Merchandise Product Development Graduate and U.S. Coast Guard veteran Devlin Carter is best known as the celebrity footwear designer who customizes sneakers under his Oakland, California-based Fly Boys Couture Club (FBCC) brand. Devlin Carter owns Carpe Diem Fashion House at 1420 Broadway in Oakland, CA. Devlin started customizing sneakers in 1997 as a way to differentiate himself from others. After connecting with rapper and celebrity clients, he had made enough money to buy his own barber shop. After business stalled because of 9/11, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard where he served for 11 years. But he hadn’t forgotten about his first love: fashion. He enrolled at FIDM San Francisco with a goal to network and learn as much as he could about the fashion industry. Fashion and footwear designer Devlin Carter’s sneakers have blown up on Instagram. His unique style has gained the attention of thousands of people and celebrities all over the world. Carter is a product of the power of social media and has stated that he would not be as successful as he is if it weren’t for social media. Today, the self-made entrepreneur is dedicated to passing on his knowledge to the next generation. Inside Carter’s Oakland showroom, you’ll find his designs. But, upstairs on the weekend, a fascinating operation is underway. He’s teaching kids how to sew. Due to the lack of arts programs in Black and Brown communities he decided to give them a creative outlet. His students are doing everything from bleaching shirts to distressing fabrics. Inside the class, you feel like you’re walking amongst the future of fashion. When Carter was younger his mother sewed but he never learned until teaching himself later in life because he thought it was for girls. Carter is the definition of self-made. He designs his own samples, his shoes can only be found in his store, and says his sewing classes are all about passing on his blessings.
This episode goes high level into the conversation of our understanding of how Black creativity drives industries, plagiarism vs. influence, cultivating your design DNA, financing your freedom, recreating connections to the motherland, and overcoming the haunting of insecurities with rhythm, style, and grace.
Featured Guest Contact:
Website:
Instagram: Devlin Carter (@sia_collective) • Instagram photos and videos
19 KEYS:
He is a believer in the unlimited human potential, and he aims to help more and more people realize their full potential. His mantra is “slaveship to ownership.” Growing up in Oakland, California as a Muslim of African-American origins, he had to face a lot of difficulties. Many people around him lost their lives due to poverty which motivated him to work harder and secure a better future.
19 Keys is a global thought leader and one of the pioneers in the space of Web 3, business, mindset, holistic wealth, tech , metaphysics and financial literacy; having millions of followers across the globe. 19 Keys is known for his relentless efforts in matters of wealth creation, especially for the youth. One of his initiatives has funded over 5 million student investment accounts.
19 Keys is also the co-founder of initiatives such as The Block World Order (BWO), Goldewater, and Crownz Society. When people think of 19 Keys, they think of a self-taught 21st-century polymath who believes work is the cure to all of our problems.
Follow his links below to learn more:
BWO (THE BLOCK WORLD ORDER)
LinkTree
Crownz 19 Link
GoldeWater Link
Book link
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00:00 Intro
06:50 Plagiarism vs. Influence
11:44 Cosmic Creativity
16:50 Cultivating Your Design DNA
23:50 The Halo Effect
31:30 Financing Your Freedom
43:33 The Age of Black Design
50:22 Building a $50 Million Brand
55:55 Selling Our Legacies
01:02:25 Buying Perception
01:06:11 Recreating Connections to the Motherland
01:14:44 Black Luxury
01:26:29 Intentionality
01:34:33 Structuring Strong Partnerships
01:47:00 Sneaker Culture: The Cost of Acceptance
01:51:55 AI Generated Designs: Protecting Your Intellectual Likeness
02:03:03 Capturing the Moments of Life
02:05:25 Designing Your Life
02:12:02 Overcoming the Haunting of Insecurities
02:14:20 Rhythm, Style, and Grace
02:16:44 Elevated Conversation
02:26:50 Making Billions on the Blockchain
02:32:55 The Key of Customer Perception
02:43:00 Propelling Black Prosperity on Purpose
