I wanna be like you... walk like you...Talk like you...

ROLE MODELS

Role models are so important! We want people that we can look up to, to emulate how they live their lives. To be interested in all the things they are interested in. A role model can be anyone, it can be your mother, your father, sister, brother or cousin. Literally anyone.

In our generation, we tend to use celebrities/sportsmen as our role models. People who are in the public eye and are famous and have so much power! Our younger generation follow everything they do. From the way they dress to the everyday products that they use.

I think it is so important for children to have role models and especially boys. Young boys need guidance. They need to be steered in the right direction in order for them to become strong, intelligent young men and adults. There are too many boys who do not have a role model or someone who they want to emulate and they have no dreams or ambitions! This is so sad.

To have dreams and ambitions, to love and want to become something is the reason we are born. 

For most boys football is a huge part of their lives! Football is one of the most popular sports in this country and every mother or father who is a football fan wants his son to become a footballer! It is just inevitable! They buy them a little miniature football kit of their favourite club. Play football with them in the park. Enrol them into football camps/clubs when they turn a certain age. Footballers are now seen as Icons, even some as Gods!

Football players such as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba are truly loved! These players are so popular and will be known as legends.

A player like David Beckham who has been playing for so many years and has become an Icon through his other business ventures as well as being known as one of the best players England has ever produced. Even though he no longer lives in the UK, the fans still love him and support him in everything he does! He is one of the biggest role models as not only is he a great footballer and business man but he is also a devoted father and husband with a wonderful family.  

 Another example of a great role model is footballer Didier Drogba. The Chelsea Striker has overcome leaps and bounds in order to become the great player he is today. He also has been playing football for many years and is a great business man. With businesses in Fashion (Jadastyles.com) and endorsements for companies such as Pepsi, this wonderful, strong and gifted footballer really does show that hard work and dedication pays well! Showing that he has talent both on and off the pitch!

I also believe he is an amazing role model because he gives back to his home town, Abidjan, an amazing gesture of humility and never forgetting where he came from. He is a grounded man who is such an inspiration to young boys

.A family man who continues to be one of the most loved players in England!

We need more role models for young boys like David and Didier! Our boys need to know that nothing is just given to you..... you need to work hard for it! And when you work hard, you can then reap all the benefits and live the life you want to live. Have the things you want to have and never waste an opportunity to showcase your talent.

And just as King Louie sang to Mowgli in the Jungle Book, 'I wanna be like you', this is how our young generation of today feel about their sporting icons and so they rightly should!!

Life as I know it....................

This little bundle of joy and happiness is the reason why I do anything in life these days. I remember when this beautiful little boy entered my world. I NEVER thought I could love anyone so much. My sister was right, it is a different kind of life, unconditional and it hits you as soon as you see your baby! 'BAMM'! Just like that!
Elijah made me view things so differently! Clubbing, going out for dinner, dating, working,  socialising with friends, just did not seem that important any more. All that mattered was the safety and well being of my son. All I wanted to do was make sure he was happy, loved and grew up to be a good human being!

Now, nearly three years later, my desire to protect my greatest achievement has never been stronger.

My life has changed drastically since becoming a mother. I use to be a little social bee. I would be at every event I was invited to. I wanted to be seen and have careless fun. Life was one big party really. I absolutely loved it!
But these things no longer interest me. Now, when I am invited to any event or night out, I have to really think about it before I can R.S.V.P as there is a lot of  planning involved. I have to think about finding a babysitter first and foremost. Then, whether I can afford to go out? Before I even start thinking about what I am going to wear and how am I going to get to the venue.
I know, as a parent, you can relate to some of what I am saying. I think it is worse when you are a single parent and you do not have much family.

Parenting is the hardest job in the world! FACT!! Single parenting is even harder! You have to be both mum and dad. You have to deal with providing for your child by yourself. The things you want/need have to be put on the back burner or completely removed from the equation. You have to constantly multi-task.
You do all this because you love your baby!


