CLEVELAND, Ohio — Timothy Reynolds Jr., an area photographer and clothes designer, says that your artwork needs to be a mirrored image of your self.
“My artwork to me represents me, from garments to anything,” Reynolds mentioned. “Once I’m designing for the model, I design based mostly off what I’d put on, not solely off what’s widespread in streetwear now. I really feel your entire creations needs to be a mirrored image of you in a manner. Even the darkest components of your being.”
Whereas Reynolds is a contract photographer and graphic designer, his focus is his clothes model PRAY4THEPREY, planning to drop his first full assortment within the fall/winter of 2021. He co-owns the model with a childhood buddy, John Clement IV.
In honor of Black Historical past Month, cleveland.com is that includes 4 Black artists, specializing in the inspirations and the experiences which have formed their artwork.
Timothy Reynolds Jr. is an area photographer and clothes designer on Cleveland’s west facet., right here is his streetwear model PRAY4THEPREY.
Reynolds is a local of the Quincy and Cedar space. Transferring to Cleveland’s west facet opened him as much as totally different cultures he hadn’t skilled rising up in a predominately black neighborhood.
“I grew up Down the Means,” mentioned Reynolds Jr.” My grandma lives on 82nd in between Quincy & Cedar. I spent most of my childhood over that manner.”
Down the Means or “DTW” is slang for something east of downtown Cleveland, west of a hundred and fifth road, north of Kinsman.
“My mom and stepfather moved us west after I was possibly 11 or 12. That basically opened me as much as much more cultures and different races. The place I lived, it was principally simply blacks, so transferring west was undoubtedly a tradition shock,” he mentioned.
“I’m actually making an attempt to get away from doing freelance work and make the model and garments my focus,” Reynolds mentioned. “Proper now, we’re simply actually making an attempt to get on the market to the correct folks and construct our picture. We’ve been dropping items right here and there however trying to drop our first full assortment.”
Reynolds says he had many trend influences starting from Kanye West to Pharrell.
“They had been like my idols. They actually made me wish to make garments. They had been my intro to manufacturers like Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Bape, and many others.,” he mentioned. “Their particular person types and swagger had been unmatched again then. It made me wish to be like that.”
Reynolds says Joe FreshGoods, a designer and artistic director based mostly out of Chicago, had a big impact on him on the subject of inventive influences. He mentioned that he even “makes him wish to create extra.”
“The way in which Joe markets his model from his bootlegs, DBM, Fats Tiger to the collaborative tasks he has had have been wonderful,” he mentioned. “Typically so easy however nonetheless so clear and in your face. He confirmed me that you simply don’t must observe the everyday highway that these different manufacturers have been happening to succeed.”
On a private stage, lots of Reynold Jr.’s influences had been the folks closest to him, specifically his nice grandmother, the previous proprietor of a restaurant on the nook of 79th & Quincy: “It was once full of individuals who simply cherished her meals and her as a person, which is one thing I crave. I need these folks l who assist me to do it as a result of they actually get pleasure from what’s being created, not simply because it’s cool.”
So far as his legacy goes, Reynolds says he needs to be remembered for his work, and because the man, he was right here on Earth.
“I simply need folks to recollect me nevertheless they’d seen me after I was right here on earth. I simply need folks to get pleasure from my work and what I’ve put out to share with the world.”
