Author Archives: iamshaungill

Not For You – Jerome Taylor

notforyouclothing

 

NOT FOR YOU  is a high-end men’s streetwear clothing brand which is inspired by love, music, and real events. All the clothing is made specifically in Wellington, New Zealand and each piece is significant. 

Jerome’s Vision

When Jerome created  this collection, he wanted to represent homelessness and the complexity of poverty. This particular piece was styled to represent the true meaning behind homelessness and what individuals in these situations find themselves facing. If you take a closer look at this piece, you can recognize a story being told. To begin with, when analyzing the front of the jacket, the words “ROUGH NIGHT“ are displayed. This is because all it takes is one rough night to end up finding yourself in a difficult situation, in this case, battling for survival.  The story progresses with time; you can envision ones life spiraling down into losing their homes, their cars, and their families, all until you become completely invisible to the world.  This is represented on the back of this piece when it demands the following: “LOOK AT ME.” 

 

Fortunately,  this week I had the opportunity to walk for Jerome Taylor @ Vancouver Fashion Week Season 18.  My experience, beginning with meeting Jerome, to wearing his clothes on the runway was incredible.

 

 

When I first tried on my outfit for the show, I remembered feeling empowered and notorious. I personally love wearing layers with my everyday outfits, but what Jerome did with his collection was unique. Each individual layer had it’s own meaning, and as a collective, it illustrated homelessness and personality.

Walking down that runway wearing that outfit, I felt untouchable. Before our show we had a rehearsal and Jerome explained to us what his vision was when creating this collection. He said, “I want you guys to feel like your absolute best when walking down the runway. I don’t want you feeling dead, but rather you feel like the best version of yourself.” While rehearsing, I didn’t feel like a model, I felt as if I was a king in my own world;  I didn’t  give a fuck about what anyone thought of me. 

Contact Information
Jerome Taylor
Not For You Clothing
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Commes Des Garcon- Playlist #2

“People in your life are like season, and everything happens for a reason”

This week’s vibe will give you the kick start you need to get your week rolling. I have a busy week ahead of me and after creating this playlist, I’m excited to get started. This week will be a busy week for me because I will be modeling in Vancouver Fashion Week Season 18, which begins in literally less then 2 hours from now! There are over 80 international designers who will be flying in and showcasing their vision throughout the week. With that being said, I cannot wait to see what the designers will be bringing in this season, and hopefully get the opportunity to walk for some of these amazing designers. Also, during this week, my partner and I have landed our first of many clients; we will be digitally marketing for their company.

This has been something we have been working on for the past few months and finally, after a lot of hard work and patience, we are launching. Along with all the business stuff, I need to try my best in keeping up with my school work. I find that doing it can be a bore, but what I have learned is that having good work ethics for school will portray even better work ethics when you begin your own company one day. Nobody is going to force you to do something you do not like, but if you keep an open mind, you will be surprised how things fall into place.

This week I want people to try something new daily, and begin creating a plan to follow for the week. Creating a weekly plan is something I have started to do, and I personally love it! I feel like it keeps me more focused and consistent since I am an extremely forgetful person. In addition, I have reminders that  notify me every 30 mins before my next task. I have started using  Google Calendar as my go to app for these daily reminders and organizing my weekly schedule, and I highly recommend it! First, I would start by planning out one single day, and then follow with the rest; each day should have it’s full potential used. I promise you will feel so accomplished when you realize how many things you completed in one day. With such a realization, it will push you to strive even further in the upcoming days and weeks.

How To Talk To Strangers

I believe talking to strangers is one of the weirdest and most courageous someone can do. I find that sparking conversations with guys is much easier than with girls. When talking to girls, I always get nervous and tend to freeze up, unless the energy is friendly, and only then do I feel more comfortable to fully be myself. If any girls have tips for guys like me, please share. 😊 I would love to hear what you guys have to say about this  problem of mine, haha! With that said, recently I have been feeling a lot more confident in myself and don’t dwell on what others think of me. If people can’t accept me for who I am, then I simply keep a distance.

