Candid Creator: The Podcast Experience from WhatRUWearing

Welcome to the finale of season 6 of Candid Creator. This season was full of laughs, deep convos, and inspiration from the dopest creatives- and in true Candid Creator style, we are ending this season with a bang. We are having a candid conversation around ‘dating today in your 20s’ with Rashima Sampson, social media manager and contributing editor at WhatRUWearing. Mary and Rashima don’t shy away from topics like, is it even possible to meet people in real life vs. dating apps and is there really a ‘right time’ to have sex for the first time with someone!?!

On this week’s episode, we catch up with fine artist and designer, Brandon Breaux, who is proficient in painting, sculpture, web, video, print, and much more. Brandon is known for being the artist behind all three of Chance the Rapper’s iconic album covers, and is recognized worldwide. Brandon takes us back to the days of his first artistic passion, how contributing to the culture has always been part of his DNA, the moment he finally had his breakthrough and his exciting, new, upcoming projects!

In this episode, we have, as described by Compose Yourself Magazine “an artist of many strokes”. Colin Grimm, or better known as Prob Cause, is a musician and has collaborated with the likes of Chance the Rapper and Griz, and is an artist who creates animated cartoons and is in the process of creating his own children’s book! Colin shared whether music or art came first, how him and EDM Dj, GRiZ, became good friends, and how “Prob Cause” came into existence.

This season has been filled with the most talented creatives, and it’s not over yet! This week, we caught up with the fabulous makeup artist, Mollie Gloss, who has paved her way in the makeup industry, one contour at a time. She’s known for using crazy and vibrant colors, as well as A LOT OF GLITTER, which we are all the way here for. She talks about her relationship with makeup, what the industry was like when she started her career, and her thoughts on the way the beauty industry has become more inclusive.

This week, we sit with the very talented visual artist, Louis De Guzman. He incorporates abstract pop art into his paintings and merges his past with his present to create work that draws inspiration from abstract expressionism and pop culture iconography. During our conversation with Louis, we learn how he pulled together his most successful (to date) exhibitions, what it feels like to design for world renowned brands and what his culture means to him during his artistic process. And not to pat ourselves on the back, but (tap, tap) Louis reveals the details of his latest project to us FIRST! #HumbleBrag.

Joining us on this week’s episode is one of my favorite people and podcast hosts, Sean Little! Sean is the host of Chicago’s very own “No Ketchup”, where he talks about Chicago sports, culture, the scene, and anything poppin’ nationally, while avoiding corn balls by any means necessary. Sean came to talk to us about why he started his own podcast, how he’s dealing with major career changes, and the struggles he has with voicing his opinions without trying to offend his audience.

On this week’s episode, we caught up with multi-instrumentalist and singer, Luke Titus, who’s background in music will blow you away. He told us about what it was like being a member of a band called Woo Park, drumming for Noname, being on stage with the Blue Man Group (remember those high school field trips?!), and the lessons that he has learned from breaking away and becoming a solo artist.

Happy Friday! On this week’s episode, we sat down and interviewed Lauren Scott, host of the television show, Chicago’s Best, where she goes on the road to explore and sample Chicagoland’s best, affordable and iconic dishes. Can you say “dream job”?! Who wouldn’t want to eat at the coolest restaurants and be on TV? Lauren told us about how she got her start in broadcasting, the obstacles she had to work through to get to where she is today and what really goes into making TV.

Coming at you with another hot one guys! This week we got the pleasure of interviewing one of our favorite people. Maaly Williams is a visual artist, graphic designer, and the producer of the podcast, “Kommon Wealth.” In this episode, we talk about what it means to be a visual artist, where his love for design came from, the lessons that he’s learned over the years, and how to stay focused when you’re working on 58,593 things at once.

In this week’s episode, we get to talk to the multi-talented young artist and singer, Tatiana Hazel. She got her start on Youtube, amassing 70k views on a video for one of the first few songs she wrote and sang. Recently hitting Spotify’s top charts as a number one artist to look out for on the “Nuevo Noise” playlist, Tatiana walked us through how a hobby became a career, what it was like starting her musical career at such a young age, how her heritage has inspired her music, and how she has accomplished so much including developing professional relationships with Spotify and Apple Music.

