Bio
Michel`Le Denise Forrest was raised in a family of six in coastal Jacksonville, Florida. After attending Florida State College for two years she transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. There, she entered the fashion program where she learned to sew, developed advanced patterning skills, and absorbed a conceptual design approach. Michel`Le earned the Cotton University Honorable Mention in 2015. Her parents’ hard work and success has always been the driving force behind her endeavors and her transition from supportive home to urban environment allowed her to create art from an evolved perspective.
“Strands”
Collection Inspiration | Artist Statement
My father retired as a chief in the US Navy after 24 years of service and my mother formulated her own natural skin care business. My parents have always motivated my siblings and I to be successful regardless of how the people in our environment viewed us. Because of them, I have been determined to share my perspective through creation. With maturity, I realized the pivotal role my hair played in my identity and the identities of black women as a whole. We have a magical and complicated relationship with our hair. Our hair is our crown and although it does not define us, it is representational of who we are. Black women come from an ancestry that makes hair a vital part of our culture and this relationship we have with our hair has survived for thousands of years. American culture and societal standards challenge this relationship. Working with knit, wool, synthetic and human hair; I paint the picture of the Black woman’s experience.
PHOTO Grace DuVal & Julian Spring MODEL/S Natalie Bryant, Factor | Chosen Model Management