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My dream ever since I was a child

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was always to become

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an international fashion designer.

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I didn't know how it was

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going to happen, but

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there are some things which

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happen for a reason

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to take me to a place 

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where I am today.

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I do custom clothing for both

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men and women.

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So I try to specialize more

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on formal wear

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to make beatiful gowns for people

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who go for red carpet or for

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those who do, you know, 

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their weddings.

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Just for special events.

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This is how you are going to look

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in the evening.

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So now we're going to try to

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put on that one

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so you'll see how you're going to

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look during the day.

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Don't cry yet.

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Wow!

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So what makes me stand out

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compared to other designers 

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is that I have such a rich

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background, becuase

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based on my culture

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we like bright colors. We like

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to look elegant to stand out.

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So when you look at my craft

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you will see there's always

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special details.

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What drove me to become a

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fashion designer first of all

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it's a passion.

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Becuase fashion for me is

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something that I started to do ever

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since I was a child.

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I was born in the Congo. 

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Life in the Congo is not

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always easy especially for

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kids or for young people

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becuase there is a lot of suffering

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in the country.

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I was born in a good family. 

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My parents used to be always

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there for us. 

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What sparked my interest in sewing

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is when I used to see my sister start

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doing the work.

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Everything single time when she was sewing 

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I would be coming next to her,

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watching her, seeing what she's doing

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but she was chasing me away.

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My mom saw that

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and she called my sister.

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She said to my sister "You know what?

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I can see this boy has a passion

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for fashion. 

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You need to train this boy."

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So, I move from the Congo to South Africa.

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So, from South Africa I pursue my

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studios, and you know life was not easy. 

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But I did what I was supposed to do,

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and then after that I moved to Seattle.

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I struggle a little bit becuase

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when I came to this city

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there was nobody who knew me. 

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I was only known in the African community.

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I was thinking how I could break

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this barrier. My dream was like

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to have everybody wear my pieces,

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but I was only stuck in my community, 

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and I decided to have a fashion show.

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All the money I had in my bank

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account. I used all the money for that

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show, and some of my friends even

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said to me, "Why are you spending all

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this money for a fashion show?"

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I said this is an investment

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And when I did that show it was a  

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success, and after that I start getting

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invintations to go to Portland, 

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to go to Boston, to go to

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New York.

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The big fashion was the beginning

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of everything.

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The process of my work is first

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I get inspiration, and after getting

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inspiration I will just draw it down.

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After drawing it, then I will go

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buy the fabric.

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After buying the fabric, I have

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to do a couple fittings, and after 

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doing that I am going to cut the

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fabric, and sew it. So, the customer

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will come for another fitting,

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and after that fitting then I am

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going to complete the garment.

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During the pandemic, the business

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was affected becuase so many

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customers cancelled their orders

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When I saw the situtation happening

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I was like, I have to do something

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for the community.

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I designed some beatiful masks, 

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and many people purchased the masks.

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So this is like one of them you can see

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You can see there's trimming, and

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inside it's really well finished.

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It's really clean.

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So I try to play around to see

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what I can give to people,

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and I am glad that people love it.

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Many people are still buying it.

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So that's what has kept me busy, and

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that's what people like the most.

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You have to make sure your shoes

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have to match the belt.

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I am able to do what people are

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looking for. I am able to please my

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customer, and every single time

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I make a piece and the customer

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is happy I am so proud, becuase

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it's not easy to make someone

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happy, becuase you don't know

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what the feeling of the person. 

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To make something the customer is

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happy it makes you go, wow,

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I am really proud of my work.

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Nothing is impossible. Anything

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you want to get in life you can

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get it. Just be focused,

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work hard, and have discipline.