Origin: Jamaica
Age: 19
Although she’s a relative newcomer, Sedene has been working the international runways in shows for Jason Wu, Catherine Malendrino, Custo Barcelona, Carolina Herrera, Derek Lam, Philip Lim and Tommy Hilfiger.
To find out more about her, check out her profile on Vogue Black
Kezia Frederick creates lush colourful prints through silk screening. Read on to find out more about her and where she gets her inspiration.
Who are you in two sentences or less? I am a Fashion Print designer living in London. I create textiles using silk screening and also design and make clothing.
Tell me a bit about your background: Where are you from? What was it like growing up there? I am originally from Ipswich which is a little town in East Anglia. It was a very nice place to grow up, I would spend the most of my childhood playing in a little tree house with my friends in the backgarden. It was alot of fun! Ipswich has quite alot of nationalities (compared to other town/cities nearby) which I think is important to grow up around.
Do you think your background has influenced your work? If yes, how so. Defintely! I think my work reflects the journey I have gone on, exploring my two heritages. I am half English, half St.Lucian so it was a very natural direction for my work to go in, this idea of mixing different cultures and creating something new.
Tell me a bit about what inspires your work? I find that I am very inspired on my way to work! I take the bus down Kingsland road in London and seeing such a unison of different culutres all on one road, I am so inspired by it. It’s real, it’s relatable to me that’s very important. Film and photography inspire my work – but also it needs to have a sense of ‘realness’ to it, and not something that has been photoshopped or glamorised. I took alot of reference from the French film ‘La Haine’ which I think is one of the most beautiful representation of ‘Youth Culture’.
What are the main themes/ ideas behind your work? To capture something that is truely me, wherever I may be as a person at the time.
Do you seek to convey a particular message with each piece? I just want to portray something truthful and honest.
If you could be doing anything else other than textile design, what would that be and why? It would probably be doing something to do with music. My Dad is a musician so I get that side from him! But I took my mothers route in the end and got into fashion like her!
Any favourite artists/designers? How have they influenced you? I really love Suno, they mix prints beautifully! Comme Des Garcons is so inspiring, constantly pushing boundaries with no limits! Junya Watanabe has to be one of my favourites, I love how ‘streetwear’ references are always apart of his work, yet still creats something new, and pieces that are wearable. Wearable fashion is very important to me, I always want to know that people will be able to wear my clothing.
What’s your vision for where you’d like your work to be in 5, 10 and 20 years? In the next few years I would like to have my own line of printed bags and shirts. Hopefully in the future it can then evolve into other printed pieces. I dont want to ever loose the sense of who I am in my work. I want to stay true to my aesthetic and show something different to what is constantly being fed to you in alot of the mainstream fashion magazines.
Where can we see more of your work? You can see more of my work on my tumblr http://keziafrederick.tumblr.com/
Parting Words/Thoughts? In the future I just want to carry on and just do things that make me happy, whether big or small that is irrelvant, but happiness is not.
Tell me a bit about your background: Where are you from? What was it like growing up there?
I’m Haitian American, took my first breath in Brooklyn, NY. My mother was achiv single parent and struggled raising my sister and I. We lived a nomadic lifestyle, constantly moving within homes, states, and countries. However, the most memorable “home” for me was Haiti. I lived there for 4 years and I felt a strong connection with my heritage.
Although I woke up to poverty each day, the great sense of humor and resiliency that us Haitians possess, was priceless and invaluable.
My background definitely influence my work. I use bright warm colors in my art to represent my Caribbean culture. Most of my work is abstract due to the duality of personal and cultural identity. Although I identify myself as Haitian, I am still American and carry strong americanized values. I try to integrate both cultures within my art, thus making it abstract.
What are the main themes/ ideas behind your work?
Growing up, I rarely saw positive images of black women in the media, but all the women I knew and met were strong, beautiful, smart, and quirky. Hence the main themes/ideas behind my work is simple black women who love themselves and recognize their beauty, uniqueness, and embrace their quirkiness.
Do you seek to convey a particular message with each piece? Is that a part of your creative process?
Drawing used to be (still is actually) a mere hobby for me and is based on my feelings. I have no formal training and experiment with whatever I have lying around.
It was recently that I realized that art is my purpose and decided take this more seriously and expose my imagination.
I was told from professional artists to try to convey a message in my artwork, however when I do, the messages are interpreted differently by people. So I figured to leave everything up for interpretations, allowing appreciators of art to have their own unique experience.
Any favourite artists? How have they influenced you?
Yes I do indeed. Frank Morrison, Larry “Poncho” Brown, and Tamara Natalie Madden are my favorites. Back in college when I first saw Frank Morrison’s and Larry “Poncho” Brown’s artwork, I swear my heart skipped a beat. I started saving my lunch money in order to buy more materials (besides pencils) and began experimenting with colors.
Last year, I fell upon Tamara Natalie Madden’s artwork, an electric wave ran through my body and I said to myself “omg this is serious business.
I want to be an artist when I grow up”. Her work was the ultimate driving focus that pushed me expose what I do and experiment some more.
What’s your vision for where you’d like your work to be in 5, 10 and 20 years?
In 5, 10 and 20 years I definitely would like to see my work in exhibitions, art galleries, and of course people’s home. I also would like to be an inspiration for young women.
Where can we see more of your artwork?
You can see more of my work on the following websites
http://tarralu.blogspot.com
www.flickr.com/tarralu
www.tarralu.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/tarralu
www.twitter.com/tarralu
Don’t let people plant fear in your mind. Trust your inner voice and keep your dreams alive.