Bonus Episode: KMoney the Poet on Style, Storytelling & Representation

Emily Lane  00:09

Welcome to Clothing Coulture, a fashion industry podcast at the intersection of technology and innovation. I'm Emily Lane.

Bret Schnitker  00:16

and I'm Bret Schnitker. We speak with experts and disruptors who are moving the industry forward and discuss solutions to real industry challenges.

Emily Lane  00:24

Clothing Coulture is produced by Stars Design Group, a global design and production house with more than 30 years of experience.

Emily Lane  00:34

Welcome back to another episode of Clothing Coulture. Today, we have a special feature for you. In February, Bret and I had the opportunity to attend a wonderful event hosted at Neiman Marcus, celebrating Black History Month, showcasing the incredible talent within the St Louis community, from a design perspective, in thosethat are a part of the ecosystem. When we were there, we got to witness a very powerful moment when Kristen, our guest today, Kristen Harris, also known as KMoney, the poet, stood up and and spoke, doing one of her wonderful poetries, is that the right way to say that, spoken word.

Kristen Harris  01:21

Yes,

Emily Lane  01:22

Your art, expressing your art, we were blown away, and we knew that we had to bring her on the podcast to showcase this talent. Kristen, you have done a lot in your career. You've had some incredible collaborations with St Louis Cardinals at Bucha stadium, been featured, of course, at Neiman Marcus, St Louis Art Museum. You've got accolades out the wazoo from 2022 Best Top Poet in St Louis. 2023 Black Girls Who Rock Honorary I mean, my goodness, I, I am just so impressed withthe breath of your skills and thank you for being here today.

Kristen Harris  02:03

Thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to be here.

Emily Lane  02:06

Yeah, we are- I'm like fan girling right now. So I want to learn a little bit about your process as an artist. How do you how do you what what happens when you get that moment of inspiration.

Kristen Harris  02:21

So it just depends. Inspiration for me can kind of be derived from anything, so to speak. So with my brand, of course, I free write and do different types of poems and exercises that are near and dear to my heart, but I also specialize in custom poetry. So the poem that I created for your Yoro Styles for the Neiman Marcus event was specifically about highlighting fashion and also highlighting a few notable black figures who you know, helped pave the way in the fashion industry for that particular event. But honestly, anything can create that inspiration. I could be watching a TV show like I don't know if you've ever watched Grey's Anatomy,

Emily Lane  03:01

oh gosh,

Kristen Harris  03:02

but yeah, like her mom, Ellis, has Dementia, or had Dementia in the show. So that one day triggered me to research more about, you know, people who have Dementia, and write a poem about Dementia. Because once I you know, something is triggered in me to write a poem. I want to learn more about it. I want to become an expert in that area. So to speak, I graduated from a Mizzou with a broadcast journalism degree. So back then, we were always taught to, you know, try and become experts in different areas. So I think all of it just kind of works well together at this point.

Emily Lane  03:32

Do you ever struggle with writer's block?

Kristen Harris  03:34

Yeah,

Emily Lane  03:35

How do you overcome that?

Kristen Harris  03:37

It's like when you're creative, sometimes the best poems come to you like you could be taking a shower or driving, and the best poem will come to you while you can't write it down. And then when you try to intentionally do it, it just won't happen. But sometimes listening to other poets, and then sometimes just taking little notes, like, even if I'll go to a spoken word event, or sometimes it could be, you know, any event, sitting here talking to you all now I want to write more fashion pieces, because-

Bret Schnitker  04:03

I was just going to mention, how about Stars Design Group?

Kristen Harris  04:09

So it can come from anything but those sort of challenges, so to speak, even when I get a request for a custom piece, that's a challenge for me. So that helps cure my writer's block.

Emily Lane  04:18

Yeah I can imagine, I know you've got a question on the horizon, but I'm just thinking, you know, as an artist, your your inspiration comes from specific areas that you're naturally drawn to. So when somebody's saying, hey, I need you to be creative on this topic, that could be a bit of a hurdle,

Bret Schnitker  04:36

window tinting and roofing, right?

