DAWNN KAREN
Name: Dr. Dawnn Karen
Age you feel: Biologically I feel 22 years old and most of my uber or Lyft drivers make this assumption. Lol.
Where did you grow up: I grew up in inner-city Cleveland, Ohio on the East Side in the Lee-Harvard area.
In your book, Dress Your Best Life, you speak about how you were sexually assaulted by your fiancé and dressed the next day in one of your best outfits. Can you talk to us about how you turned the pain of abuse into looks?
I essentially was striving to alleviate the pain I felt mentally and physically. I attempted to speak to counselors, but it did not feel natural due to my culture. As a bicultural person growing up within the African-American and Jamaican cultures when facing trauma talking or airing out your dirty laundry was not deemed acceptable. I did what I knew best, which was to dress up which I would later coin as mood-enhancement dress theory.
Photo Credit: @kattheswagger
Throughout your career which one of your clients left a marking impression and why?
My client who was a judge left an indelible impression on me. As an African-American man in such a high powered position, he is certainly self-assured and capable. Nonetheless, when he takes off his robes to head home, his authoritative air evaporates and he feels uncomfortably vulnerable. This is simply because he may be mistaken as a thug and find himself on the other side of the bench.
You discuss the repercussions of repeating outfits in the professional context for women, specifically those women that are minorities and how it can be met with unspoken bias and can inevitably damage her career. What are some tips for those trying to remain comfortable and balance remaining professional?
Acknowledging the privilege in the ability to repeat outfits in the professional context must be at the forefront. Regardless, of what the newly updated dress code handbook says, the unspoken bias that people project on minorities is oftentimes if at all not updated simultaneously. I would advise minority women to implement pieces of themselves into the wardrobe at the onset of the interview process. This is to debunk one of the notions that to be ethnic is to not be equipped.
Given COVID some of us have probably been wearing our sweats and pj’s more often than we would like to admit. What are your favorite brands that offer WFH pieces that won't have you looking like a slob?
I will not mention any of my favorite WFH brands as I am working on an endorsement deal for a few of my favorite WFH brands. I would suggest people curate their WFH attire to quail their anxiety. This could be wearing comfy clothing or sparkly clothing. I would give everyone permission to wear whatever makes them feel their best. After all, there is no dress code in your home. Lol.
What colors or textiles would you say work best on women trying to show off their melanin?
Bold colors and prints are perfect for melanated people to keep that melanin poppin’!
Photo Credit: @glamleeann
Can you tell us the three main things you want your readers to take away from your book Dress Your Best Life?
I would like readers to be more intentional in what clothing and colors they place on their bodies, determine if they are dressing for themselves or someone else and that what you wear has a deeper effect on your psyche and not just how others perceive you.
What advice would you give those minorities working on wearing what they love without having to consider all the seconds sets of considerations related to their appearances while moving through public spaces?
I would say to try to incorporate aspects of themselves within their clothing choices to remain true to their core. I believe it is best to put yourself first especially with the state of the world we are living in (global pandemic and global revolution) and allow the rest of the world to catch up.
For those who haven’t bought their copy yet, can you talk to them about the differences between Mood Illustration and Mood Enhancement?
Mood Illustration dress is when one dresses to perpetuate their mood. Think sweats. Mood Enhancement dress is when one dresses to optimize their mood. Think dresses.
You emphasize working with what you already have in your closet vs. falling into the trap of neuromarketing. In other words, how can we spice up what we already have in our closets instead of relying on buying based on manipulations from the market?
Style. Slay. Repeat. You can style them by remixing and layering pieces that you would not normally wear together.
One of your chapters expresses the following real people where we populate our feeds with women that look like us. What are your favorite Black stylist accounts and designers that we should be following?
Here are some woke brands that are some of my favs Slow Factory, Girlfriend Collective, DL1961, Everlane, Kindred Black, and Loud Brand Studios. For indie designers Knots and Vibes, Matt Brand, and Destiney Bleu. As for stylists, the list goes can go on, but to start Kollin Carter, Wayman and Micah, Jason Bolden, Zerina Akers, June Ambrose, Luxury Law, and Shionat.
Recently Netflix premiered a doc called The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion that explores the profiles of Black visionaries in fashion that turned Hip Hop into a global phenomenon. What’s your opinion on reclaiming certain fashion trends from Black designers/stylists appropriated by luxury fashion houses?
I will just leave you with this, “you must give thanks to the root before you pluck its fruit”.
Dawwn Karen
Read more about Dawnn’s book : DRESS YOUR BEST LIFE.