Working in retail, a large part of my job is helping customers, trying to understand their problems, and giving them valuable solutions. No matter who walks into my department, I consider them just as anyone else, someone like me. At the end of the day, our whole lives revolve around those we love and the activities we do. One thing I have learned from working in retail is that sometimes, people just need someone to talk to, even if its for a short period of time. Connecting with someone and having a conversation, no matter how small, can impact someone’s day significantly. Personally, I have had days where I felt kind of down but have found myself a lot happier after speaking to someone, even if it’s just a cashier at the store. Having that opportunity to change somebody’s is wonderful and fun. You can be anyone you want to be when talking to strangers.

 

Occasionally, you do meet some pretty weird people, but I think that’s one of the best parts. If you can just accept people for they are, you can really enjoy their presence. If you approach life with a judgmental attitude, you begin to think in such a narrow perspective, and we begin missing out on new experiences. Overall, I believe talking to strangers is worth the discovery for everyone. You don’t lose anything, they know absolutely nothing about you, and you can be anyone you want to be.

H.Y.P.E

 

     “Let Lose And Live A Little”  

This weeks playlist will take you through a groovy vibe. I want my people to feel the vibe and to do things they love this week. This could be anything from, going on an adventure, going to the gym or even doing something that makes you genuinely happy. Along with doing things that make you happy, be sure to find your rhythm and just keep going and  enjoy it !

I, myself started this week with a good Vibe! I finally feel like I got my rhythm back and now i’m just jamming through it. Sometimes you just gotta do what makes you happy and things will just start to fall together, its amazing  🙂 But overall I had a good week and even hit the gym everyday after a really long time. I WAS DEAD ASS FUCKING TIRED LOOL, but it was worth it. I feel so much more alive then before. I also filmed a self tape this week for an upcoming feature film, which was very exciting. I auditioned for the lead role and I feel really good about. I do not know what it is about feeling happy, but for me it just makes wanna keep hustling after my dreams. A positive mindset can really take you through extravagant paths in life people; take my word for it :))

C y A – Playlist #1

“To live doesn’t mean your alive, what does being alive mean to you”

The Weekly Vibe: Playlist #1 (CYA)

This week’s vibe was a little different for me. It began when I started feeling a little lost in life, especially in these past few weeks. I didn’t really know what I was doing. It felt like I wasn’t alive; I fell off my grind and completely lost my drive. Everything I did felt like I did it with no purpose, and that was a bad sign.

Just imagine, grinding, working your ass off for a solid month and letting your passion bring you to places you haven’t been before, and all of that slipping away. That’s how it felt. The worst part was, I just let myself keep falling until I couldn’t fall no more. Personally, it quickly came to a point where I knew I had to get my act together, but there was a part of me that just kept saying “fuck it.” I didn’t even want to listen to myself, so it only made sense why I didn’t want to listen to anyone else. Reality finally caught up with me this last weekend, I hit rock bottom and knew I couldn’t keep acting like this no more.

I know I’m not the only one who’s felt this feeling before, but one thing I have learned from this experience is that no matter how bad things can get, there is always a way back up. For a long time now, I knew that when I die, I want to leave a legacy behind. Surprisingly, that thought of building that foundation and becoming something people can look up to gave me the push I needed to get back on my feet. It is so crucial to look at the bigger picture, even if that is taking a step back from reality sometimes. It begins with seeing things for yourself first and surrounding yourself with the right company. Having someone in your life who sees more potential in you then you see in yourself, is something I was lucky to have, and having that can help give you that push.

 

The Game Of Life

Do what you love and never be afraid of taking risks. If you are good at something, if you are passionate about it, use it to your damn advantage and become the best at what you do. The future is in our hands. Why wait till tomorrow when you can start today?

-Shaun Gill