Kristen Harris  04:39

It would but

Bret Schnitker  04:41

Oh you've done one?

Kristen Harris  04:42

I haven't it. But the challenge would fascinate me so much that I would figure it out, so to speak. Because again, I feel like that training from when I was in college, you have to become like an expert in a couple of hours on anything, forming, politics, education, whatever it is. So.

Bret Schnitker  05:00

All of those things are probably pretty tame today, politics and things nothing really exciting there.

Kristen Harris  05:07

That's why I'm out of that particular business. That's why I'm out of that particular business. I like the creative realm more. Also. I am a part of a poetry team called Hustle City. So there are like five of us, and we all challenge each other and push each other to be the best writers and poets possible as well.

Bret Schnitker  05:24

I kind of got the sense that you liked fashion. When we were at Neiman Marcus, there was this subtle hint when you were wearing that decked out outfit, and like you have today, what are you know, does fashion inspire you in poetry on a on a daily basis or on a regular basis.

Kristen Harris  05:40

Fashion definitely does inspire me. So huge shout out to Shamaica Chanel, that's who I was wearing at the Neiman Marcus event, and she was one of the featured designers, so she had an outfit that was displayed right as soon as you entered the store. So I was kind of like serving as a live model for her that day. But yes, I love fashion. I'm kind of like a mid sized girly so I also model, and a large part of my brand is like being a voice for the voiceless and representation. So just showing curvier girls, you know, that we can still be cute and put on nice and bold outfits too tastefully.

Bret Schnitker  06:17

Well I think it was also too that, you know, you talk about serving those that are nameless or those that need more notoriety, you know, the fashion community here and everywhere else, they struggle with getting, you know, visibility. And boy, you shouted out some visibility that night. And I think that's awesome that you're supporting the design community in St Louis.

Kristen Harris  06:38

Thank you. Yes, of course, I do what I can being a part of, like, the modeling and poetry sector. I also have, like an annual art event, so I have my hands in a lot of different creative aspects of St Louis. So yeah, I definitely try to support and shout out those I can when I can

Bret Schnitker  06:55

literally shout out,

Kristen Harris  06:56

literally shout out,

Emily Lane  06:58

yeah, well, we get a chance to hear you perform right now, don't we? Yay. We're gonna just reset for a second because we want to give you the entire floor. You deserve it.

