- 7/4/2025
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Good morning everyone!
00:07Good morning!
00:08Now you know we're at Essence Festival, so we're going to have to be very great listeners
00:13because we have a lot happening.
00:14But I am Melissa Mitchell.
00:15I'll be your host for today at the SoCo Market stage.
00:19Woo!
00:20Give it up for me!
00:21But I just want to welcome you all to Essence Festival.
00:24This is the time of y'all.
00:25I'll call it the Black Girls Super Bowl because you get to see all the fashions,
00:29all the energy, all the brands, all the things.
00:32And so today we have the privilege of bringing some of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time to this stage.
00:38And New Voices has done an amazing job with facilitating entrepreneurs,
00:43helping us get our dreams off the ground.
00:46And this stage is where a lot of ideas are born.
00:48And so today we're going to start it off with an amazing talent out of Philadelphia.
00:53And he is sponsored by our amazing partners with AT&T.
00:56So this is really special because from designer to designer,
00:59I love to meet people who love what they do and make a passion and living from it.
01:03And so we're going to watch a short video and then we're going to bring our amazing man of the hour on stage.
01:08So y'all give it up for him and listen very closely.
01:11So welcome to New Orleans.
01:14That's where dreamers dream and doers do.
01:17So I just want to get into really quickly your story.
01:20So let's start with the origin story.
01:22What made you want to turn photography into something else?
01:24What made you think, okay, this is it.
01:26It's time to take a leap for it.
01:28So it was something that happened by accident.
01:32Wow.
01:33So I was in streetwear.
01:35I was working at a store as a buyer.
01:37So I was buying stuff.
01:38I was in the culture.
01:39I was building community just at a store and not as a maker.
01:42And after doing that for 10 years, I was also doing photography.
01:44And I thought photography was the way.
01:46Yeah.
01:47And then I couldn't figure it out in Philadelphia.
01:49So I was like, I'm going to try something else.
01:51I really wanted to do a fashion photo.
01:52So I started making my own clothes and taking pictures of the clothes.
01:55And then I started selling the clothes and then started working and I just kept doing it and doing it.
02:01And it became like an accidental brand.
02:04I was just doing it because I wanted to take photos of clothes.
02:08And it became my brand out of that.
02:10You know what's so funny?
02:11I'm also creative, as you can see.
02:13And I think the power of being creative is that it's almost like a drop in an ocean.
02:18It's like that one thing leads to many things.
02:20And so just looking at your work, you can almost see the evolution year to year.
02:24Like, this is turning into something.
02:26Absolutely.
02:27So when did it really feel real?
02:28Like, okay, this might be, fashion might be my thing.
02:31When did it become your thing?
02:332020, I want to say.
02:352020 was a side.
02:36Okay.
02:37That's when we went full-time.
02:38It wasn't like an art project.
02:40It wasn't a side project.
02:41It was like full-time.
02:42Yeah.
02:43All in.
02:44Sing a swim.
02:45This is going to be.
02:46Yeah.
02:47And yeah, it's snowball.
02:48So I started it around like 2017.
02:50So it took like two or three years for us to like fully become confident.
02:53Yeah.
02:54And designing, learning how to design, learning how to build brands.
02:57And once the pandemic hit, we really have even more time to figure it out.
03:01And then we just like.
03:02You were locked in the house.
03:03You had no choice to be creative.
03:04Yeah.
03:05I always say that I feel like we're in the second coming of the roaring 20s.
03:08Yeah.
03:09How when everybody was at home, they were depressed.
03:10They were trying to figure it out.
03:12And that is when the creators really like, they found their inner strength and it became something more.
03:16And so there's a phrase said, made like this.
03:19It's a powerful phrase.
03:21A lot of people say it.
03:22But what does that mean to you as a founder, as a creator?
03:26When you hit the word made like this, what does that mean to you?
03:29It feels like a place of purity.
03:32Like if you make it in the way that you see it in your head.
03:36Yeah.
03:37That's such a pure place of creativity and like a really special place.
03:41Like it comes from like, and that's kind of the way I create.
03:44Yeah.