 I always feel like I have to be sorry because his father denied him. And for a long time, a very long time, I was hurt and cried about it. However, I am believer that everything happens for a reason and that God only gives me trying times to test my strength.
With everything I have been through in my life, I think my strength is amazing! (Don't mind if a toot my own horn) Life is nothing if you have no one to share it with. No one to live it for!
Nobody ever said being a parent was easy and every day I push my patience threshold further and further.

Elijah is the reason that I can smile again and I wouldn't want to live my life without him. He makes me laugh with things he says or when he does his pretend break dancer moves! He really is a hyperactive child and you do need energy to keep up with him! It is so true, they really do grow up so fast. I wish I could have enjoyed him more when he was a baby. But I wanted him to grow up so I could see him walk and talk........
I do think about what he will be like when he is a teenager. I hope we are still as close as we are now.

Elijah has given me the great idea for my business and when he is older, I want him to know that my clothing line is what I did for him to say thank you for being my son.

I want him to be proud of me.

Proud that his mother was able to take him out from living in the rough roads of North London, move to a beautiful home. To manage to get off living on benefits and become a someone who can hold her head up high. Became a successful business owner against all odds and overcoming all the bad times of her past! To be able to say 'Look what you've done! I am so proud of you'!

To be able to give him the life I never had, would be my biggest legacy!

'Mindless Behaviour' with fabric

I am not sure how many of you have heard of the boy group called 'Mindless Behaviour' ( more likely to know them if you also have a daughter over the age of 9 who is obsessed with dancing)

The American teen quartet named, Prodigy, Roc Royal, Ray Ray and Princeton are very talented young men who fuse R'n'B hooks, pop hooks and hip hop swag. An absolute teen phenomenon who were manufactured but have shown they are immensely talented with their sold out tours, selling worldwide singles and albums! This band is extremely confident, it completely oozes from them and it is extremely infectious. I think this is why they have so many followers.

Their motto as quoted by Ray Ray is, , "Anybody can be mindless. It doesn't matter if you're two-years-old or eighty-two-years-old. Be yourself. Love who you are and love what you do, no matter what it is. That makes you mindless."

So why am I talking about a boy band and what do they have to do with fabric I hear you ask? Well, let me tell you..........

Mindless Behaviour have an amazing sense of personal and group style. They wear bright, bold colours and their footwear always compliments their jackets or tops. I really love the way they use different colours that boys usually wouldn't wear and make them look really cool. This type of 'Swag' is very rarely seen in such young boys. Obviously, I know these boys have a stylist or two but music artists these days are very much involved in all aspects of their careers and have a say in what they wear. The fact that this group have their styling so on point is so refreshing to see. I like the way they dress so clean but also cutting edge and they have the confidence to carry it off! 

I am actually a little bit obsessed with their styling but in a healthy way, I promise you! They are young, fresh and dynamic and this is the type of  look that I want to bring to my clothing line. I want it to be cool, cute and colourful.

I want young boys to be confident about the way they look and love their clothes. So many children these days are worried about how they look and fitting in with the 'popular' kids. Not fitting in with the 'in' crowd can effect a child's confidence. 

I want to use my clothing to encourage boys to have confidence from a young age and to carry that through to their teens. For them to exude their confidence in the correct way and to follow their dreams and aspirations. It is the key to living the life they have always dreamed of!

In my bid to have the same kind of visual property, I decided to go and look for fabrics I could use for clothing items. I thought I would start with Markets and took a trip to Shepherds Bush after recommendations from a dear friend and my cousin. So with my little man in tow, off we went on our journey to see what we could find.

On arrival, I found so many different fabric stores and stalls. All with beautiful vibrant cotton colours. Silks, interlock jersey, crushed velvet, denim, fleece, satin, viscose and so much more. There was a beautiful array of colours and textures.  Then of course there were the trimmings, zippers, buttons and threads! I was overwhelmed with all the choice but I did manage to pick a few fabrics that I liked and noted the names, prices and the store I had seen them in. I felt it was a really productive day and I learnt so much about different fabrics. At the end of the day, I want my tops/t-shirts/sweat shirts/Hoodies to be durable and trousers/chinos/jeans to be hard wearing because we all know boys love to play and are rough players. Their clothing needs to be washable and long lasting(well, at least until the grow out of it)

I found some wonderful fabrics on the internet as well. Unique fabrics that will really accentuate my designs. It is time  for me to make some decisions on what colours will be featured in the clothing line. 