We have been having so much fun with season six! And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, we go ‘head and introduce you to Symone Snowden-Wright. Your new girl crush is a stylist and personal shopping consignment expert at Luxury Garage Sale. Her passion for what she does comes out in her every word during our conversation. We talk to her about where her love for fashion came from, what drives her to be the best personal stylist she can be, and her opinion on fast fashion vs. investing in quality.

This week, we kick it with our friend, Sovren, who is a rapper and musician. He also happens to work for RSVP Gallery, one of the dopest streetwear stores in Chicago. In this episode, we get to hear his views on the rap industry, his description of his killer fashion sense, and what it’s like working at such a creative, well known fashion boutique. Spoiler: Famous people come in all the time!

Welcome back bitches! We are back and better than ever with the launch of season 6. We’re kicking it off with the amazing and innovative jewelry designer, Kristopher Kites, who has been shutting down the internet with his Comic-Con and Superhero inspired pieces that do a great job incorporating those nostalgic vibes that we love, oh so much.

Wait…is it our season finale already!? We couldn’t think of a better way to leave you guys off before we come back next season with surprises, upgrades and things you won’t be able to believe, than to have a candid, unfiltered AF conversation about some of today’s most controversial and hottest topics with one of our most favorite people. In this steamy episode, Mary sits down with non-other than the founder of WhatRUWearing, Farissa Knox.

In this week’s episode of FFP, we sat down with fashion designer, Chelsey Carter, the head designer and creative director behind Alex Carter. The brand and her clothing have been featured in Vogue, Verluxe, Kiss Magazine, Chicago Social, Off Kilter Magazine, as well as on SZA (dying). Her designs and personal hairstyles are breaking through the competitive fashion landscape, one statement accessory and piece of clothing at a time.

In this episode of FFP, our girl, Alina Tsvor, a renowned Chicago based photographer, stopped in to chat with us about her successful career. She specializes in portraiture, commercial, lifestyle, travel, storytelling, and social content. She’s accomplished so much already in her career, and she’s only getting started. We get to learn what is was like working with some of the amazing clients she’s shot for, like Adidas, J. Crew, Nike, Chicago Bulls, BMW, Beats by Dr. Dre, Bacardi, and so many more.

We’re coming at you with another exciting episode that you don’t want to miss! Our good friend, Sir the Baptist, paid us a visit straight off his international tour. Sir is a hip-hop and R&B recording artist, producer, songwriter, and a huge philanthropist. He’s labeled a holistic lyricist, and is proving himself as a chaplain in the modern rap culture.

We’re coming at you with another good one, guys! A new type of creative made her mark on our show this week. Essence Taylor, a new face on the modeling scene making big moves in editorial and on the runway. We first met Essence at the Sheila Rashid show this past winter where Essence was modeling Sheila’s amazing new collection and we were so captivated by her beauty. Timing could not be more perfect for her right now. As we sit down to talk with Essence, she is fresh off of doing jobs for J. Crew, Walgreens, and Vogue Italia! Ummm…YEAH.

New Episode Alert! Lyricist, teacher, and musician, Matt Muse, stopped by our studio to enlighten our lives and it is safe to say, we’ve completely fallen in love with his sweet personality and his passion for music.

Get ready to kick back and laugh with one of the funniest, vibrant, and hardworking women in the event planning industry, Ciara Jibri. She’s a fashion publicist and event coordinator, as well as one of our good friends. We were so happy to sit down with Ciara to learn more about the platform she recently started, Haus of Mimosa, which is a bi-monthly networking social event to “simply connect people from all walks of life.”

Wow, do we have a treat for you guys today! Meet Lauren Asta: a traveling muralist and artist. We got the insight from this doodle dame on her inspiration behind her unique, rather mysterious, murals that make everyone stop and stare.

We’re kicking off season 5 with an independent musician named Carmelo, also known as Melo Makes Music! He is influenced by every genre that exists and creates WARNING highly addictive music that goes beyond the realm of hip-hop. Despite partying with him all night the night before our interview, he showed up ready to go, bringing his A-game to interview with us!

WOW. Is it the end of season 4 already??? Time really does fly when you’re having fun! We’ve had incredible creatives throughout this entire season, and so you know we HAD to end it with a bang. In our 12th episode of this season, we chat with our great friends and musicians, Na’el Shehade and Via Rosa, also known as DRAMA duo!