03:45I create from a place of internal, like I look inside a lot and I try to like take whatever
03:51I'm feeling or whatever I'm reading and listening to at that moment and try to put it all in
03:56the garment.
03:57So it's like more than like fashion.
03:58It's more about storytelling.
03:59Yeah.
04:00And it feels like made like this, like it's made like this for a reason.
04:04For a reason.
04:05Yeah.
04:06That's what comes to my mind.
04:07So being creative, fellow creative, it's difficult sometimes to fight through being burned
04:12out, being tired, not being inspired, making things to pay your bills.
04:18Absolutely.
04:19And especially with this year as a creative, personally speaking, it's been one of those,
04:22should I just apply for that job?
04:24Should I go back to work?
04:25What should I do?
04:26And so from being a woman of faith, my mom always says have faith in the process.
04:31Like don't give up your path, have faith in the process.
04:34So being a creative in this economy, with everybody looking like you, doing things like you,
04:39how do you, how do you prevent yourself from burning out or staying inspired?
04:43Like what keeps you to have that faith in the process?
04:45There's a lot of things.
04:46I think taking time for yourself and like finding these ways to like, not take a pause,
04:54but like a place where you can like rejuvenate and like find your ground again.
04:59Yeah.
05:00A way to do that is really to like remember why you're doing it in the first place.
05:05Like it has to be bigger than like making money.
05:08If you're doing it just to make money, you're going to burn out and like you're going to quit.
05:11It's just that simple.
05:12If you're doing it for a deeper purpose, a deeper pause, to help people, to like really give value to people,
05:18then you have a thing to look back on when you're not feeling your like full self.
05:23Yeah.
05:24The reason why we're actually doing this is to like build community, to build and show people that it's possible to chase their dreams.
05:30And that I always find is like a way to like rejuvenate and recharge.
05:34But you also just need to find like moments where you can like take one step back.
05:40Yeah.
05:41You're always going to be like, if you're always in it, it's hard to like look at the big picture.
05:45So you got to step back and like really look at the big picture.
05:47So every quarter, every like three months, like take a step back, really look at what you're doing.
05:52Yeah.
05:53And then go back in.
05:54I think that's so important as a creative.
05:56So I'm a painter, right?
05:57So I'm in the canvas all the time.
05:59But when I look back at my, I'm like, wow, I did that.
06:02I created that.
06:03And so looking at some of your work and being in stores and sitting with some of your favorite artists,
06:08you're like, I'm hanging out with Larry June.
06:10I listened to his music yesterday.
06:12And so it's like, wow, as a creative, how do you continue to keep going?
06:16How do you wear so many hats?
06:17Because I know like me, I'm my marketing manager.
06:20I'm my CEO.
06:21I'm all these different hyphens.
06:23But how do you wear those many hats without feeling like you're doing too much?
06:27Or what do you know when it's time to say, you know what?
06:29Let me branch out to get a team.
06:30So how do you maintain that?
06:32I think early on, it's, especially as an entrepreneur, you want to be like,
06:37know how things work.
06:39And for me, I'm always just like curious.
06:41I'm trying to figure out like, what's the best strategy for marketing?
06:44What's the best, like, what's my favorite way of designing?
06:48How do I design?
06:49Like, I'm trying to figure out all these systems.
06:51And then once I understand the system, that's when it's time to bring the team.
06:54So you can like teach people how you work in a way.
06:57But like early on, I think it's almost necessary to be wearing all the hats
07:01to like understand how things work.
07:03If you don't understand how things work, it's hard for you to build a team
07:05because you just want to be like, like you can't inform them how to like run your business.
07:10Yeah.
07:11And that's so important because you think about when you're an entrepreneur, again,
07:15most of the times you're behind the scenes working and working.
07:18So when it's time for you to build your community, how do you look at community over clout?
07:22So like we're talking about hanging out with celebrities.
07:24You know, I don't made it now.
07:26I'm hanging with Erykah Badu.
07:27I'm with Jill Scott.
07:28I don't have to do all this extra stuff.
07:29But for me, going back to your original statement, remembering my why,
07:33it was never to be famous.
