Photo Courtesy of Isaac Gill
Mary Windsor
Staff Writer
Brandon Baker is a political science major with a minor in African diaspora studies, but his true passions lie in more creative fields such as culinary arts, photography and fashion.
Baker thrives in fashion-related fields and is currently focused on fashion styling. He started fashion styling and modeling his sophomore year and began a startup company, Casual Couture Company. This was when he started directing his first shoots and building his portfolio.
“At the time, I was just constructing a lot of shoots, directing and styling just so I could get my name out there, along with practicing my craft as well.”
Baker has since been the head stylist for the Black Business Student Association’s Dress for Success Fashion Show last year and he will participate as a head stylist again this spring.
One of Baker’s favorite things is collaborating with other creative minds in the Greensboro area. He is part of a creative collective called The Indies Project and is Vice President with London Kasmir, another UNCG student.
“I noticed that a lot of creative people in the area never intermingled. It was very clique-ish,” he explained. “I’d work with this person and another, but never together. I wanted to change that because UNCG has a lot of talent.”
To construct The Indies Project, he went through the process of choosing who he wanted to be associated with and who he felt had a great gift and a great personality. He then contacted them and most of them were interested in working with him.
“When collaborating, we just really feed off each other’s energy and motivate each other to continue to achieve success in the creative arts,” Brandon explained. They collaborate on everything possible and are a support system for each other.
Though Baker is a man of many talents, his favorite creative venture is styling others.
“I think people underestimate the true talent of fashion stylist,” he said. “Not everybody is capable of doing it. It’s a lot of work. It takes a lot of practice and precision.”
Baker explains that not everyone can be styled the same; you must dress them based on their body type and their personality.
“Being able to make someone feel beautiful and appreciated is a quality I really enjoy bringing to the creative world,” he said, smiling.
When Baker first started styling over two years ago, his sense of style and the way he approaches styling has changed tremendously.
“When I first started styling, I would base it on what I would wear, but one of my mentors gave me great advice: When you’re styling someone, you have to remember it has to fit them and their personality. You can tell when someone is uncomfortable or if it’s not their natural look.”
Baker said the most important thing to remember is that despite fashion guidelines and stipulations, you have to make the model feel like themselves.
He gains inspiration from his twin sister. When it comes to creativity, he also looks up to his peer London Kasmir. He works with her and her brand, The Cool Girl, which inspires girls to be their true selves and have their own sense of style.
“I love Solange Knowles as well,” he said. “Her thirst for life, creativity and her sense of humbleness. You have to remember those human aspects in the business world, because others will always base you on those as well as your professionalism.”
Since Baker has consistently been involved with various organizations on campus, he has been able to find others to collaborate with and build up his portfolio.
“I’ve been so lucky to have been noticed for my creativity and styling capabilities on campus, so projects have come to me,” Baker said. “Networking is really important, and that’s what I love about branding and what I have established for myself.”
Though he hasn’t studied photography professionally, he has studied under his friends and is excited to begin to capture his creative journey and continue to build his portfolio.
“With my portfolio, you can really tell I’ve grown since sophomore year,” he explained. “I’ve actually deleted a lot of my earlier stuff because it is no longer showing the rest of my capabilities. Now that I have my own camera, I’m excited to be able to capture my own styling works.”
He’s currently working on starting a new blog to showcase his projects, improvements and upcoming events with The Indies Project.
After graduating, Baker plans to find an internship abroad this summer or in New York to get his foot in the door and find out what he is interested in pursuing. Ultimately, Baker is hoping to work while saving money and then plans to travel afterwards.
Categories: Artist Weekly, Arts & Entertainment, Uncategorized
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