I met Charles when he was working on location at my home. He was shooting a photo campaign for Sergio Hudson, the creator of a luxury women’s wear line. I was immediately drawn to Charles face which I can only describe as lovable. At the same time, I was taken by his friendly personality and impressed by his sense of style. Of course, I had to ask him to model for me. He agreed.
Charles was born in Mississippi. When he was a toddler, his dad joined the military, making Charles an army brat. He moved from state to state – Georgia, California, Washington State, and Missouri. The longest he ever spent in any one place was Atlanta where his father retired.
His family was always supportive. When they discovered that he had creative interests, they helped him along the way. They always kept him supplied with art supplies – construction, paper, crayons, paints, etc. He remembers his father joining him when he was building a little tableau with construction paper. His father went to work with the scissors, and before he knew it, grass was laid and trees were planted. But his mother was the one who really helped him along his way. She always worked-as a nurses, assistant, housekeeping, in a fabric shop, but always had time for him and his siblings. She had a huge creative streak herself. She was always making something. Not only did she sew clothing, but she made all the pillows and accessories for the home. She was a gifted illustrator and nurtured Charles talents as a painter. (His passion for painting is one that that he pursues to this day). The night before he was due to go to college to study fashion design, she realized it was time he learned to sew, and the night before he started college, she got out her sewing machine and taught him.
As a child, he thought that a job in a NASA would be a wonderful thing. What he would do there he wasn’t certain of, but he had an interest in science and wanted to be involved somehow, although he knew not how. Later, he developed a fascination with architecture. Pursuing architecture was his plan until he realized it involved more math than he wanted to deal with.
When he finished high high school, he still hadn’t settled upon what where he wanted to go next. The thing knew for sure was that he had not enjoyed school so far and did not want to continue with academia. He took the summer having fun and contemplating it.
At the end of summer, his future vocation dawned on him. He wanted to study fashion design. He enrolled in a course at Bauder College in Atlanta to reach that goal. While there, he befriended Sergio Hudson. The two of them made it a pact. Whoever first established their business and needed help would employ the other.
After college, Charles moved back home. He made custom dresses for friends and family. One of his friends hosted events for the Atlanta society. He would always make her a new dress for her to wear at her gatherings. When the guests saw what she wore, they all wanted him to make something for them. Around that time, Instagram was becoming big. He opened an account. This turned out to first be a blessing, and then a curse. Initially, it brought him a lot of business. He quickly expanded, taking on staff. But displaying his creations to the world meant that they could easily be knocked off and sold for less. This is what happened. The competition was able to undercut him, and in the end killed his business.
He rekindled his alliance with Sergio, and moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where Sergio was starting a very successful business clothing the local socialites. Sergio went away to compete on Rihanna’s show, Styled to Rock. Meanwhile, Charles stayed behind to babysit Sergio’s business. Sergio, won the competition. When he returned, the two men made good on their college pact and Charles went to work with him full-time. The publicity brought the business fame, but not necessarily fortune. The Los Angeles firm, Style PR discovered the new designers and put them on the map. They realized, in 2016 it was time to move to Los Angeles to be near the action. This got him celebrity placements. They design clothes for Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Beyoncé, and Kamala Harris, to name a few. To this day, Charles continues to work with Sergio, as a co-creative Director.
When not working, Charles spends his time doing activities that bring him joy Every morning when he wakes up, he watches funny videos on Instagram for half an hour. Painting gives him a further outlet for his creativity. And dressing himself is not an activity to be taken lightly.
His own personal dress style is always a Paramount importance to him. He always wants to dress to feel good. He calls his style clean, comfortable elegance. The clothing is loose and flowing, but always stylish. Whether he’s at a celebrity event, in the grocery store, at target, or even lounging around at home, he always has to look good. Jewelry is an important part of his dressing and his collection is extensive The investment valued does not factor in. His favorite kind of jewelry is handmade that shows the soul of the maker. He loves natural stones and the feeling of the emotion behind it. The other kind of jewelry he likes has clean lines with a minimalist feel. Scent is also important to him. Wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he is always fragrant.
When asked to put together a dinner party with anyone, he likes, living or dead, his love of fashion and strong women comes through. Grace Jones would be at the table. He admires her boldness, and the fact that she can be masculine and feminine at the same time. Beyoncé. He figures would have a lot to say. Queen Nefertiti from ancient Egypt would be able to answer a lot of questions he’s always had. And then there are the designers. Vera Wong, Stephan, Burrows, and Patrick Kelly.
I asked him what the worst gift he’s ever had, and what he did with it. He told me that the gifts he thinks are the worst are the ones that don’t seem to have anything to do with him. However, he still keeps all gifts, and sometimes even the wrapping paper because he loves the sentiment behind receiving them. This proves the sentiment behind what I call his “Award Winning Smile.”
Find him on Instagram @charlesfd