HELLO BEAUTIFUL - MEET THE BLACK DESIGNER BEHIND THE KIMONOS LADY MAE WEARS ON ‘GREENLEAF’
https://hellobeautiful.com/3167307/meet-the-black-designer-behind-the-kimonos-lady-mae-wears-on-greenleaf/
Meet The Black Designer Behind The Kimonos Lady Mae Wears On ‘Greenleaf’
Brande Victorian
Posted July 15, 2020 
Source: OWN / Cedric Brown Collections
Everything Greenleaf’s Lady Mae does commands attention, but as of late, it’s the fabulous kimonos the character played by Lynn Whitfield has been wearing on the final season of the OWN drama that have caught our eye. And Cedric Brown is the Black designer behind them.“Prayers and dreams do come true,” the 29-year-old fashion designer told us via email. “Since high school, I dreamed about having my pieces on the big screens. “Growing up, I was a big fan of Giorgio Armani. In his biography, he wrote that he got his start making the suits on the hit movie American Gigolo so I knew that I wanted my work featured on the big screens too.”Brown has fellow Greenleaf star Lamman Rucker to thank for helping make that dream come true. The Atlanta native saw the actor at one of his trunk shows and decided to approach him with an offer. “I asked, ‘If you shout me out on social media, can I give you one of my pieces to wear?’ He responded, ‘If I’m going to let somebody pimp me, it might as well be my own people.’ We both smiled.”
Source: OWN / Cedric Brown Collections
Rucker told Brown he wanted to buy some pieces from him to give to the show’s costume designer Johnetta Boone so Brown sent her a direct message on social media and told her about the referral. “To my surprise, she responded and followed me back. A few weeks later, I met her and costume buyer Lisa Smedley. My persistence paid off.”
Boone requested all of the pocket squares from Cedric Brown Collections for Rucker’s character, Jacob Greenleaf, and she bought two kimono capes for Lady Mae. A few days later, she contacted Cedric and told him Whitfield loved his pieces and she commissioned yet another kimono for a special scene that needed to be completed in a month. It was Brown’s professors at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he received his B.F.A. in Fashion Design, who encouraged him to blend his background as a painter with his apparel. Wes Gordon, Carolina Herrera’s Creative Director, advised Brown to start with one item and he chose scarves. “My initial signature silk scarves attracted customers, gave me name recognition, and provided sustainable social media followers. Since my first $200 investment, the business has grown exponentially,” Brown shared.
Source: OWN / Cedric Brown Collections
Now, as a full-time designer, Brown designs dusters, socks, neckties, pocket squares, and face masks in addition to kimonos, and he’s even been asked by Whitfield to create special pieces to wear off set. “After completing the project for Johnetta Boone, a week later Lynn Whitfield requested my number and called me personally to get more designer pieces. I screamed on the phone when she called. I couldn’t believe it. As much of a fan as I was of her work, she said she was a fan of my designs as well. She told me to call her ‘Auntie Lynn.'”

Source: Peter Forest / Getty

Brown’s kimonos were a staple of “Auntie Lynn’s” Essence Fest wardrobe last summer and she also stunned at the United Negro College Fund gala in Atlanta in his design. Whitfield even commissioned an original painting from Brown which was made into postcards and giclee print on canvas that she gave to staff and cast of Greenleaf staff as an end of the season gift.

 
Source: OWN / Cedric Brown Collections
“This opportunity is very powerful to me. About 10 years ago, I attended the Allen Entrepreneurial Institute, and we made elevator pitches about our future. We stood on the steps with the owner of the mansion, Bill Allen. He told us that our dreams could come true. ‘Believe, Conceive, and Achieve’ was his belief. Ten years later on those same steps the show Greenleaf is filmed, you have the entire Greenleaf cast sitting in the mansion, with the leading, Emmy-award winning, actress wearing one of my kimonos. That was a real example of speaking things into existence.”

FEATURED ON PRESCRIPTIONS WITH DR. COURTNEY A. HAMMONDS PODCAST

 

EVERY SCARF HAS A STORY: A INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH CREATIVE ARCHITECT, CEDRIC BROWN PRESCRIPTIONS WITH DR. COURTNEY A. HAMMONDS PODCAST
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Listen on Apple Podcasts 

It has been said not all superheroes wear capes. These days, they wear scarves and kimonos. Like many people working in the industry, Cedric Brown always knew he wanted to go into fashion. From interning to senior designer of...

