IKE LOVE Will be Walking in the "CLEONS DESTRUCTION Fashion Show: in 3D," Saturday, Sept 15, 2012

I had seen the CLEONS Clothing line on the web over the past year and I always was intrigued by the its unique edgy, designs, so when I saw a chance to participate in the designer's upcoming fashion show, I immediately jumped on it.  The designer, Chad, required that models send in a link to video footage of themselves walking the runway, and luckily for me, I just so happened to have two clips of me at a fashion show I did last year.  I emailed them to him, he liked what he saw, called me the next day for a phone interview, and then after the interview, told me I was in the show, and told me the next rehearsal/fitting was Saturday, July 28, 2012 (the day after my birthday :-) ).

CLEONS CLOTHING CO. was started in 2005  and is based in Chicago, Illinois.  The "C" in "CLEON" stands for the first letter in the name of the designer, Chad.  "LEON" is the designers middle name and the "S" is the first letter in the designer's last name.  Inspired by 80s fashion on the East Coast, CLEONS CLOTHING has an East Coast vibe and appeal full of power and dominance.  It is made for the young, the popular, the laidback and the high energy man and woman. The line consists of fabrics purchased from fabric stores and sewn on a sewing machine and is not altered from pre-made manufactured clothing, so those who purchase CLEON are getting custom hand made pieces.

"CLEONS DESTRUCTION Fashion Show: in 3D"  is taking place Saturday, September 15, 2012 at 7PM at the Broad Street Ballroom.  Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.  To purchase tickets, you can personally contact me at ikelove1@aol.com or visit: http://cleonsdestructiontickets.eventbrite.com/

My Partcipation in Men's Panel Discussion w/ BET Style Icon, Keith Ritzberg

Late last year, sometime around November/December of 2011, I received a call from Keith Ritzberg, Celebrity Stylist/BET Style Icon.  During the course of our phone conversation, he told me how he was so impressed and inspired by a show I had put together that he attended back in November 2010 called The Ike Show - "Emergence of an Icon," and because of this, had wanted me to participate in an upcoming webisode series that he was producing and hosting that was going to be a panel discussion that talked about men's issues, somewhat of a male version of "The View."

 

His concern was that men weren't raising other men the way they used to like when he was growing up where men would look back at other men who were a few years younger and give them mentorship/advice as to the proper course of action to take.  He wanted to use his show, "The Ritzberg Report," to fill this chasm and also show the world what men, who were actively pursuing their dreams and developing themselves as men thought about certain issues.

The idea sounded very intriguing to say the least and I was more than happy to accept his invitation.

This was my first recorded panel discussion, and though it was challenging to talk about and share certain things, it truly was a joy and an honour to participate in something like this with other men: Bertini - Model/Actor/Underwear Designer/Fitness Consultant; Ivelaw Peters - Actor; Mark Henry - Video Procucer, and of course, Keith Ritzberg, who like me, are all on the grind making our life dreams happen.  I'm looking forward to doing more shows like this in the future.

It's All about Who You Associate With...

I've often heard and read about successful people saying that if you want to progress in life, if you want to be successful, then it's a MUST that you associate yourself with the RIGHT type of people.  The right type of people being those who are consistently going after their dreams, those who aren't afraid to invest in their future and also, those who have already achieved success in achieving the life that they want.

Recently, as I've been dealing with my own blocks of creativity and inspiration, I've found that what has truly been helpful in helping me overcome these blocks and picking myself back up is these very associations just mentioned in the previous paragraph, either directly or indirectly with people in the fashion/entertainment industry who have taken the bull by the horns and are taking BOLD steps towards achieving their dreams: from models who are launching their own underwear lines, to actors who are working on their own productions, to designers creating FABULOUS clothing lines with limited resources, to entrepreneurs creating their own lifestyle brand with an expansive product line, to models who book their own ad campaigns without the help of an agency.

DESPITE having little money, despite repeated rejection from the "establishment," and despite the personal problems they may be facing, these people have managed to push on and accomplish amazing things. These people have made me ask myself, "If they're doing all this stuff, why not me?"

In ANY endeavour, who you choose to surround yourself with has a DIRECT impact on your future.  Associating with ambitious, enterprising people can inspire us by showing us that it is possible to achieve the lives that we desire.  We learn that everyone, including successful people have challenges, but that successful people don't use these challenges as an excuse  t not take any action towards their goals.  Associating with successful people help us to see that success is possible for ourselves if we take ACTION.

From proper association, I've been inspired to move forward and overcome my "obstacles."