A Sprinkle of Brittany Byrd
Hi Brittany!
What´s up!
In front of me on my computer screen is Brittany Byrd, seated near a large window that allows the Los Angeles sunlight into her living room. Her long locks in brown and dark blonde nuances frame her face in a half-up-half down hairstyle. Green plants are in the background and around her. A humble smile is displayed on her face as she begins to tell me about her travels for show season.
I´m a homebody by nature. Coming off of fashion month and everything I´m just now getting back in the pace of my insular life, my super personal life. I do yoga every day, meditation is really big for me. I´m in the process of setting up my house because I moved here like three months ago, but I never got to set it up because as soon as I got the keys, I was on road.
You mentioned that you traveled a lot recently. Tell me about that. Where did you go?
My first stop was Milan. Diesel flew me out to attend the Glenn Martin Show, which was amazing. It rained like torrential rain, probably the whole show, and it stopped on like the last look. So I was like, this is where God and fashion link up. The overall energy of the show was insane. My next stop after that was Paris. It was my first time in Paris and it was my first Paris Fashion Week. It was like overwhelming because, I mean, your first fashion week anywhere is a lot. But it was amazing. I met Erykah Badu and made it on Vogue's best dressed list with her. She's a huge inspiration for my style. It was sick.
BRITTANY wearing JEWELRY by MATERIAL GOOD, TRENCH COAT by DAILY PAPER, SHORTS by A. ROEGE HOVE and SHOES by GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI
So after Paris you went back to LA?
I was in Paris for like two weeks, then I went to New York and tried to get my life together there, which I couldn't. So then I came back to LA.
You tried to get your life together in New York? What do you mean by that?
I´m a natural collector when it comes to clothes. I have stuff that I know I´ll never even wear. I store all of that stuff in my New York apartment. It's smaller, so it's easier to visually see everything. But it was overwhelming because I had bought a lot of clothes from Paris. So bringing the new stuff and trying to curate and organize was overwhelming. So I was like, I'ma just chill out in L.A for a little bit, and then I'm back in New York in five days. So yeah.
Explain to me why you would have clothing that you know you will never wear?
I´m a collector. I have these really sick, uh, pleats, this pleated dress by, Issey (Miyake). I have no intention of wearing it. But just to like own that period of design is important to me. I just love it, like… I love clothes.
I feel you.
Yeah [laughs]
BRITTANY wearing JEWELRY by MATERIAL GOOD, JACKET by FILIPPA K and SHOES by TELFAR
Can you tell me a little bit about Byrd Museum? I´d love to know how the idea started and what your goal is?
Byrd Museum is literally my brainchild. A lot of my work that I do that isn't influencing is rooted in community. That's what Byrd Museum is for me. It is a physical location in LA, but Byrd Museum is also wherever I am. I will throw an impromptu event. I have an amazing collection of humans in my life that I also like curate for different sectors. Whether it's art directors, set designers, DJs that's always a good formula for a party. It started because I was rejected after having my first art show in Seaport. I was rejected by a curator of maybe the Brooklyn Museum at the time, and she kind of told me, that I wasn't black enough to paint and put my art right fourth in the world. I was like, I wake up Black.
I remember that like it was yesterday. I was sitting at the table and I kind of just like ate that. I was like, okay, I heard you. And I was like, I don't need this outward validation from the art world that was built predominantly by a white audience. I can validate myself. I don't care if I sell my work for $5 or $10. It's not about that for me. It's genuinely about creation, which will always fascinate my mind and the scientific management in which the way the artist's mind works in general. So that was the pinnacle for me to be like, I'm gonna do this shit on my own. I don't know how. I only have the knowledge that I soaked up from Parsons. In a literary sense, because you can only go so forth with art without getting your hands dirty.
BRITTANY wearing JEWELRY by MATERIAL GOOD, JACKET by TELFAR, SHOES by GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI
So what happened after that?
I purchased a building a mile away from my mother's house. It used to be a grow house for marijuana, and I reconstructed it with my family, turning it into a literal community center. A lot wasn't posted on the internet, but I would have painting classes for kids, invite my artist friends to use the space, and more. It's hard for me to showcase everything on Instagram because everything is so brand-oriented. But those who have been to Byrd Museum events know. For me, it was like this cool underground moment that is ever-evolving. Byrd Museum, for me, is about execution, a lesson I learned because running a business is really hard. There are things I've tried and failed at, but I don't believe in the word 'failure.' It's all part of the learning process.
And then there´s "Primary Market"?
Primary Market is a more sustainable, actual business plan for me. It´s a flea market for designers and creators, and it's also a car show for vintage cars. It merges this beautiful balance of car guys with girls into vintage fashion. Somebody made us an installation out of, like, hair barrettes and turned it into primary colors; that was our main backdrop. We had a prominent artist from the LA area, David Sebastian. He came and created the backdrop for people to walk in and take pictures by. We had colored G-wagons to match, all vintage from Found Objects, which is owned by a really good friend of mine in the Arts district. So, it's like taking these bits and parts of LA.
BRITTANY wears JEWELRY by MATERIAL GOOD, SHOES by GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI, PANTS and GLOVES by HARBISON
What has the gender role dynamic looked like in the industries you have worked in?
Most of the industries I’ve worked in — music, fashion — are male dominated. Sometimes it can be intimidating, and that’s when I have to get in my delulu bag of “I am who I say I am.” You have to trust your voice and the process, but also speak up for yourself in these male dominated spaces. I can’t stress that enough. I used to have a problem with that, to be honest. It wasn’t always natural to me. But standing up for yourself is key, because fashion is brutal.
BRITTANY wearing JEWELRY by MATERIAL GOOD, BRALETTE by HARBISON, SKIRT by A. ROEGE HOVE and FEATHERS by OSEREE
