B.Ruiz
Growing up in Brooklyn, I was strongly influenced by my surrounding culture, where looks meant plenty to
the residents of these areas. You were easily judged by friends and fellow classmates, whether it was
making fun of your ‘high water’ pants or your ‘beat kicks’. Not that I actually cared to adjust my looks
according to others, but this opened my mind to the ability of self expression through one’s outfit. I began
to consciously buy Jordan and Nike as early as 5th grade, where I would ask for a pair every birthday and
save up money to buy more pairs. While a few of my fellow Brooklynite classmates might own a new pair
every month along with $200 outfits but be too broke to afford a slice of pizza after school
(seriously, I had to ‘spot’ them a dollar on a weekly basis), I learned how to balance my finances so that
I could indulge in food, a movie, or sneakers. You won’t find me dressing fresh to school often, my
daily outfit is not a priority to me even though I own well over 70 pairs of sneakers worthy of a fresh outfit.
Now you can catch me in contemporary fashion and streetwear magazines (as pictured above) waiting for a
new ‘drop’ at a boutique or a concept store almost every week whether it’s in locally in Manhattan or in
another city like Boston.
It was difficult for my mother to let me go out on these trips, sometimes without a friend or my brother, but
she has reached a point where she understands that it’s better than using my time and energy on drugs or
other nonsense. I did give her several mini-heart attacks when I surprised her with my high school graduation
outfit, which was composed of gold sneakers (threw on a navy pair on my right foot at last minute, oops!),
a french terry t-shirt and sweatpants, and a custom-stitching to my gown (I wasn’t going to customize my cap
like everyone else). I pushed the boundaries on her traditional-mentality, she almost cried because I wouldn’t
wear a suit but it was all laughs when she saw that classmates of mine literally went to graduation in shorts and sandals!
I find myself to be more active in the hours of the night (evidenced by the fact that I did this blog at 4am),
where I find myself designing and sampling on paper or Adobe for a clothing collection that I plan to deliver
by next summer.
Besides my passion for fashion, traveling and getting the most out of what the world has to offer is a priority
of mine. Above is shown two last-minute trips the week before college began, one to the Poconos where I
went paintballing and water-rafted in a level 4 River for the first time. And the other is me in Albany, where
me and my brother caught the last bus to go see our cousin pitch in a Minor League Baseball game.
Also, you can see my green bike (may it rest in peace) that I used to ride to explore corner to corner of
New York City until it disappeared when I left it in front of my house overnight because I was too tired to
bring it up since I had arrive home late that night from riding around for hours.
Well, I’ve reached my 500 word count. Peace!