Let me start off by saying that La Vie by CK blew me away. I knew our people were talented but La Vie by CK is on another level! They instantly blow away anything you can get in your Ann Taylor’s or your H&M’s. The women’s bathing suit selection has some of the most gorgeous pieces I’ve ever seen.
The Greece bathing suit (understandably sold out), will absolutely have all eyes on you as you lounge poolside at any resort from Miami to, well, Greece! The white fabric of the sleeves is light and airy, giving you the look of a goddess come to earth, and the ankara print trim around the white bodice will beautifully complement melanated skin, from the lightest oak to the richest ebony. Most of the selections are named after African nations and are created from bold and colorful Ankara prints.
“The Greece bathing suit (understandably sold out), will absolutely have all eyes on you!”
Their current selection is a masterclass in garment construction, Claude Kameni’s eye for design and an appreciation for the black body is something that you can only get from brands run by people who look like us.
La Vie by CK also offers couture gowns which, if the ready-to-wear pieces are any indication of quality, will absolutely be worth every dollar spent – from the consultation all the way up to the design and finishing of the final product. A quick run-through of the brand’s Instagram can give you a good look at the kind of quality couture gowns and outfits Kameni is capable of.
The brand is featured on Beyonce’s website and was even brought on to design a wedding dress for the indelible, forever iconic Jennifer Lewis for the Golden Globe and NAACP Image award-winning show, Black-ish. The outfit, like many of her pieces, features a bold red Ankara print, a long flowing train, billowing sleeves over a simple but stated pant.
I could go on and on about the thought that goes into the construction of each garment and how they look on melanated bodies, but then this would be a book. Instead, go check out La Vie by CK for yourself and tell them I sent you!
In a society that so often sends us messages that we are less than or unworthy of, it is important to send ourselves love letters that remind us of our truth and our ingrained resilience. Creator and producer, Tatianna Mott, has been sending herself a love letter at the start of each week ever since losing the love of her life to Sickle Cell complications and getting fired from 3 corporate jobs after leaving the theater industry. Tatianna is no stranger to picking herself up and coming back stronger than ever, after allowing herself time to grieve, evaluate, and move forward. These love letters have helped her so much throughout this journey, that she’s compiled them into her hit podcast series “Take Each Moment” which encourages listeners to take time to self-assess and learn from each of the moments in their lives.
“When I first decided to leave the theater world, I was confronted with a lot of skepticism from well-meaning friends and colleagues that felt I was giving up on my dreams,” she says. “In acting conservatory, our instructor once said, ‘If you have a plan B, your plan A will fail. 1 in 10 actors are able to make a living in this industry, look around, are you one of them?’ Being the overachiever that I am, I declared on that day that ‘yes, I am. I WILL be successful in theater, and I will do whatever it takes to prove that I am indeed that 1 in 10.’ I was determined to make it to Broadway and fulfill my purpose of positively impacting the social narrative. I wanted to dispel the lies that we’d been told about our past and our present. I wanted to tell stories that would remind people of their magic in a world that prefers to hide it in a closet. Over the years, I began to realize that the few sassy best friend roles I had been booking didn’t typically fulfill that goal, and weren’t bringing me as much joy as I thought they would. When I asked myself why I kept going and beating my head against that wall rather than trying something different, I remembered that day in conservatory when I vowed to not have a plan B. But see, the fallacy in that thinking is that there’s no such thing as Plan A and Plan B. We’re constantly forced to set up new plans based on what circumstances life throws at us. There aren’t enough letters in the alphabet to accurately count how many plans we’re already following and have previously followed. The key is that each of the actions we take within those plans work toward a particular purpose and goal. My goal was to educate, inspire, and uplift people while obtaining the power of financial stability and consistency. My Plan A was to get up at 4 in the morning every day, pray to get seen at an audition, stress about whether or not I’d get a callback, and work 13 side jobs to keep me afloat until one day Broadway would call. Turns out that plan didn’t have the capacity to help me reach my goal, so I reevaluated and tried a different plan. And then when that plan hit a wall (a.k.a. I got let go from my first corporate job), I tried a different plan. And then that plan inevitably hit a wall, so I tried another plan…and another. Some of those plans completely fell in my lap in the form of an unexpected relationship, a perfectly timed job opening, an unfortunately timed job termination, the death of a loved one, being diagnosed with chronic illness, or a chance encounter with a stranger. Throughout it all, I’ve picked up new skills, new perspectives, new strength, and new faith. Today, I am working as the lead producer/ project manager of the much anticipated Rising Musical Family Debut at the legendary Apollo Theater featuring sibling music group Infinity’s Song and Victory Boyd, hosted by Jon Batiste. I am also finding new and exciting ways every day to work on educating, inspiring, and uplifting others including through ‘Take Each Moment Podcast,’ my new single ‘Cycles,’ and more.
If you find yourself stuck or unsure of your purpose, think about your goals. What do you want to receive out of this life, and what do you want to give into this life? What impact do you want to have during your time here, and what will you need to do to make that impact? What are your particular skills and strengths that will allow you to do that? What resources and knowledge will you need to acquire? How will you obtain said resources and knowledge? And while in pursuit of it, how can you still fulfill that purpose even with what you already have? After recently losing the job of a lifetime working alongside someone I idolized, I was upset yes, but more so, I was hopeful. Life has taught me that low moments don’t last forever, and that I ALWAYS come out with my crown a bit more polished afterward. I trust in the process, and I trust in the divine timing of it all. I hope you do too.”
Taji: How did you dive into the life insurance business?
client is my urban community for a very specific reason. I’m a huge proponent of building Black wealth because until we can build our own and learn to support each other’s entrepreneurial endeavors with our own dollars, our opposition will always be able to break us down. There’s a statistic on the length of time the Black dollar circulates around the black community vs. other communities. Jewish dollars stay within the Jewish community for months. Asian dollars stay within the Asian community for weeks. On average, the Black dollar stays within the Black community for FOUR HOURS. We must build wealth amongst our own and hold onto it. The easiest way to do that is to inherit it and continue to teach our children and grandchildren about true wealth so that they are able to maintain and further grow the legacies we leave behind… and the best part of it all is that it’s so much more affordable than people think.
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