Quotes from Kerby Jean-Raymond

With things that I'm going through, whether they be on a small scale or a large scale, I'm thinking, 'Who else is going through this? And how can I address it and bring it to light to help someone else?'

I think that when you rally powerful voices around powerful issues, what you get are positive results.

I wanted to be a sneaker designer since I was 10; it was my dream to work at Nike and design signature shoes for Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway. When it was time to select high schools, I wanted to go to one that would help me get a jump-start on my dream.

Is the 'black designer' label there to warn everyone not to have the same level of expectations for me, or is it some type of prize? I just want to work in an even playing field where I can get press for my work and not just my race and my personal views on it.

I'm desperately trying to unplug. The last thing I want is a watch that connects to my phone which connects to my iPad that connects to my computer that airplays to my TV.

I grew up thinking my father was tacky. There was no color coordination. It was whatever was cool. 'These sweatpants are cool. I'll wear them with these shoes that are cool.' He had less inhibitions. I wasn't respectful of his swag then.

If I'm going to be the black designer, I'm going to tell it my way.

Our first fiscal year, we were profitable.

Think about how much fashion profits from black culture and how underrepresented we are in the industry. If you insist on using black celebrities to peddle your merchandise and add a cool factor to your front row, it is indecent to not care about the plights of that person's community.

If you're on the fence about speaking your truth or sharing your world with a greater audience, don't be. We need each other badly.

I don't know which was the first love - music or fashion.

I've never seen Ralph Lauren, Rick Owens, or Raf Simons described as white designers. They are just designers.

My earliest memories of defying my parents were through music. I remember rap being banned in my house, and then getting a Cam'ron album.

I hope that people who don't believe depression is a real thing will stop calling people crazy, because that's dismissive and not a medical diagnosis.

A president's power is limited. We need to vote down the ballot as well, from your councilman all the way up to your governors and congressman.

I was going to college on a full scholarship. I graduated summa cum laude. I was always on the dean's list. I was never a kid that started any kind of trouble.

Financing is always the hard part, especially if you don't have friends or family to back you, which was my case and the case for most designers.

I want to be fashion's Erykah Badu. What I admire about her is her timelessness and her fearless approach.

You have these megabrands who make most of their money off hip-hop culture. Where were they in the time of need?

All clothes are worn on the street, but 'streetwear' had once described T-shirt brands and skate-inspired brands, and now it's just a lazy innuendo used to describe clothing made by designers that the establishment deems 'less than.'

If you put the collections together, whether it's Rick Owens, Alexander Wang, or whomever, sometimes they do streetwear, but they're never called that. They're always called 'sportswear' or 'high-end' or 'luxury.' I feel like I'm tossed into that streetwear category so that I don't exist in this space.

America is a flawed land but a great one indeed.

Nobody can shut the door in your face if you own the door.

The way I was raised, you get a new pair of sneakers when the old one gets messed up. But when I got to high school, I started dating girls and trying to fit in, and I realized everybody was collecting Jordans. When I would get my paychecks, I wouldn't even take money. I would just trade them for sneakers.