Quote" ACTION IS CHARACTER"

Inspiration: Billy D. Foster - CEO/Billy Bad Ass Clothing Line

"In 2006 Urban Fashion Week will be showcased in four countries in Europe to be announced. It's time to have the world respect the urban fashion industry. We have a major influence on the fashion industry and will have more when we can stand totally on our own" - Billy D. Foster Billy Bad Ass (Urban Fashion Week) Introduce yourself to the readers and tell them what you do. My name is Billy D. Foster aka Billy Bad Ass. I am the creator of the Billy Bad Ass clothing line and founder of the LA and NYC Urban Fashion Week. I came up with the idea for Urban Fashion Week in 2001 once I realized how hard it was to compete with the big boys that had crazy marketing dollars and celebrity status. I found that it would be easier to find other young designers trying to do what I was doing. So as one thing led to another I started pulling it together and made it successful. How did you get your start in this industry? I worked for a company that provided technology to the garment industry. I got a chance to meet with a lot of fashion executives and understood early on that I loved working in this industry. I became the number one Account Executive in Manhattan and realized I could be successful in my own business. So I moved to Los Angeles with a transfer from the company to start up my own fashion organization. I found it hard to really grow my business as fast as I really wanted to so I started the La Urban Fashion Week. Once I got published in the California Apparel News, the Fashion Week LA event was born. I sparked something in the west coast fashion movement and I'm proud of that. It's important as a leader to open up doors for others. Billy Bad Ass would not be as well known as it is today. So with that in mind, I felt a lot of other clothing lines could utilize this concept and build from there. Now four years later we are bringing it to New York City. Where will Urban Fashion Week be held this year? This NYC Urban Fashion Week will be memorable for sure. We will have over 25 lines in this year’s show. This year LA Urban Fashion Week was held on April 8-10, 2005 at the Century Club Peterson Automotive Museum. The NYC Urban Fashion Week will be held on May 4-7th, 2005 at the New Yorker Hotel. And the Miami Urban Fashion Week will be held in October 2005, during the Columbus Day weekend which will lead up to the Source Awards. In 2006 Urban Fashion Week will be showcased in four countries in Europe to be announced. It's time to have the world respect the urban fashion industry. We have a major influence on the fashion industry and will have more when we can stand totally on our own. What do you consider Urban Fashion? I consider urban fashion everything that comes from the root of urban lifestyle from urban skate boarding to urban hip-hop clothing. Back in the day, if you grew up in the inner city and decided that you were going to a party and you didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a item, you would’ve probably made it or taken something from your closet an altered it. The ripped look is a direct correlation to urban living. I could not believe that people were buying ripped jeans. We used to put Clorox on our jeans to create those looks. Urban fashion is now bigger and has expanded its’ scope in the last four years. You have contemporary Urban Sport, Chic Urban, Street Urban, Active Urban, etc. How did you get the designers involved? Was it a hard sell for you to get them to understand the concept/idea? At first it there was some resistance. But as the industry became more and more competitive, people needed other options to compete. I remember talking to a young clothing company and they asked me why I would do this and what was I getting out of it? I broke it down to them and let them know that this is bigger than me. At the end of the day, what is it all about if we can’t move the industry forward with our designs and concepts? If you’re a music producer and you have great talent, why would you hold on to the skill and not let anyone else hear it? You might have to give a few beats away to get noticed. This is my music and I open it up to the world. If urban fashion is going to sustain itself, we need to share knowledge to keep ourselves from bumping into the wall of failure. There will always be people who will doubt you. But when you’ve work diligently over the years to build your concepts, you find that people either start to come aboard and stop questioning you or eventually fall off. Do you intend to incorporate smaller designers into your fashion week? Yes. We will blend the major designers in with the smaller designers so that it will not be as noticeable because these are the designers that keep the urban industry fresh with new ideas and looks. This will give them a fair look if they’re HOT. This NYC and LA Urban Fashion Week will have that extra edge to it. So we expect the designers to bring their “A” game to the table without hesitation. Lil Flip has started a clothing line and I just consulted him during the Magic International Fashion show. The clothing line is called Clover G. This company could benefit from participating in Urban Fashion Week. It could help an up and coming clothing company navigate through the urban fashion industry and it could assist them with getting their feet off of the ground. Have you seen a steady growth in Urban Fashion since you started? Yes there has been growth in fashion in LA and also in NYC. The growth has been due to the maturity in the design and styles. To stay competitive, urban fashion has had to evolve. The people that could not adjust are no longer in the industry anymore. People think that fast growth is good but that may not always be the case. The Urban Fashion Week sustains itself by finding out what the real needs are in the industry and filling those voids. What makes Urban Fashion Week different from the New York, London, Paris, or Milan Fashion Week? We are giving you a lot more attitude. A lot more “in your face”. We will make you want to come to every event that we put on. Urban fashion is more dramatic because of the backdrop of urban fashion. Look at the way most urban people wear their hats from one side to the other. So imagine putting together a fashion week with that type attitude. Just imagine what you will get out of that. We also expect over 7,000 people to attend the various events during that week. All of these people will want to shop, eat and party. What are you looking for in the Urban Clothing Designer of the Year? Roc-a-Wear is a line that I’ve watched grow. And I understand their movement. I really respect their hustle and I like the direction that they’re going in. I recently spoke with some friends that are close to Damien Dash and Jay-Z. These brothers have done a lot for the urban fashion industry with their creative savvy style. I will be presenting the Roc family with the Urban Clothing Designer of the Year award during the NYC Urban Fashion Week. Hats off to those cats. How can you assist new up and coming urban designers? I can make a budget for a clothing line and make it look successful in one year. Ruff Riders participated in my last show in LA. You could not find them in the market before. But now, due to the exposure, people are really looking forward to seeing them again. That’s the type of power that Urban Fashion Week has to offer. Street creditability is everything in the urban fashion game. What is a typical day for you? My day starts out in the office returning emails and writing proposals. In the afternoon, I visit clients. I fly back and forth to New York for rehearsals and meetings. I go to all the rehearsals to make sure every on is on point. What tools do you need to survive in the fashion industry? Knowledge is one of the main things you need to stay in the game. Second, have something that people cannot do without. And three, always be consistent with your strategies. When it ends what would you like to do? I would like to incorporate my fashion game with the film industry and combine the style and colors used in the movie industry with urban fashion and mainstream America. Do you have a website that we can log onto? Yes. The following are temporary websites for information only: www.laurbanfashionweek.com and www.nyurbanfashionweek.com. How can models and designers apply for Urban Fashion Week? My email address is billyba@netscape.com. Models, send me one of your best shots. DO NOT send more than one picture. If you have to send more than that it tells me that your confidence and self-esteem are low. If anyone knows of any fresh designers, have them holla at the kid for sure! And the following are temporary websites for information only: www.laurbanfashionweek.com and www.nyurbanfashionweek.com. Would you like to give a shout out to anyone? Yes I would like to give a shout out to P Diddy, Jay-Z, Nelly, Russell Simmons and the rest of the major players representing urban fashion. Please hold a chair for me in the conference room because I 'm about to sit down. Peace. One. Interview by Elaine Tracey Williams Edited by Stacey Cradle

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