VEST: CALVIN KLIEN VINTAGE // BLACK TEE: HIS OWN JEANS: WILLIAM RAST ACCESSORIES: FROM NIGERIA AND SIERRA LEONE

Since 1998 New Jersey native, Liberian bred, music mogul Victor Emerson has been making waves in the underground music industry. With Neo- Soul influenced hits like Forever & A Day and Love Rules The World he was able to establish himself as a MC to be reckoned with. His skills, both talent and management, didn’t go un-noticed. In 2005 he signed his independent record label SelectFew Entertain-ment to TriMedia/Columbia Records which was over-seen by Ruffhouse CEO Chris Schwartz. Although the deal dissolved in 2006, SelectFew carried on as a full service music & visual entertainment company. He’s back to his roots as an MC to drop his new album Chasing Forever.

AT WHAT AGE DID YOU REALIZE YOU WANTED TO DO MUSIC? At 10 years old I remember watching Diddy & Jermaine Dupri do their thing. They were CEO’s of labels, artist, AND producers. I just knew that was going to be me. I swear I was the young-est record company owner ever!

WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION TO RAP, WRITE AND PRODUCE?Honestly, I feel like they all tie in together. I’m a vi-sual person and I use all of these avenues to bring my visuals and stories to life. My inspiration comes from me knowing that if I really want to be a major player in the music industry I have to

work harder than everybody else! HOW DO YOUR LIBERIAN ROOTS TIE INTO YOUR MUSIC?I grew up listening to different kinds of African music which opened up my mind and ears to the different sounds and ways to create songs.What’s the best part about making music for you?I’ve always been one of those people who enjoy working with different artists and producers. The crazy thing that most people don’t know about me is that I work with more R&B singers than rappers. In 2011 alone I wrote and produced over 25 songs for up and coming singers and groups.

ANY ARTIST IN PARTICULAR YOU LOVED WORKING WITH?ADH, Co-Star, J-R Murray, and producers MAK and C-Swag. I’ve been working with an up and coming R&B singer named G out of New York who is fea-tured on my new album “Chasing Forever.” You have a soulful vibe to your music and your audience has been very accepting. That’s a tough feat when music is pretty much about nothing nowadays. It feels good whenever you create something that people accept. I don’t make the most popular music but if one person walks up to me and tells me they feel what I was saying in a song that lets me know that I’m doing something right. WHY NOT TAKE THE EASY ROUTE TO FAME AND TALK ABOUT BITCHES AND GUNS? I’m not after that kind of fame. It comes with a lot of other things that are not adjacent to my life.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PEOPLE IN THE GAME RIGHT NOW?I dig artist like Wale, Akon, 2face, and P-Square. As of 2006 I started really getting into Liberian HipCo listening to artists like Takun J and Luckay Buckay. WHATS NEXT FOR VICTOR EMERSON?My new album “Chasing Forever” will be dropping soon and I’ve landed a role in an indie film called 1st Family. This year I’ll be doing a lot of behind the scenes work with R&B/HipHop group Co-star as they gear up to drop their debut EP. Towards the end of 2012 I plan releasing a film of my own, so stayed tuned!

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here’s never a dull moment when I get the chance to hang out with Washington

Roberts. This time he invited me to go fab-ric shopping with him for his latest collec-tion. Curious about the details of his latest line, and the rare opportunity to witness him at work on his craft, I happily agree to tag along.

Fashionably dressed (and late), he strolls down a garment dis-trict block of the fashion capital of the world. “I’m not sure of exactly what I’m looking for yet, but I’ll know it when I see it” he assures. To no surprise he’s dressed in a well fitting blazer, hat, slim fitting jeans, and of course a signature blue pocket square perfectly in place. We begin our journey for an unknown fabric and he finally releases the theme of his new line, “My next collection is inspired by Michael Jackson.”

