00:00 So my condition is called Erb's Palsy,
00:02 and it's a nerve damage that affects the nerves
00:05 in my neck and in my shoulder area.
00:08 As a kid, my confidence was shot.
00:10 Like, at a young age, I felt low self-esteem.
00:13 Very early on, I switched my mindset
00:16 because I knew that people would perceive me
00:20 the way I perceived me.
00:20 When people ask me how I got into fashion,
00:23 I always say fashion found me.
00:24 My name is Kwayse Shawn Williams,
00:26 and I am the one-hand sewing man in Spectacular RF.
00:29 So this is where all the magic is made at.
00:33 We have my lovely sewing machine right here.
00:36 We have my handy-dandy laptop,
00:38 and I have my sketchbook here.
00:40 Normally, these are the main essentials
00:43 that I have here before I can even get started.
00:46 So I am 32 years old,
00:47 and I am born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey,
00:49 and I am a fashion and costume designer.
00:51 This piece right here, oh, this is my favorite,
00:57 one of my favorite pieces.
00:59 It gives you dramatic, it gives you loud,
01:00 it gives you glamor, it gives you different,
01:02 it gives you unique, it gives you next level.
01:05 So my condition is called Erb's palsy,
01:07 and it's a nerve damage that affects the nerves
01:11 in my neck and in my shoulder area,
01:14 and it also limits the functionality in my fingers
01:18 and the mobility in my entire arm in general.
01:21 So as a kid, it was tough.
01:22 I dealt with teasing, and I dealt with bullying
01:25 of some of my peers.
01:27 We were kids, so I know when kids see something
01:30 that's abnormal to them, they're gonna ask questions,
01:33 they're gonna poke fun.
01:34 I felt alienated because I was the only kid
01:37 with a quote-unquote disability,
01:39 and it was tough just navigating being normal.
01:42 As a kid, my confidence was shot.
01:44 Like, at a young age, it's my adult years
01:48 where I really stepped into who I was
01:51 and owned my disability,
01:54 and not looked at it as if it was unattractive.
01:58 And what I think probably is the most important in here,
02:03 besides the fashion, obviously,
02:05 is my affirmations that I have on the wall.
02:08 Again, everything is about what you think about.
02:11 It's about how you feel.
02:12 It's about what you say to yourself
02:15 and what you believe in.
02:16 So I wanna make sure that whenever I look around this room,
02:19 I remember who I am.
02:20 I remember what I am.
02:23 I switched my mindset
02:24 because I knew that people would perceive me
02:28 the way I perceive me.
02:29 And it was very important that I perceive myself
02:31 in the best light in order for the world
02:33 to see the greatness that I am.
02:35 When people ask me how I got into fashion,
02:38 I always say fashion found me
02:40 because I originally started paying attention
02:44 to the way I dressed when I got into middle school
02:47 because I was trying to hide my arms.
02:49 I just wanted to fit in.
02:51 So the fact that if I could, in my mind,
02:55 if I could dress the part,
02:57 people would notice my clothing as opposed to my arm.
02:59 I started out as a shoe wear designer first.
03:01 So I would customize shoes and eyewear,
03:04 like Lady Gaga-inspired pieces.
03:07 And I got my first sale,
03:11 and that's when I knew I could make money
03:12 from making and customizing merchandise.
03:16 So everything in here, I sold myself,
03:20 cut the fabric, sold the fabric,
03:23 completed the fabric, created the pieces.
03:26 All in one hand, it was me.
03:28 My brand, Mannequin, is a luxury streetwear brand.
03:31 So the aesthetics of Mannequin
03:34 is infused with fantasy fashion,
03:37 also glamor, high fashion,
03:41 everything that's opulence intertwined with streetwear.
03:45 This is one of my favorite pieces today.
03:49 I love it so very much.
03:51 And this fabric is like one of one, in a sense.
03:53 So it's only one of these.
03:55 So aside from just having custom,
03:58 I have what I call my streetwear custom.