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/every-scarf-has-story-intimate-conversation-creative/id1523536461?i=1000488215597

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CONGRESSWOMAN JOYCE BEATTY WEARS A CBC FACE MASK LIVE ON THE NEWS

In June 2020, Congresswoman Joyce wore our accessories in several media outlets. You can see her on NBC4 news wearing our face mask live on air at the Columbus Urban League. Also, standing beside Martin Luther King III and family at George Floyd's memorial.101564635_3223167817747637_7097666862342733824_n.jpg

On NBC4, At the Columbus Urban League, Congresswoman addressed the audience wearing a CBC mask.

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ACTOR LAMMAN RUCKER SHOUTS OUT CBC

Actor Lamman Rucker shouted out CBC on his IG live. Please see the clip below. I'm honored to have him wear my pieces and to be considered his little bro. Mr. Rucker opened up doors for my brand. He helped get my designs placed in the hit show Greenleaf, which the new season will premiere this month. 

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In a discussion with Kevin Bracey, Lamman Rucker gives us a shout out. "They was sweatin" at the Tyler Perry Studios grand opening. See pics below. 

ALL HUSTLE NO FEAR RADIO SHOW SHOUTS OUT CBC

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Co-Host of the All Hustle No Fear Radio Show, Tucari Keeby shouts out Cedric Brown Collections on the Black Dolla Holla segmentweb20200119-gabay eden1840 copy.jpg

CBC SPEAKS AT CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FOUNDATION ALC19

CLICK THE VIDEO BELOW TO LISTEN TO THE FULL SPEECH

In September, I was invited to speak on a panel discussion at the the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference 2019. The discussion, “Money, Wealth, and Disparities; Diversity and Inclusion,”was led by Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, and it was moderated by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. After the speech, I left with a standing ovation. I gave my insight as a millenial and fashion designer. Check out the speech below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The next day, I received the 2019 Beacon of Light Scholarship, from the Fire and Focus Scholarship Fund. My business received the Huntington Empowerment. The ceremony was held at the Renaissance Hotel.

MGM FOUNDATION GIFTS CBC TO CLIENTS

At the 2019 Women's Leadership Conference Las Vegas, MGM Foundation treated clients to A Girls Night at the Bellagio hotel. The night was filled with elegant, stylish women and fine décor. The ladies were given an extravagant dinner, and their special guest was myself, designer Cedric Brown. At the event, the ladies got to choose between a silk scarf or kimono, which MGM gifted them. I gave out tutorials and style tips at my top notch art booth, with a customized carved display with LED lights. As a special guest, I felt like a superstar with a limo for me and my entourage. Check out the magical clip below. Special thanks to Ms. Junior and the MGM family for bringing me out.received_440094616586664.jpeg“I NEED ME A DRIVER TO DRIVE ME AROUND I’M HIGH MANEUVER.”

“I NEED ME A DRIVER TO DRIVE ME AROUND I’M HIGH MANEUVER.”\67824367_498001297628013_8921720429068943360_n.jpg

6TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT AME CHURCH WOMEN'S MISSIONARY SOCIETY COMMISSIONS CBC

6TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT AME CHURCH WOMEN'S MISSIONARY SOCIETY STYLES IN CBC AT THE QUADRENNIAL CONFERENCE IN COLUMBUS, OHIO. I WAS COMMISSIONED TO MAKE CUSTOM SCARVES AND KIMONOS FOR THE GROUP.68720488_2185400605084417_181939779640754176_n.jpg68960130_2185400305084447_4364776985759580160_n.jpg

ACTRESS LYNN WHITFIELD WEARS A CBC KIMONO TO THE 2019 ESSENCE FESTIVAL

Actress Lynn Whitfield @mslynnwhitfield attends The Summer of @owntv Essence Cocktail Party in a @cedricbrowncollections kimono.66284783_10156647069779403_427318223403220992_n.jpg66313645_10156647069729403_4693746750211489792_n.jpggettyimages-1160530313-1024x1024.jpg