We are almost at the end of season 4 (can you believe it?!?) and we are not slowing down! This week, we got to catch up with a the very special and unique musician, Chai Tulani. Chai's a singer and songwriter that incorporates soul, hiphop and blues into a unique style he calls soul hop!

n our latest episode of FFP, we caught up with one of our favorite creators, Julian Gilliam, also known as Logik. Julian is a visual artist, animator, photographer, and painter. We got to pick his brain and learn about the visions behind his art and creative projects, what influences him, and the amazing clients he’s worked with.

In our latest episode of FFP, we get to chat with a special lady named Sa’Rayah who started off her singing career with a group called Chicago Catz. From there, she went on to become part of the "Top 12" contestants on the 11th season of The Voice! Sa’Rayah talks to us about being in the competitive music industry and what keeps her motivated, why she picked the celebrity judge that she did over the other who also turned around during her blind audition on The Voice, and what we can expect next from her (she got us SUPER hyped).

In this episode of FFP, we interview our boy Eddie Martin, also known as Pause Eddie, who is an explosive dance machine whose incredible musicality does not skip a beat. Eddie is an instructor who teaches Chicago footwork and hip hop in different parts of Chicago in various renowned studios. He’s known for his aggressive crossovers, erks & jerks (SNAP), as well as his intense footwork. He also gets to brag and say he has worked with the likes of Willow Smith,Nicki Minaj, and Chance the Rapper.

In this episode of FFP, we interview the wonderful Elizabeth De La Piedra, who is a photographer, creative director and, as of recently, a featured ASOS ambassador! Elizabeth’s work has been featured in top publications like Vogue and Esquire. Liz joined us to talk about her style inspirations, her love for thrift shopping (YAS), and her ideas behind her innovative photography projects.

In this episode of FFP, we interview our lovely friend, Sarah Aiken, who is the director of sales and marketing for VMR, the sleek, minimalist showroom featuring luxury fashion by design houses from around the world. VMR carries everything from Balmain, Brandon Maxwell, Nili Lotan, Off_White (dying), RTA, Iro, and of course, Zimmerman. Sarah also appears in the newly released web series, PRGirl, the reality web series created and released by WhatRUWearing just this week!

For this episode of FFP, we sat down with the dynamic duo Angela Brantley and Rhea Fernandez, the founders and creators of the luxury streetwear brand, HERO/BLACK, inspired by architectural cuts, and masculine and feminine silhouettes. They revealed how the universe first brought them together through the shared love of modeling and a very similar sense of style.We learned the origin behind the name of the brand. Hint: Someone they both love is a Hero and black is both of their favorite color. (Duh)

For this week’s episode of Fast Fashion, we get to chat with style maven, Sal E, also known as Sal So Groovy! “A stylist, A Maker, and a Mover”. During our conversation with Sal, she tells us when she noticed she had an eye for styling, what it’s like being a digital and visual artist, where she gets her project inspiration from, and being a part of projects with up-coming artists and creatives, such as Jamila Woods.

For this episode of FFP, we sat down with innovative and self-taught designer, Tyler Lambert, the man behind some of designs that the likes Kylie & Kendall Jenner can’t get enough of. Tyler dished on his thoughts regarding influencers asking for free clothes, the impact social media has on his brand, and how being a designer is a God given talent.

This week, we caught up with independent photographer and founder of Low Res, Nathan Michael. We got to learn all about Nathan’s start in the photography industry, what drove him to build a business around his love for taking pictures and art in general, the impressive clients his company works with, and his thoughts on smart social media for brands as they grow.

Welcome to season 4 of Fast Fashion: The Podcast from WhatRUWearing! To kick it all off, we interviewed 29-year old designer Sheila Rashid – who, most famously, is the creative brain behind those cute as hell overalls that are now synonomous with Chance the Rapper’s overall brand! (See what we did there?!?)

In our season finale of Fast Fashion, we catch up with hip hop artist Solo Sam. Solo Sam is a unique MC with an awesome retro vibe, but music wasn't always on his agenda.Solo tells us how he stands out in city full of music, how he came up with the name of his upcoming album "Egocentrism," and gives us a sneak peek of one of his favorite songs.

