Global Couture: freedom and self-expression

Introducing GLOBAL COUTURE: APPAREL & ACCESSORIES

You’ll never know what’s going on in your own backyard if you don’t mosey on over to random Instagram and Facebook pages 🙂 This sistah lives in my hometown and is inspiring curly girls one tee at a time!

1)    Tell us a bit about yourself!

My name is Patricia and I am the Owner and Designer of Global Couture (http://globalcouture.net). I am originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan and currently reside in St. Louis, MO. During the day, I am a tenured college counselor and full time doctoral candidate completing my dissertation.

2)    Are you natural? If so, how long have you been natural? What motivated you to transition?

Yes! I am natural and love it! I don’t have the exact date I went natural but I believe my last relaxer was 2009. I transitioned with Senegalese twist for nearly two years and finally mini chopped my relaxed ends May 21, 2011.  I decided to ‘go natural’ because I was tired of dealing with breakage and bad hair days from relaxers.

I decided to begin Global Couture 2 years ago, when I noticed I couldn’t find any accessories or natural hair apparel (mainly T shirts) I wanted to wear, that reflected my new consciousness.

3)    What motivated you to start Global Couture? Where do you find inspiration for your brand?

I would describe Global Couture as fresh, diverse, and colorful. Traveling is my passion. I add stamps in my passport every chance I get! I came up with the name Global Couture and logo because I want my brand to reflect fresh, diverse, eclectic beauty and styles which, I appreciate from around the world.

Much of my inspiration for Global Couture comes from the various natural hair communities (via blogs, natural hair meet-ups, and YouTube) which I so joyously joined nearly two years ago.  Global Couture is an expression of my love for travel, self-exploration, cultural expression, and creativity. Global Couture designs hair accessories, jewelry, & apparel for the bold, chic, and culturally curious. Global Couture is trying to spread the word about embracing your natural hair and its reflection of our history. “Loving your hair represents loving yourself.” Love your curls, if they are wavy, curly, kinky or coily.

 Going back to my roots” during this natural hair journey has been truly self-affirming. Through this journey, I fell in love with the freedom, self-expression, and renewed confidence fostered by a simple ‘hairdo’ change. I found quickly it was more than a hair style change, it became a lifestyle change. I began to take more risks outside of the expected and mainstream forms in beauty, hairstyles, clothing, and accessories. I believe this ‘mini’ transformation paired with my travels through South American, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean has added to my appreciation for various forms of beauty, personal expression and culture expression.

4)    What is your ultimate vision for Global Couture? Where do you see the brand in 10 years?

 I currently sell T-shirts, hair accessories, bow ties, earrings, necklaces, totes, iPhone cases, and curly girl mugs. I have over 200 additional concepts in the works for my T shirt apparel and accessory line. You can expect to see those in addition to the 80 products that are now available on my website.  I also have a line of gold and silver necklaces and novelty items coming soon!

 My vision for Global Couture is to enhance the natural beauty in all of us from the inside-out.  I want to continue to grow my business and expand partnerships with local charities.