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OPPOSITE PAGE HAT: HIS OWN // SUIT: ZARA // SWEATER: UNIQLO BUTTON UP: BURBERRY // TIE: HUGO BOSS POCKET SQUARE: WASHINGTON ROBERTS ACCESSORIES: FROM NIGERIA AND SIERRA LEONE

The Nigerian native has come a long way from breaking needles on his grandmother’s sewing machine. At two weeks old he was left to be raised by his grandparents in Lagos, Nigeria and later came to America at the age of seventeen. With his four younger siblings spread throughout the northeast and no real relationship with his parents he decided to come to New York, but to study en-gineering. “I still love engineering and have a great appreciation for it” he admits now window shop-ping. But clearly he understands the vast difference between appreciation and passion. Now on his fourth collection Roberts’ contemporary and sophisticated style is becoming noticed throughout the industry. In the past year he’s snagged countless features in magazines and blogs, is now placed in the luxury online store MvvyAsho.com, showed at Africa Fashion Week New York, and now is slated to show his Fall/Winter 2012 collection at Curaçao Fashion Week in the Caribbean this May. “I am stepping out of my comfort zone with this collection” he states as we enter the popular Mood Designer Fabrics made famous by hit reality show Project Runway. “I always try to challenge myself with each new collection” says Roberts. As we browse through endless rows of fabric and swatches we come across the leather section. “You can’t do Michael without leather,” he laughs. Under his critical hand and eye he starts to examine all the different swatches one by one. “Too soft, too thin, looks cheap, this red is off” he spits out the comments like an auctioneer. After about 20 minutes he leaves the leather section with no leather in hand. With an extensive resume of interning and freelancing for fashion houses such as William Rast, Tory Burch, and most recently American Rag, Roberts has earned his right has a tough critic. Though the knowledge and experience he gained was invaluable he was never satisfied with design-ing on behalf of someone else. In 2010 he launched his first collection. Two short years later he’s working on getting his line into high end boutique stores like Barneys. Still, like any designer chal-lenges do come along. “I don’t have the capital to do all the things that I want to do,” Roberts says checking the price tag of a roll of fine silk. It’s not that his talents have gone unnoticed. He’s been approached by various stores to have his line in their shops but it is he who won’t give in so easily.

“You don’t have to take everything that is given to you. You have to be in a store that will elevate your brand. The stores that I want will take a while but, in due time. I am working hard and I’m not settling for less.” That same brand consciousness is why he doesn’t like to be boxed in as an ‘African Designer.’ “If you look at Victoria Bechkam, Donatella Versace, and others they don’t have European designer or American designer attached to their name” he states matter-of-factly. He’s abso-lutely right. Since African design-ers have hit international fashion weeks, writers have always found a way to add ‘African’ to their name regardless of the style of work they produce. Although this has helped

many designers move up in the industry Roberts is more concerned about the longevity of his line, and even more so the evolution of the African fashion industry. “Our culture is present in everything so its only proper for us to have a share of the market.” When you think of it having ‘our share’ is minor to ask on account of what Africa has given to the fashion industry. Still, Roberts has no reason to ask for his share. His detail oriented work and intricate designs demand it. His work has been described as the “epitome of edge, sophistication, femininity, and elegance” by TrendyAfrica.com, and his friends joke that his stuff is no different than the likes of Chanel; same quality same price point. Even with high praises of his work he knows being compared to a 100 year old fashion house is a little unrealistic, yet satisfying. “I want to be able to say when you look at my stuff, even though my brand is not on that level, when you look at the quality of the garments you can put it up in an ad and the quality looks the same as Chanel or Gucci.” There’s no doubt that his tenacious spirit will get him to that level. But now, his critical fashion sense has him stuck in the sequence isle of Moods. After two frustrating hours of fabric hunting Washington leaves with nothing but a few swatches that he is still on the fence about. Something tells me that these won’t make the cut either. “For me the fabric has to fit the brand and that’s a gut feeling,” he protest “It’s something I can’t explain.”

CLOTHING CREDITS: P. 2 BUTTON UP: BURBERRY // VEST: WASHINGTON ROBERTS // PANTS: WASHINGTON ROBERTSP. 4 JACKET: MEMBERS ONLY VINTAGE // SHIRT: HIS OWN // JEANS: WASHINGTON ROBERTS

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