Detroit native Tracey Reese is one of the most successful female designers in the fashion industry. Tracey’s love for fashion actually started while she was a young girl where she along with her sisters and mother would have contests to see who could finish an outfit first. Fast forward to 1982, Tracey entered New York City Parsons School of Design where she continued to sharpen her design skills. Two years after graduation she started her first label and quickly realized that she didn’t know enough about business and had to shut it down. This is when she demonstrated what I deem to be a quality that every leader possesses and that is that they don’t quit.

She came back with her line Tracy Reese, a collection of colorful, classy, feminine wear followed in late 2004 with the launch of Plenty Home, a line of bedding, curtains, and throws. “When I’m designing the line,” said Reese, “I always think about how I would love to have sheets in these fabrics, curtains in these fabrics.” Shoes and accessories came next, both of which were launched in the fall of 2005. By the end of 2005 her company had annual sales of $20 million.

Today, Ms. Reese is the epitome of feminine chic with not one but two lines, Tracey Reese and Plenty. She has a fabulous eye for details and her extensive knowledge of color and fabric allow her to continue to create timeless wearable pieces that the modern woman craves. She combination of modern craftsmanship and vintage flair creates looks that are distinctly her own.

Her focus and commitment to her craft led to her to be inducted as a board member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Not one to rest upon her past successes, Tracey continues to expand her company. She’s added a third line called Frock, which contains flirty and fun dresses that can transition from day to evening.

I love strong, confident women who follow their passions and Tracey Reese definitely qualifies. She is only now hitting her stride and I predict that we will see many grand creations in years to come from this young designer.

Words by Golda Smith, Editor-in-Chief

Born in Brussels, Belgium, Diane von Furstenberg   first came into the fashion scene in 1972 where she introduced the wrap dress.  Her wardrobe dynamics stamped Furstenberg into the fashion industry where she went on to sell millions of dresses.  Furstenberg took a hiatus from the fashion industry in the 1980’s, and re-emerged in 1997 with the re-launch of the wrap dress.  This transformed Furstenberg’s line into a global company.

Furstenberg prides herself on issues such as diversity on the runway and underweight models.  She also believes in giving back and being active in her community. In 2005 she was awarded from the Council of Fashion Designers of America for her influence on fashion, and a year later she was dubbed president of the CFDA, a position she still holds. She also is on the board of Vital Voices, an organization that empowers rising women leaders and social entrepreneurs.
Furstenberg has taken her company and extended it into a luxurious brand that many women admire. Just like her wrap dress, she continues to create pieces that are classy, empowering and timeless. Her runway is always filled with sexy prints, denim, color and patterns. Over 20 years ago she designed a dress that symbolized freedom and power. With those themes, she has inspired a generation of young emerging designer’s ready to change the fashion world.

“I never wanted to become a fashion designer, but I understand it’s a never ending job and it is important to keep up with the changes in fashion. I see many young designers try to emulate what has already been done.” Yet, Furstenberg doesn’t have to keep up with the times; when you have an ingenious eye such as she, career longevity is guaranteed.

As a young Fashionista, I have always admired and respected her eye for style.  She loves uplifting women. Through her designs, she reminds us how strong and confident we are. Season after season, Furstenberg’s delivery is impeccable and effortless.  Whether it’s a night out on the town, or busy day at the office she captures the essence of what a woman is and what she wants to wear.

Words by Crystal Hardman

In a time where Black models were scarce in the fashion industry, there was one model that broke down barriers and opened the door for models of color worldwide. Renauld White, the first African-American model to grace the cover of GQ magazine in 1979,  an accomplishment that catapulted him into iconic status.  In addition to conquering the modeling industry, Renauld White is an accomplished actor in both television and theater, starring as Julius Caesar in Julius and several years on the TV soap The Guiding Light. Today at 65, still refined and handsome as ever, Mr. White can be found educating and inspiring models as an fashion activist.