07:35It's always about legacy.
07:36It's about continuing to be a blessing to my community.
07:39So how do you build your community and not focus on the clout?
07:42How do you intentionally say, you know what?
07:44I'm from Philly.
07:45I'm going to New York.
07:46I want to be a part of the fabric of this community.
07:48How do you intentionally build community?
07:50I think through collaboration and the right ways, through collaboration, through events,
07:55I think finding different ways to build moments for people who support your vision,
08:01people who are like-minded, giving them a space to connect,
08:05I found that has been a really good way to put it on events.
08:08We've done stuff like community hikes.
08:10We, of course, have a running club.
08:12Rug clubs are pretty popular these days.
08:14But finding different ways to get people together other than a reason to buy stuff.
08:18There's a million different ways you can do that.
08:21You can go to a museum together as a group.
08:23It's so many different ways.
08:24It's finding real, authentic ways to connect with your why, with your community.
08:29Get people together.
08:31That's so key.
08:33I love that.
08:34Being a fellow creative, sometimes it's a very vulnerable experience.
08:38100%.
08:39Like, literally like, it's like letting somebody watch you shower in a glass shower.
08:43It's like, wait a minute, this is too personal.
08:45So how do you have the courage to put yourself out that you've never seen anybody do anything before?
08:50And it's like, this is the first time I've seen that hat.
08:53So how do you give out your authentic self without feeling like, you know, having that imposter syndrome or feeling like maybe it's not going to be good enough?
09:01How do you push past what you think people won't like and just say, you know what, I'm just going to go for it and put it out into the world?
09:07Yeah.
09:08I mean, it's difficult.
09:09It's hard.
09:10It is.
09:11But you have to push through because I believe everyone has a deep, creative being inside of them.
09:17Yeah.
09:18And it comes, for most people, it comes from a very personal place.
09:21So that sense of vulnerability is always going to be there, no matter what.
09:25I still feel vulnerable.
09:26I've been doing it for so long.
09:28I've been making the arts since I was 15.
09:29I'm 30.
09:30Ooh.
09:31You only 30?
09:32Now I feel old.
09:34It's fine.
09:35It's hard, but I think there's so much growth that happens when you share your ideas with the world and it doesn't become real until you put it out into the world.
09:45Yeah.
09:46You can hold these things inside of you and you can have all these ideas inside your brain, but it won't really manifest and take the course that it needs to until you put it out into the world.
09:55Yep.
09:56And have that discourse.
09:57And you grow so much more from just doing it alone.
10:00So I've learned to take the leap, show the world, and let it exist.
10:05And then from there you can take on feedback, make tweaks, make something else, do it again.
10:10Yeah.
10:11It's just a process.
10:12One of my favorite quotes that I say often is that when God is my resource, I'll never run out of inspiration.
10:17Absolutely.
10:18And so what I love about your work is that every year it's like a new, it's a new layer.
10:23Like you're peeling pieces of a flower off.
10:25And so when you're building these different partnerships, how do you make sure that your collaboration AT&T is still authentically you while still merging to the vision of the brand?
10:34So I know like I had a couple of collabs, but I had to walk away from things because if it's not in alignment with what I've asked, you know, God for, the creator for, I'll walk away.
10:42So how do you say this is something that I'm in alignment with and how do you walk away from something that isn't?
10:47Yeah.
10:48Alignment is 100% key.
10:50I think alignment comes through, I like to first, if I'm working with any new brand, I like to pitch them, I like to tell them our story then pitch them an idea.
11:00And if they like the idea, we go with it.
11:02But if they don't like the idea and they make tweaks to it, I then sit for myself and be like, is this okay with me?
11:07Like, do I want to continue this? And then if it's not, I don't do it. And if it is, I continue.
11:12But you really just have to like, brands are coming to you to help, like help you tell your story through them.
11:18Yeah, exactly.
11:19So you can't do that. That is probably not the partnership for you.
11:22So I would like rethink about working with them or finding different ways to work with them.
11:26You could always, I had this one opportunity where they pitched me an idea and I didn't like it at all.
