The Artistry of the Fashion Designer Extraordinaire
In the fashion industry, where trends come and go like fleeting dreams, there are those remarkable individuals who forge a legacy through their exceptional artistic expressions. Fashion designer Hope Wade belongs to this influential group of visionary designers.
There’s just something special about Hope—her vivacious personality, amazing sense of self, extraordinary creativity, unconventional glamor, and the unyielding passion she exhibits towards her craft. Hope is captivating the fashion world with her imagination and redefining the very essence of style. The key to her brand’s originality and success is her ability to dream.
VBD Magazine was happy to pin down the business-savvy designer to discuss the realities of running a fashion brand, building a label, designing for well-known individuals, and her outstanding leadership in the Rockland community. Enter the captivating world of Hope Wade Designs, where each piece of fabric transforms into a harmonious blend of vibrant hues, exquisite shapes, and evocative sentiments.
EARLY LIFE
A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Hope is the fourth of five children for her parents. During her childhood in Jamaica, she attended Vaz Preparatory School and the Convent of Mercy Academy (Alpha). In 1982, Hope migrated to the United States where she studied art and advertising design at New York City Technical College. Following that, she received a full scholarship to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design and photography at the Cooper Union College in New York.
Hope has demonstrated outstanding leadership and excelled in various creative disciplines, including fashion design, graphic design, poetry, and acting. She has received numerous awards for her artistic endeavors and community involvement. In June 2023, Hope received the Woman of Achievement Award from Rockland Business Women’s Network. In May 2021, she received the first Woman of Distinction Award from the New York State Assembly, recognizing her exceptional leadership in Rockland County, where she presently lives and runs her business.
GETTING STARTED
“I’m a self-taught designer,” says Hope, “but thanks to my graphic designer education and skills, I can sketch anything professionally for my clients. Panic sets in because I have to translate what I sketched in a timely manner but that’s where I lean on the Holy Spirit to guide me.”
Though she was not formally trained in fashion design, Hope has always been around fashion. Her father, then a superintendent of police, Eustace “Gussie” Blake, had won many contests during the annual celebration of Jamaica’s independence. Her mother, the late Mavis Blake, traveled in the summer and brought back summer clothes for Hope and her siblings so they were always decked out.
“I would say fashion came for me. After I finished college, I was recruited for a job in Brooklyn. After a year, the company I was working for sent me to manage a trade show in Chicago. I was very successful so when I returned, the president told my boss that he wanted me to be trained to take up another position. About three months later, I was doing very well, or so I thought, but my boss called me to his office and said, ‘they’re grooming you for my job.’ In the end, he fired me. At that time, I was around 24 years old. I knew what he did was wrong, but I felt like I was up against Goliath.”
Read more about Hope Wade: Subscribe to VBD Magazine's July 2023 Issue (Free)
Click & Visit:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopewadedesigns
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hopewadedesign1
Photo Credits:
Soulful Entertainment
Archives of the White House
Wayne Winston
Comments