The next time you see a model of color gracing  fashion covers and editorials of your favorite magazines and runway shows, remember to pay homage to the man whose hard work and dedication changed the fashion industry for future Black models past, present and future.

Image Sources: GQ Magazine/Thurgood Marshall

Hands down Lady Gaga is FASHION. She has taking the fashion and music industry by storm with her catchy lyrics, uptempo beats and very over-the-top (sometimes unexplainable) fashion sense.

Lady Gaga is the girl we all went the school with who we thought was cool yet half to the school didn’t understand her but secretly wanted to be her friend. She has single-handedly inspired a vast of celebrities and everyday (fashion) women to step up their game and just have fun with fashion.

Not since Madonna 80′s days have we’ve seen an artist make such a impact in pop culture through fashion and music combined. Gaga is here to stay.

Check out her latest video ‘Paparazzi‘ which won her an award at the VMA’s for ‘Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects’ and her latest ‘Bad Romance’.

Lady Gaga – Paparazzi (Official Music Video)

Lady Gaga | MySpace Video

Visit: www.ladygaga.com

Tom Ford is private, creative and very talented. His ability to leave super fashion house Gucci to embark on what is now a multi-million dollar fashion brand that bears his name is genius.

Tom has recently directed and debut his first film at the 66th annual Venice Film Festival. The film titled, “A Single Man.” is set in 1962 Los Angeles and tells the story of a college professor who is coping with the death of his partner of 16 years. Starring Colin Firth as the college professor along with Matthew Goode and Julian Moore.

Check out the trailer for his directorial debut:

According to Tom, it’s a movie about love and isolation. Something he feels we all can relate to. The movie is heart warming and shows that coping with a loss is never easy but definitely possible. I give the film two thumbs up and definitely recommend you check it out if you can appreciate good artistic vision.

Visit: www.tomford.com

We salute Bea Arthur for making us laugh and just being Bea. She was a star from the start with her uncanny ability of bringing her characters to life. Bea Arthur was classy, consistent and a very good actress.

You will be missed.

Short Bio:

Beatrice “Bea” Arthur (May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress, comedian and singer whose career spanned seven decades. Arthur achieved fame as the title character Maude Findlay on the 1970s sitcom Maude, and as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, winning Emmy Awards for both roles. A stage actress both before and after her television success, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Vera Charles in the original cast of Mame (1966).

Obvious Magazine CHOSE to speak good of Michael Jackson. Doing so at this time, promotes positive energy and allows us not to partake in negative media. Our prayers go out to his children and family during their troubling time. We ask that you pray for his children and their well being.

The poem below was sent exclusively to us by Spoken Word Artist Taylor Mickal out of New Orleans entitled:“Musicians Die. Kings Live Forever.” (a tribute to Michael Jackson). This poem is very heartfelt and we wanted to share with our audience and follows of Obvious Magazine…R.I.P. Michael Jackson.

-Jerris Madison
Creative Director | Publisher

“Musicians Die. Kings Live Forever.” (a tribute to Michael Jackson) by Taylor Mickal

Such a beautiful soul,
Should never feel so much pain…

As a young boy,
His father was more than cruel,
His first name was Joseph, but his last was “ridicule”.

He would sit in a chair,
With his belt, and shout.
Threaten his mistakes,
Constantly calling Michael out:
“If you don’t do it the right way,
I’ll tear you apart!”
You see, his father saw money,
Michael simply saw art.

And as the Jackson’s rose to fame,
Michael rose even higher.
Held down by a family’s abuse,
But lifted by his desire.
And at only 11 years old,
His voice took the world,
Took every man, every woman,
Every boy, and every girl.
His dance took the stage,
And the people threw, not roses, but love.
And it was almost as if it made up
For his father’s lack of.

The world worshiped him;

Bent to their knees like he was a king;
And that’s just what he became.
A king of music; who was twice
Inducted to the rock and roll hall of fame.