04:01 So a lot of these pieces that are over here
04:04 are more custom-based and more one-of-one type of pieces.
04:09 And then you have the pieces that are ready to wear
04:11 that I will have multiple of normally on hand.
04:15 Fashion is important to me because it tells my story.
04:19 I think that's the most important thing for me
04:20 is to tell my story and to express myself to the world.
04:25 Because for so long, I felt like no one understood me.
04:30 And the moment fashion came into my life,
04:32 I felt like the world understood me.
04:35 Hey, sister.
04:36 - Hey.
04:36 - Come on in, come on in.
04:38 - So what we doing with your hair?
04:40 - I'm thinking like a bun of some sort
04:43 because I'm wearing a suit.
04:45 - So we met, actually she was a client of mine first.
04:50 She came to me to make her birthday dress.
04:51 - When he made my dress,
04:53 I asked him to come out with me for my birthday.
04:56 He was like, "Yeah, I'll come."
04:57 But I remember we went to a fashion show in New York City.
05:01 - Yes.
05:02 - And it was his first time wearing heels.
05:05 And he was so, so nervous.
05:07 He was like, "I don't know if I'm gonna wear these."
05:11 And after he wore them heels when we went to that show,
05:13 he got so much love.
05:16 When he walked, we went to a fashion show,
05:18 but he walked around like he was the fashion show.
05:21 Like you could literally see his confidence go up.
05:23 Like, you know what?
05:24 I'm gonna just step into it.
05:25 And he did.
05:26 And over the years, he continuously does that.
05:29 He's gonna do big things.
05:30 I'm already doing big things.
05:32 It's gonna be good.
05:33 - I love you.
05:34 - So what are we doing today?
05:36 - So today I am going to Inspire Threads.
05:40 - So what is that?
05:41 - So Inspire Threads is a nonprofit company
05:45 that employs people with disabilities,
05:47 giving them equal employment opportunities,
05:50 as well as creating a sustainability in fashion.
05:54 And there was actually a young lady here.
05:56 Her name was Bella.
05:58 The first time I went there when I spoke to the kids,
06:01 she kept telling me the entire time that she was there
06:04 that I was going to make her more Tisha Adams dress.
06:07 - So she told you that.
06:08 - She told me that.
06:09 And I love that.
06:12 - Hey, Bella.
06:13 How are you?
06:15 Love it.
06:16 Okay, are you ready to see the dress?
06:17 It's over here.
06:19 Now I did a similar sleeve idea to more Tisha Adams
06:24 from the show Wednesday.
06:25 Okay, she had a little wrinkle 'cause she was in there.
06:28 But this is the dress.
06:31 Are you ready to try her on?
06:33 And then I did the sleeve similar so it'll hang.
06:37 - Yeah, it does kind of bit reference your,
06:39 it does reference your sleeves like this.
06:41 - Yeah.
06:42 How do you feel?
06:45 Ah, okay, let me fix your train.
06:47 Let me fix your train.
06:50 Oh, there you go.
06:53 There we go.
06:53 It fits like a glove.
06:58 - Play Shawn, it shows people with disabilities
07:02 that they don't have to be limited,
07:04 that they can pursue their dreams,
07:05 that they're not limited by what everybody tells them
07:09 that they can't do.
07:10 - Being a designer is about creating beautiful garments,
07:13 but it's also about creating beautiful moments
07:16 and making people feel their most ultimate.
07:19 So to anybody out there who do have differences,
07:22 who do have a disability, who may be different
07:25 and may have to do things differently
07:26 than anybody else out in the world,
07:30 look at that as a way to show other people
07:32 that there is more ways to be great than it is one.
07:37 - Love the skin that you're in, appreciate who you are,
07:40 love everything about yourself.
07:42 Body positivity is important
07:44 because everybody is made different.
07:48 There's no set standard of beauty.
07:49 Beauty is defined by yourself.
07:52 And because beauty is defined by oneself,
07:54 everybody should be celebrated.
07:56 (upbeat music)
07:58 (upbeat music)
08:01 (upbeat music)
08:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]
