For Dem

Through clothing we share stories.  Through clothing we share our culture, and our traditions. I first became aware of the potential and power of fashion and garments as a young girl growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, where I received hand-me-downs and hand made pieces from my grandmother, Dr. Molly Ahye - a dancer, teacher, and cultural activist of Afro-Caribbean diaspora. The clothing I received from her were so much more than pieces of fabric stitched together - they were objects full of history, color, and life. Those fabrics are maps of my heritage.

My mother was a flight attendant, and I loved helping her pack and put together outfits for wherever she was traveling that week. Those moments, putting together looks with my mother, were an introduction not only to styling but to the ways we express ourselves through clothing. Getting dressed is a daily process that can be immensely fulfilling, a process that allows us not only to express ourselves but also to understand and question ourselves by the choices we make, by the ways we visually present ourselves to the world. I like to think.

I believe I inherited my grandmother and my mother’s curiosity, their love of life, travel, and people. Through Dem I hope to share my culture and travels through the clothes I find. These clothes are pieces of my own story. They are discoveries. They are fragments of a vintage world that can't be forgotten. Just as I cherished everything my grandmother gave me, and those moments getting dressed with my mother, I hope you will find your own treasures within my collection, because heritage is meant to be shared, loved, and honored.

-Michelene Auguste, Founder of Dem