By Ameera Steward | For The Birmingham Times
Ian Rashaud is a wardrobe stylist, minister, and founder of Faith and Fashion, a fashion show and presentation that aims to “merge two worlds that are often separated,” he said.
“Being younger and called into ministry but still having a passion for fashion, it was like, ‘Wait, I can’t put these two together,’” added the 34-year-old, who is originally from the east side of Birmingham. “[But] one of my mentors said, ‘Ian, don’t lose your identity. You are a minister, you are fashion—put them together.’”
Rashaud added, “My goal has always been to motivate [people] to style according to purpose, … to almost pull your purpose out, … to create an elevated version of you.”
Though Rashaud grew up with a natural interest in fashion, what really solidified his interest was watching his mom, Pam Allen, use fashion and dressing up as a stress reliever, he said: “I saw her change. I saw her turn into a different person.”
In addition, his mom would take him and his brother Joel to the thrift store, giving them $20 to buy what they wanted.
“I noticed how it made me feel and how it shifted my perspective, [how] it shifted me as a person. … With that passion, I grew up looking at clothes, looking at textiles, [and] looking at design. I would sit in church and watch folks,” said Rashaud, who would admire and critique the congregations’ threads.
For the past three months, The Birmingham Times interviewed some of the area’s leading fashion designers and tastemakers about the cultural and historical examination of Black style.
Rashaud graduated from Birmingham’s Carol W. Hayes High School in 2009. He then went to Tuskegee University, where he studied sales and marketing in order to “give me the skills to market myself,” he said.
Rashaud graduated from Tuskegee in 2014 and then went on to attend Virginia College in Birmingham, where he studied cosmetology because he had a natural knack for doing hair. He graduated a year later.
Although his studies were centered around his fashionable goals, Rashaud didn’t jump into the cosmetology industry after graduating. He took a corporate position, and one day while sitting at his desk he said to himself, “This is not my life. It’s now or never” — and he left his job on January 5, 2024.
Two days later, on January 7, 2024, he hosted the inaugural Faith and Fashion show, which was held at the Alcove Birmingham event venue.
“The feedback I got was so inspiring [and] motivating,” said Rashaud, who said to himself, “I might really be in my purpose. I might really be where I’m supposed to be.”
You can follow Ian Rashaud on Instagram: @ian_credible.
Q&A
The Birmingham Times (BT): Why is dressing well important as a Black man?
Ian Rashaud (IR): “Because fashion is really power. I think when young Black men see themselves reflected in style campaigns, in runway shows, [in creations from] designers and stylists, it affirms that they belong there. So, number one, it speaks to the affirmation. Number two, I feel like you only get one chance to make a first impression. … Whether we like it or not, how you dress determines how seriously people take you. … Before you ever get a chance to say anything, they sum you up by how you look.
“As a Black man, especially, I think we have to make sure we look the part before we prove that we belong there,” he added. “We have so many images of the Black man, but when you bring that lens into a more narrow scope of a well-tailored man, of a real put together man, it puts him in a class of his own, … it causes people to take notice, and [it may even] intimidate people a little bit.”
BT: What is your process when getting dressed for the day?
IR: “My process [when] getting dressed is based on how I feel: ‘What am I representing today?’ … Sometimes that’s edgy and, [if so], then that process is a little bit different from [being] more classically tailored. [The process] starts with what’s in my closet. … [I ask myself], ‘What kind of statement am I going to make today?’ ‘How do I show up?’ ‘What’s on the agenda?’ [From there], I start with a shoe. My outfits typically start from the bottom up. … What’s going on in the day [influences] what shoes I wear.”
BT: Any advice for young Black men who wish to dress well?
IR: “Start where you are, use what you have, and don’t wait for permission. … [Additionally, consistency and authenticity are key]: stay true to your lane. I don’t care how many other people are in that lane, stay true to you and doors will open because, at the end of the day, that’s your superpower … Nobody else can bring what you bring to the table.
“I often say a tailored look goes a long way — whether it’s tailoring to your body or tailoring to your personality or even to your purpose. … I see people who do things I would probably never do, but it makes a presence. … Though other people may not understand it, being true to you establishes your identity and makes people want to take notice. It’s a real superpower.”
