plans for it that I'm doing like collaborations with other brands etc, but I'm totally happy with Pink Eye holding the steering wheel while i just give it gas. I don't like to force too much with it especially since its still artistry and people appreciate it more when it flows naturally. I'm working with stylists more now and online retailers that want to sell it as a featured brand now so that can mean it will get bigger in its own time, So watch out!
so there you have it good people, that's why Pink Eye is SO Fresh! because she chose a medium, that is so dear to the hearts of so many true Hip Hop heads, including yours truly, sneakers. and not only is she lacing them (no pun intended..lol) but together with her business sense, drive and integrity is carving out a niche for herself that can only lead to greater things! so while a lot of people talk and talk and don't walk, Pink Eye is building and climbing and moving forward full steam, so pay attention! check out more of her work on her website Pink Eye Fashions!!
DID YOU CATCH IT YET?
so til next week good people! for those who are new, WELCOME!! and I hope you come back and for those returning, supporting and checking for "She's So Fresh", thank you! stay tuned because 2010 is shaping up to be a really good year, lots of fun and lots of dope shows to be had, see y'all there!!
peaces,
rox
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