I will try my best to not have too much blue, black, grey and brown! It seems to be the stereotypical colours that young boys wear. No more stereotypes and being programmed to look a certain way.

It is now time to express yourself and for your boys to do so also!

Life is for living and it is time for some Mindless Behaviour!

Become an Entrepreneur with the Princes Trust

The Princes Trust is an amazing organisation that helps young people to better their lives whether it be by learning new skills, job searching skills or starting your own business.
Turning your idea into real life....... Dreams are no longer just dreams. They can now be a reality! 

Once I had realised that I would need guidance and assistance with my idea to start a clothing line for boys, I turned to the Princes Trust. They have Mentors in different professions that can help you every step of the journey and if you feel you need financial assistance, you can apply for a loan with them for up to £4,000!! Of course they wont just give it to you. There are four stages you need to go through before you present your business to a Launch Group. A 'Dragons Den' type scenario(But not as harsh as you are allowed to take notes into the room with you)
You have to show that your business is viable otherwise what's the point right?!

I am currently on the Enterprise Programme which means I have gone through the basics of what is needed to start a business. I was able to complete a 4 day programme with the Princes Trust which enabled me to learn vital skills and information and to decide whether running my own business was something I really want to do.

I decided after the course had been completed that having my own clothing line was definitely something I wanted more than anything in my whole life!

The Princes Trust helped me realise this and I would never have realised what I need to do in order to fulfill my dream without the help of wonderful people such as Heidi, Joan, Robert, Jarred, Tony, Jeannie, Brian and all the great people who participated in the course with me.

I am still going through the programme and I would like to reach the next stage, which is to Test Trade- 'The will it work' scheme which lets me sell my products to customers or organise a focus group to show my potential customers. A grant is offered for this stage to help you organise the people and the product. This is another way of showing your market research is extensive.

I am hoping to reach this stage by the end of the month to then start completing my costing, profit margins and forecasts. Sounds so interesting I know! But it is what I need to do in order to become the Entrepreneur I want to be.

I think if you are a young person who is a little unsure about what you want to do with your life or you are trying to find a job or you have a great business idea but are not sure how to go about it, then you should definitely contact the Princes Trust to find out how they can help you in your area. Trust me, they will help you change your life!

Life is really what you make it and you can make it amazing if you believe in yourself!

Every shop has the same look!!

So, Im on a mission to change the way boys clothing is perceived to be, and I quote from Keynotes Children's wear 2011 'less dependant on fashion than girls'! I think as well as making clothes comfortable. durable and affordable. Clothing for boys should also be colourful, have plenty of variety and  be fashionable! Why cant boys be just as fashion conscious as girls are? Are they not meant to look good as well??
It became more apparent to me that boys clothing was lacking in variety when I took a trip to Westfields last winter. I was ready to do a great big seasonal shop. I knew exactly what I wanted to buy. I felt positive that I would be leaving Westfields in a few hours with both hands full of shopping bags, my pram over flowing with my purchases for my son and a huge smile on my face. However, two hours had passed and all I had was a one lonely top I had purchased from Zara. I had been in to Gap, H&M, Primark, Next and River Island. Every shop I went into had the same look and I was not loving the look!! I like to dress my son well. He has to look cute but fashionable! It is a must for me! He never looks rough and is always colour coordinated! This is how he rolls. I felt that all the shops had the same kind of set up. A very small section for boys with limited variety of colours and styles and the rest of the shop floor is for the girls with a huge range of different colours, leggings, jackets, tops, skirts and so on! It is amazing how going into these kid of shops can make you want to have a girl, just so you can shop til you drop for them!!
So this is when I decided to design my own boys clothes!! An idea that came through frustration.
I believe boys clothing is just as important and I will be setting my own trends and changing the way little boys dress. I know that I can make a difference and I intend to make this difference with my clothing line! Watch this space parents and follow me on my journey.