Fashion competitions have always been entertaining from the outside looking in but imagine being a designer who has the opportunity to win $200,000 and the chance to take your brand to new heights, sharing your designs with the entire world. Designer Desyrée Nicole, is next up. Nicole, a Detroit native, didn’t always want to be a designer; in fact, fashion was the furthest thing on her mind. She tells ESSENCE, “It was business or ball for me.”
Nicole was en route to being the next WNBA star, but once her contract fell threw, she knew she had to pivot, and fashion fell into her hands, easily becoming her new passion. “I wanted to be like Swin Cash, Diana Taurasi, or Oprah…Fashion was a second thought after I moved to NY, and was inspired for sure. I’ve always been into sneakers, but fashion was a different game. I think this shows that it’s never too late to start something new.”
The designer’s design codes are all about staying true to her aesthetic while simultaneously trying to be innovative. She started the in-demand menswear label Todd Patrick in 2016, named after her brother (she thought he had a great name and seeing it everywhere would “be cool”). If there’s something that basketball taught the designer, it’s that you have to take challenges head-on. “Everything was new to me. I didn’t attend fashion school, and I had just moved to New York to wait to play basketball in Italy. So, the entire process of navigating a new city and simultaneously finding a new passion was exciting but all new to me.” As you can see, that leap of faith paid off. Even with being a woman in menswear (alongside contemporaries like Wales Bonner, Martine Rose, and Bianca Saunders, etc.), she has no desire to prove herself to the “boy’s club” or anyone but herself. “When you think about the “boys” they all design womenswear, so there isn’t really a boys club.”
Nicole found an email from Netflix about the show while traveling announcing she was selected to compete. While filming, the process taught her that she can literally do anything she sets her mind to. “The mind and self-belief are powerful tools. It starts with us…I think as humans, we have to know we can do anything,” says Nicole. She’s excited for the world to see her beyond her usual behind-the-scenes positioning. Initially, Nicole wanted to remain anonymous with her brand and only just recently revealed herself as the designer last year. “I like people to digest the art on their own, not because I creatively direct it, although that’s a big part of it. People fall in love with you as a person and, in turn, support your work. I’m learning that.”
All the designer wants coming out of the show is to continue to share her art while also giving back to her community in Detroit. She tells ESSENCE, “I’d love to fashion, sports, and financial literacy into programs for kids that don’t have access to that. It’s coming soon, so be on the lookout.”
Netflix’s Next In Fashion second season includes judges Jason Bolden and Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, both prominent voices in the fashion industry who have paved their own paths as respected stylists and fashion editors. This season, designers will be guided by the judges to hopefully reach their highest potential in winning the prize. Other designers competing in the show include Amari Carter, Bao Tranchi, Courtney Smith, Deontré Hancock, Nigel Xavier, Qaysean Williams, etc. All these up-and-coming designers will be exposed to the world and immense growth.
Keep an eye out for Desyrée on the second season of Next In Fashion — now available for streaming on Netflix.