Kristen Harris  07:12

Okay, thank you so much. Okay,

Kristen Harris  07:16

Thank you. I'll be practicing before I leave out, I can conjure the compliments catatonically. I can Prelude the people who will probably be stopping me clocking me just to say, girl, you look good. Where'd you get that outfit from? I'm still a little bashful and humble. Anxiety goes a little dumb, even though I can already predict it, and a lot of y'all are in here dressed to the nine. So I know that you get it. Compliments, be complimentary, complimented by the colors and complexities of these clothes. Clothes minded people don't understand that this confidence be bold, and it takes a real revolutionary to evolve style into revolution. But fashion has evolved throughout the years, like evolution, I mean, like the Harlem Renaissance and Sunday's best street wear zoot suits, forbid you forget the flap address. I mean highlighting him heroes and fashion icons. Do you know your facts about the blacks that created that culture that shines on that culture that you currently have on like Dapper Dan Tracy, Reese, Kirby and Ann Lowe to win, Patrick Kelly and Virgil Abloh, from the first the pioneers, the descendants Afro look how planting the seed grooms a garden to grow. From the top of our hands to the souls, and our souls talking turbans, that's urban head wraps and teeth, goes to our toes. We tell stories with our sneakers, not just sports safely, serving up looks, but no ball off the court. They talk about the key to the streets, well, they play it safe, but I've already cracked the code, and I put on whatever I want, unique style, separately sold like a globe. I'll be centered on an access with access might just be an accessory from an ancest. Accent colors make it all pop and stylish. Songs make the world stop and stale, like truth or dare, but I dare you to expand your palate. I want you to lay it all out like it's a clothesline, because a clothes mine can grasp a gold mine so cold with it, you might just be a coal mine. Ironically enough, that would mean that you the hottest that when heat was applied, you ain't being melting. All you remain solid. Fashion is timeless, serves its future, present, past, cast down throughout the year the weather it forecasts and the clouds. Be feeling free. Be feeling fly. This outlook on life bears no limits from the sky. It's a personality. It be attacking me, my cards, my cash, my credit, asking me, girl, why are you still shopping? Because fashion is my love language, self care. I stay copping, popping tags. I can't quit a strong relationship with tags, because I've always been it drifting style and finesse. I express through these threads. They serve as my favorite form of expression. And I Clowns with my clothes. I really put some shows. You know how really be expressing. Anticipation every time I step outside, I slide even. If it's just to go to the store, I walk out the room and they still admire in the fit. Have them yelling encore. And although I fill you with these words as your soul food, like these poems do in your core, fits manage to still make you miss me, starving, hungry for more like you fasting, but we be fashion. Look at how we shine. Sugar, honey, iced tea, but It intoxicates like wine, so thank you. Today's outfit came from Kmoney's closet. Let me show it. And these nouns, verbs and words you heard came from Kmoney, the poet. Thank you all.

Emily Lane  10:38

Well, that was amazing. Thank you so much for sharing.

Bret Schnitker  10:42

I'm never speechless, and I'm speechless. Used all you've used all the words that I could ever express about fashion in such a succinct way. I mean, I don't know, so inspirational.

Emily Lane  10:54

You cut. You covered so many themes when you're sitting down to write a piece like this. How do you know, like, I you know you want to talk about all of the black lives that contributed to this industry and the making of your clothes, to the power of self expression, and even I love, you know, shopping from your own, your own closet, like, that's, that's a sustainable message right there. How do you pick all the themes that you want to incorporate into your message.

Kristen Harris  11:22

So it just kind of depends what the event is. When euro was explaining it to me, that was an event that was kind of the first of its kind. I knew there would be different people there from different walks of life. I wanted to touch on the creativity of it all. It still was an event that was during Black History Month. So I wanted to, you know, provide some historical context and put a little bit of research and a few facts in there. I also wanted to put a little bit of humor in there about, you know, why-

Bret Schnitker  11:49

your credit cards? I laugh every time you say that.

Kristen Harris  11:52

So you know, just trying to cover all the bases. So to speak, for me, I feel like that's what a good poem is. It either teaches you something or it makes you feel something and it's memorable after the fact.

Bret Schnitker  12:03

Shout out to Yoro too, because that was an amazing event. She's an amazing person.

Kristen Harris  12:07

She is.

Emily Lane  12:08

So do you perform regularly?

Kristen Harris  12:10

I do. So I am a spoken word artist full time. That is my main thing that I do. I have a open mic regularly. That's every third Tuesday of the month, but I also do severalfeatures. So for the month of March, I'll be featuring at St Louis Artworks. I'll be featuring on a show at the city winery. What else am I doing in March? I'm doing a few things, so I'm gonna feel bad if I leave something out.

Bret Schnitker  12:36

Well, we'll make sure. We'll cover it. Okay.

Emily Lane  12:40

In fact, where can people find you?

Kristen Harris  12:42

So thekristenelizabeth.com has everything. Honestly, I worked really hard on my media package and things like that. So even if you just Google Kmoney, the poet, you'll be able to find upcoming events, past performances, booking information, all the things that's

Emily Lane  12:59

That's wonderful. Well, thank you for sharing your talent with us. Once again, it was such a delight, and we'll make sure that everybody out there has access to the information on how to find Kmoney, the poet. Thank you for joining us today for this special edition episode. Don't forget to subscribe to stay apprised of upcoming episodes.

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