We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Raquel Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Raquel, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose through sketching as a hobby. My sketches led to a pursuit of a formal education in design fast forward to a fashion internship in New York and ultimately to Celebrity Stylist status for one of the world’s most renown icons in the music entertainment industry – Beyoncé. Now, as a CEO, I am focused on branding my luxury eyewear in the fashion industry.
On this journey, I have developed a passion for making a difference in others’ lives through projects involving styling, fashion, kids, young adults, clients and community outreach.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
First, I am a proud mom to a busy 9-year-old little boy, Caleb – an A/B honor roll student who enjoys modeling, basketball, and football. He is my miracle baby and first priority. Secondly, I am a Celebrity Stylist and an entrepreneur turned CEO. I jump started my career in the fashion industry in an intern role at Beyoncé company, House of Dereon in New York. This was a dream come true – an opportunity to work alongside two creatives and talented icons – Beyoncé mom, Ms. Tina Knowles who is a well-known fashionista and icon and Ty Hunter, the primary stylist. Demonstrating years of loyalty, commitment, and an impeccable work ethic, I was promoted to assistant stylist then to Beyoncé’s stylist, as this was an achievement of a lifetime. It took a lot of hard work and determination for me to reach this level. My key responsibilities included selecting wardrobes for the worldwide tours, campaign shoots, music videos, personal wardrobe, red carpet events, award shows and private shows. The most exciting part in my career about styling the beautiful, talented icon Beyoncé was looking forward to the next project – each of them was different and challenging which made it more interesting and fun to work on until the project was fully executed.
Fast forward, I joined the business community as an entrepreneur. My son and I co-own a luxury eyewear brand, KidRaq specializing in fashionable kids and adults matching styles and optical options. What sets our brand apart from other brands is that we included an affirmation inside of the temples of each style. KidRaq was inspired by over a decade styling career with Beyoncé and my son. Our brand has been featured on Tyler Perry’s Nickelodeon Young Dylan Show, as well as the talented actress/rapper That Girl Lay Lay video – Long Hair and YouTube stars the McClure Twins. The brand has been adorned internationally in collaborations with kid influencers such as Farouk James(London), and the TolliverBoyz (Netherlands) among others.
In the recent two years, the brand has joined luxury retail families, Nordstrom and Belk, and remain in negotiations with other luxury hotels, boutiques and retailers.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three key qualities that have guided me to success on this journey have been remaining true to my core being – authentic; believing in myself and trusting God – my faith, and my steadfastness – determination. All of them are foundational to my “go get it mindset” which is evidence in my skills and capacity to deliver on my professional commitments and to continue to be a visionary even today.
My advice to those early in the journey is first, a failure is opportunity to recreate – there are a million and one ideas, keep hustling to you find the one with your name on it. Secondly, never complain and always to your best in every endeavor. Lastly, bet on yourself, a win is within you!
As a young lady who was blessed to jump start my styling career with an icon such as Beyoncé. While I was interning, I wanted to show how determined I was to learn and do my best with any assignments entrusted to me. I never complained about anything, and I always did my best. I was determined that I was going to be ready, willing, and able to get to the next level when a promotional opportunity presented itself. I believed in myself enough to not give up, even if I was unsure of how to do something. I would ask questions and I learned how to problem solve quickly and resolve the matter.
Being authentic is a non-flawed characteristic because people respect you more and build trust in your work and ability to collaborate, partner and execute with excellence. Never be a “yes” person as you will often times over promise and under deliver and not be taken seriously.
My final wisdom nuggets include build self-confidence while staying in your lane, do not focus on competitors – as you are your only competition; remain open to constructive feedback; find your niche; surround yourself with circles who can help elevate your career to include attending industry events and joining professional associations and engage a mentor at any point on the journey when needed.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am very open to opportunities to partner with major retailers and luxury hotels/resorts that are kid accessories and apparel friendly with designer type specialty boutiques to meet their client needs, whether online or brick and mortar. Opportunities to collaborate with televised, YouTube, Facebook, and the alike outlets specializing in kids programming in addition to influencers, bloggers, fashion magazines, movies, modeling agencies would be important connections on this journey.
KidRaq stays ready to connect to join the conversation about possibilities with kids and young adults focused projects. We can be reached at [email protected] and via social media outlets – @officialkidraq.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kidraq.com
- Instagram: Officialkidraq
- Facebook: Officialkidraq
