KERBY JEAN-RAYMOND

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.

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.

Music has always been my first love, and I appreciate how a great musician can bring awareness to tough issues through their work.

My dad used to give me old electrical equipment that didn't work anymore, and I'd put things together. I think that's why I like to mix things that don't belong.

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 don't think the narrative I was stuck in - the 'black' designer category - was going to go away anytime soon.

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.

Our first fiscal year, we were profitable.

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.

We're always ready for a pick-up game. I walk through the park on the way home every day and just think to myself, 'I'll take on any of these kids.'

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

In September of 2015, I did the unthinkable: I used my second-ever runway show to bring awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do professionally. It was lonely.

I came back from Standing Rock, and one of the things that struck me was their respect for elders. It was something that I felt like I needed to work on in my life.

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

All it took was one conversation to know that Reebok was the right home for our team.

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

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

We need to think forward and keep making America greater. Not that old America, again.

I grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. At the time I was growing up with my father - before it was gentrified - it was a very rough neighborhood. He felt that if I got into or started embracing the rap culture, I would be one step closer to being on the streets.

All my collections are based on something I like or something I'm dealing with. They are always deeply personal.

The world absolutely needs your voice.

The work of black creatives seems to always get undermined in one way or another, and that's what this new generation is actively changing by speaking up. We aren't accepting group categorization and group classifications to describe our work anymore - it just leads to group dismissal.

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.

We don't need to go back in time and make America great again, because really, America was only great for certain people.

I've always felt like an outcast. My aesthetic is very high-end, but I still get classified as streetwear. There's really no other reason for than other than my age, the way I look, and where I'm from.