LOOK BOOK 01 | Grandpa’s Suit
Many things to celebrate here:
It took so much courage and hurdle leaps to get to this point- a solid buildout/groundwork for Beetlejuus to live and share with my community, figuring out how I’d like to approach my creative practices, considering the impact I’d like to have on those who engage with my work, giving myself permission to become more vulnerable in sharing my views/perspectives with the public. So in short, this portion of my website will resemble a creative journal in a sense. Things like: podcast responses, upcoming projects that I’m working on (and would love for you to be apart of), BTS from shoots with friends, and many more. But for today, we’re introducing the very first look book series. This idea struck me a few years ago during the Covid lockdown and I never executed it. Simply because Beetlejuus was so fresh and I didn’t know where to start. The idea behind this series is to have fun, collaborate ideas with friends, allow this to become an opportunity to experiment/learn new editing tools, and for those watching to learn a little bit more about my style. I’d like to say that I have a unique approach to fashion; fashion being the root to what sparks my creativity and outlooks on design. This series will become somewhat challenging for me as I figure out how to document and articulate all the things that ring chaos in my head.
Thank you for tapping in. If you’re here, I can assure you that you’ll enjoy what’s to come. Be sure to join my mail list (located at the footer of the page) to stay connected. For now though, continue reading below.
Last year around this time, I traveled to Prague, Czech Republic to participate in a global marketing program through Columbia College Chicago (I’m a part time student studying Design Management). This trip was extremely bittersweet- first time traveling overseas, was away for about a month & loved it, and learned so much from the program in itself. Before I left for this trip, my grandpa’s health began to decline little by little. I couldn’t allow myself to believe that he was actually declining because my grandpa’s one of the toughest men I know. Towards the end of my trip, he passed away. Being so far from home made it hard to swallow but, some part of me knew being away made the heartbreak from this loss less painful.
A few days after I arrived in Chicago, my mom and I paid my grandpa’s home a visit for the last time before my aunt sold his home. Rummaging through his belongings was the strangest thing because I’ve never invaded his personal belongings. It didn’t feel right at all which now makes even more sense in retrospect. But as I processed his loss while touching his clothes, I absolutely did feel his presence. He armored me with love for life. That’s what I felt and will always feel.
In this shoot, I’m wearing one of his church suit jackets. My grandpa had so many suits but of course I chose black. This one in particular though, has his coffee stain on the outer right side, a peppermint and handkerchief in the left inner pocket, and his church pen.
Love you grandpa. I’ll always be your babygirl, always.