And it wasn’t just black or white,
His music was everywhere,
Michael never cared about color,
Only about those who cared.
Never forgot where he came from,
Never knew where he was going,
Simply sang from his heart,
And the fans continued growing.
Reaching beyond generations,
To the children of today,
Reaching beyond skin tone,
His music always found a way.

James Brown, Ray Charles,
Michael’s inspirations.
Became the foundation for a music,
That stretched beyond imagination.

But shortly after his 90 minute breakdown,
In 1993.
Accusations from a greedy young boy,
Tore into Michael, for the world to see.

The music faded a little,
The dance wasn’t quite the same.
The people’s eyes turned to the courts,
The media stole his name.

But music made the man,
And the man was still alive,
So he reminded the world who he was,
With HIStory; a CD that thrived.
15 tracks of his best,
15 more brand new
A testament to who he was,
And what he could still do.
The fans came pouring back,
The music couldn’t be more loud.
The heart as his instrument,
He sang to the world as his crowd.

Charging through the charts,
Walking across the moon.
They tried to knock him down,
Knowing Michael would fall soon.

And slowly, but surely,
Michael fell down to earth,
Where stress took his health,
And people took his worth.
The world was a cruel place for him,
It wasn’t his sheet music anymore.
Michael was not “Invincible”
As he was once had been before.
And just as his life had begun,
In ridicule, hate, and fame,
The last decade of the legend
Was more or less, just the same.
Although his appearance had changed.
His heart hadn’t changed a bit.
But the flame in Michael’s eyes,
Was barely even lit.

June 25th, will always be remembered.
As a King of music, he will forever reign.
But I will never understand why such a beautiful soul,
Should ever feel so much pain…

-Taylor Mickal

If you’re unaware of the story behind Liya Kebede, the knowledge is simple… she was number eleven on Forbes’ World’s 15 Top-Earning Supermodels in list (2007). New York based, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia born, it was destiny when Tom Ford asked for an exclusive contract for his Gucci Fall/Winter 2000 fashion show. Kebede not only become (a finalist) in the Miss World Supermodel contest; she also walked the New York, Milan, London, and Paris runway shows. Appearing on the 2002 Paris Vogue cover (a magazine/spread dedicated entirely Kebede) and numerous other prominent magazines, she has advanced as one of the worlds most famed and illustrious models/women of our time.

In 2007, Kebede and her husband, Ethiopian hedge-fund manager Kassy Kebede (Panton Capital Group, NYC) visited the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, which inspired her to improve the existence of children and mothers around the world with more proactive opportunities. Kebede described the experience as “a very sweet and sorrowful place, where the ending is really beautiful and there is a lot of sad stories in between (2007 CNN Interview).”

The Foundation…

“Our goal is to provide support for maternal, newborn and child health initiatives by working with not for profit, non governmental organizations and other institutions in line with the overall policies established by the World Health Organization. We also aims to increase awareness and visibility of the importance of basic medical interventions which are extremely effective in improving the health and survival of mothers and children.” http://www.theliyakebedefoundation.org

The objectives of the Foundation are to promote the use of proven, simple, low-cost technologies, support the education of health care workers, and improve the quality of and access to medical care. The Foundation also supports community-based education and community projects that improve knowledge and practices of maternal and child health, and the work of the WHO Goodwill Ambassador to increase the visibility of maternal, newborn and child health issues globally.

The Obvious…

Liya Kebede’s efforts go far beyond the simple admiration for beauty & fashion. It’s amazing to become aware and be involved in a movement offering a significant contribution to the evolution and improvement of life. Even more encouraging is the opportunity to be able to give back to our fellow brothers & sisters on this planet for the sake of survival by redistribution of wealth. “If you don’t have a dream in life, I don’t know what you have. You have to want something beyond your reach; it’s exciting when it works out.” – Liya Kebede

If you wish to make a direct donation to The Liya Kebede Foundation: http://www.liyakebede.com/foundation/donate.htm

Story by Tionne Myles