OUTLOOK: Vicksburg Designer Brings Hoodvenchy to New York Fashion Week

September 18, 2022 (Sunday) at 4:00 am

Finding a niche in the fashion industry requires determination, dedication and, of course, an eye for design.

Just ask Vicksburg resident Raymond Banks, who recently returned from the Big Apple and was one of the fashion designers invited to New York Fashion Week.

Banks started designing bowties, and he said his love for fashion grew from there.

“I started designing in 2013. I made bowties for a Black History Month program at my church and jumped into the fashion industry with one of those bowties,” Banks said.

Banks said people started asking who made the bowties and where they could be obtained.

“I just did,” he said.

The young designer’s business took off and over the next five years Banks created and designed unique bow ties.

In 2018, he launched the Hoodvenchy brand, which earned him a place on the runway.

According to Banks, the Hoodvenchy concept began as a joke inspired by the name of luxury brand Givenchy.

“It shouldn’t have been branded at all,” he said.

However, Banks’ designer label spoof turned out to be well received.

“A friend of mine from Jackson State University asked me to go to a fashion show with his modeling team, and I was like, ‘I’ll do it,’ but I need to bring something out of the ordinary. did,” he said.

So, inspired by the luxury brand scandal that plagued the design world in 2018, Banks said: I’m going to make fun of them, so I’ll play Hoodvenchy.

“People loved the brand and they liked the name,” he added. “And from there Hoodvenchy was born.”

One of Banks’ designs for the Hoodvenchy brand included a leather coat that crossed out the list of famous fashion brands.

“It started with Gucci and Prada, Louis Vuitton and Fendi. Those names were crossed out, but I wrote Hoodvenchy at the bottom and circled them,” Banks said. , added that the design was intended to convey the message of “undoing and canceling” a top designer known around the world, choosing Hoodvenchy instead.

At the New York show, Banks’ collection was titled “Fall Semester at Hoodbenchie College,” and he described the 28-piece collection as streetwear, including tracksuits, parkas, and down jackets.

The entire collection is androgynous and can be worn by both men and women.

“This line was all about comfort. There were no restrictions, no avant-garde looks in it,” said Banks. “Everything was an accessible commodity.”

Fashion week event held at 99^th Scott Studios in Brooklyn, New York.

Prior to New York Fashion Week, Banks said she attended Los Angeles Fashion Week in March.

Now that he’s back home, he’s planning to do a runway show in Vicksburg.

“I gave LA my time and I gave New York my time. Now it’s time for the people of Vicksburg to see those pieces up close. You can – that’s fine and they can see the pictures, but I want them to be able to see the clothes themselves.

Banks hopes to hold a runway show in October.

About Terry Cowart Frazier

Terry Fraser was born in Cleveland. Shortly thereafter his family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time correspondent for the Vicksburg Post and editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which was awarded #1 by the Mississippi Press Association. She also won first prize for “Best Feature Story” in the editorial category of the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest.

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.

Before working for The Post over a decade ago, she did freelance work for Jackson Free Press. did.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a life member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and the Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Fraser.

“From getting information on local government issues to hearing people’s stories, local newspapers are vital to our communities. I feel and hope that with their and local support, I can continue to grow and hone my skills while helping share stories in Vicksburg. If you ask me, my answer is always “People”.

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