If you don't know BeBe Jones, she's definitely one that should be on your fashion radar in Chicago. Recently, we spent time with her in the studio and fell in love immediately. She is a true lover of fashion with the most positive, and infectious personality.

In this week's episode, we meet Alyse Young. Alyse is a fashion designer who started designing prom dresses a few years ago, went to London to study design and fell in love with the idea of designing a full line. And today, she launches her debut line, London Alyse, on her e-commerce platform for young, professional women who don't want to sacrifice color and their unique sense of style just because they are heading to the office.

This week we talk to the 2014 Ms. Illinois about her pageant career, how she got started and what she is doing now. She went from being the shiest girl in the room to standing on stage, competing against other ladies and becoming a professional opera singer- but most importantly, not taking herself too seriously!

In the latest episode of Fast Fashion, we dive into a whole new category of guests to introduce everyone to one of our favorite underground Chicago rappers, Tripp Heavy. After Mary Mel gushes about how and when she found him on SoundCloud, we get inside the artists mind about where his inspiration comes from, where he wants to take his career, how Chance the Rapper changed the independent game and the mark he wants to leave on the world. We even get him to flow live for us.

This week we publish our conversation with the beautiful Katy Lynch. Investor. Entrepreneur. Self Exclaimed Super Hero. We sat down with her a few weeks before she launched her newest venture, Codeverse, to talk all things business, female empowerment, and how we can all be prepared for the future.

In our latest episode, we get to chat with PR Girl, Alexandra Moresco, a true star girl. Started her own PR Agency before finishing undergrad, managing clients and grad school, meeting with LA producers, planning her wedding and learning how to manage her recently diagnosed Lyme Disease is just some of the things Alex is up to lately. In this chat, we learn how it all came to be and what some of her future aspirations are.

In the opener to season 3, loyal listeners get introduced to our new host, Mary Mel and new comers get accepted into the WhatRUWearing Girl Gang with a group chat featuring Farissa Knox, the founder of WhatRUWearing and Athena, songstress and bestie to Mary. The ladies candidly talk Instagram behavior and relationship problems with a nice surprise at the end.

Katie Schuppler is a 'Jill of all Trades'. She has her own fashion styling company, contributes to Chicago Woman's Magazine, has her own blog, and as if that was not enough, has a jewelry and cuff company with her husband. We chat with Katie in our season finale episode of Fast Fashion about everything she is doing, how she got here and what she sees for her future.

Whitney Middleton is one of the coolest chics on the planet. She is creative, smart, and inspired by all the right things. In her still budding career, she has already had the opportunity to be involved with New York Fashion Week and dress superstars like Chicago's Chance the Rapper. We talk to her about how she got here and what lessons she has already learned.

We are so excited to have had the opportunity to chat with Blake Von D. She is inspirational, stylish and energized by the good her blog is doing for young girls and women looking for positive images that they can also see their reflections in. We fell in love with her and, if you aren't already, so will you.

This week we decided to bring some of the conversations that happen once the mice have been turned off to our audience. We talk about sex, career and relationships in this first bonus episode.

In this week's episode we connect with an old friend to the WhatRUWearing family, Alyssa Doory. She went from running a boutique in Lincoln Park in Chicago with her mom and sister to starting her own styling company and taking her entrepreneurial skills to the next level in the fashion industry.

This week we chat with Jacki Debb. She started out as a fashion stylist working with some of the best groups in the industry and then after the boutique she worked at decided to change directions, she saw an opening with some co-workers, to create magic of their own in one of Chicago's trendiest neighborhoods.

In today's episode, we talk with the infectious Lily Duevel. She will inspire you with her energy to find time to accomplish your goals and make multitasking look easy. She shares her personal story of being adopted and how that has affected her life. Make sure to check our site for links to her ventures http://whatruwearing.net/podcasts/

In the season 2 opener of Fast Fashion, we chat with Kristine Steiner, one of the most sought after fashion illustrators in the game right now. We talk to her about how she got into this line of work, some of her inspirations and the advice she has for those trying to follow in her fashion footsteps. For even more details and links, visit our podcast page at http://whatruwearing.net/podcasts/

In season 1's final episode, we get to sit down with Farissa Knox, the founder of WhatRUWearing, to chat about her life, professional advice, where her love of wine came from and what she sees on the horizon for her personal brand.