11:30So I re-pitched them another idea and then we ended up doing that new one.
11:33It felt good.
11:34And it felt better. Yeah.
11:35I love the name of your brand, All Caps.
11:37Yeah.
11:38It's almost like it's yelling at you without yelling.
11:40And so when you, if it's all said and done, if you can't make another piece of clothing, another piece of art,
11:45what is the legacy you hope to say All Caps really meant dot, dot, dot to the culture?
11:50Like how do you want your leave an intention in the culture?
11:53So what we want to leave behind is that whatever you believe you can do or think you can do, start it and that dreams do come true.
12:03And that's why we made it All Caps is because I was yelling at a point, like a feeling of frustration because I couldn't figure photography out.
12:11I couldn't like, that was like really like my dream.
12:13I wanted to be like shooting magazine covers, shooting editorials and that was like, I thought my life.
12:18Yeah.
12:19But I just couldn't crack, like get in the door in Philadelphia.
12:21Yeah.
12:22It was so hard.
12:23But then we found another way and we kicked in the door and threw a whole different avenue.
12:27Like it's always possible.
12:28You just got to figure out how to get to the path.
12:30Yeah.
12:31So like the thing I will leave behind is that you can achieve your dreams, but just keep exploring.
12:35Yeah.
12:36Keep finding new ways to do it.
12:37And it's all possible.
12:39It's all possible.
12:40That's beautiful.
12:41I love that you mentioned 2020 because although I've been painting for a while, I feel like 2020 was like a global reset.
12:47It was like a button that you press.
12:49And so every five years I check in with my brand and say, am I really doing what I want to do?
12:54You know, am I really who I want to be?
12:56So we buried some of your work right now in a time capsule and we opened it up in 2030.
13:01What would you hope somebody would feel if they pulled a piece of your work out?
13:04Like, wow, this shirt means this.
13:06What would you want somebody to feel from your collection that you've done so far in the past five years?
13:10I wanted to feel like at peace.
13:16Yeah.
13:17I feel like a sense of like calmness.
13:20Uh-huh.
13:21That's really what I'm going after in the next chapter of my life is like a real like inner peace.
13:27So I want, I'm like trying to put out ideas that feel calm and almost like you're like nature by body, water by yourself, like that kind of vibe.
13:39Yeah.
13:40Like it's really like stillness.
13:41Because I think so much wisdom and like real like, I don't know, like you're really like sitting with yourself in a place of solitude.
13:49You really get to learn a lot about yourself and I feel like that's the chapter that I'm in.
13:53Beautiful.
13:54So if we were to find your information online, like how do people reach you?
13:58What do you hope people see on your, on your page?
14:00Because I know I'm a storyteller on my, on my, on my social media.
14:03What does your social media say to the world?
14:05If I go to your page, what is Saeed talking about on here?
14:08What is your voice online?
14:09Or do you think there's a separate person on stage, online?
14:12Are you the same?
14:13Like what's your person?
14:14I'm the same.
14:15Yeah.
14:16You're pretty even.
14:17Maybe I'm like trying to give out like educational content.
14:20So I'm like giving games and like talking about how to do like, I'm giving like creative advice.
14:24Like giving like brand building advice.
14:26And then on the brand side, we're just doing like brand marketing, like storytelling, making short films, stuff like that.
14:32But I'm kind of like the same person.
14:33Okay.
14:34All around.
14:35So we have like three minutes left.
14:36So I want to, I want to make sure everybody can reach Saeed on social media.
14:40So let us know your social, how can they reach you?
14:43Yeah.
14:44Social media is Saeed Ferguson.
14:46How do you spell Saeed?
14:47Because you know we're going to be a little letter challenge.
14:49Yeah.
14:50S-A-E-E-D, Saeed Ferguson, F-E-R-D-U-S-O-R.
14:55Yeah.
14:56That's it.
14:57That's it.
14:58And that's all.
14:59But thank you, Saeed, for taking time to spend some time with us.
15:01We're going to get you back, get you some a drink and get on to your next event.
15:04Thank you guys.
15:05Appreciate it.
15:06Thank you all for having us.
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