Today we’d like to introduce you to Dezi Cartier.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Let me start off by saying thank you for having me on your platform. You know it all started with my childhood. As a kid I wasn’t the most overtly popular anything crazy like that but I’ve always been Dezi since the beginning. Dezi loves clothes fashion, music, art, and things that would probably drive your parents crazy. But I never stopped listening to those things or not wanting them from life. I think that train of thought has aged well for me and helped me get to where I am today.
When I began in entertainment I started modeling and acting as a kid which was super exciting at that age. My role in that has changed back and forth over the years and now it’s been tight because I have a new footprint in that atmosphere.
Life has a funny way of bringing you places you didn’t see going but outside from my pursuit of the arts I’m in the entertainment and music merchandizing industry. I like spelling it with a z haha. It’s been a really cool space for me in terms of business and who I am as a person. It’s a culmination of my love for fashion, music and other things that to me are dope. I think I’ve always been the purpose over anything kind of person. It helped a lot being that way because I do not see something as always logical I see for the art and purpose behind the project. I really like to work on things that I believe in and some of my favorite projects nostalgia has been the catalyst. One of my favorite projects was working with Gang Starr and then DJ Premier for Beats That Collected Dust Vol.3. That relationship started purely from my love for the music. Another client I really respect and appreciate is Caskey. I’ve always loved his music and he really puts a lot behind his merch in regards to quality and pushing the bar. I just recently started working with Armored MMA. So it’s always fun and I follow what my heart enjoys. Super grateful for all the projects I’ve gotten to be a part of and the people as well.
You know life can be really full circle though. From being in that industry I started making my own clothes under DeziCARTIER. It’s something I’ve always had my heart set on and really wanted to explore from my love for fashion. Since I’ve started I’ve spent a lot of time putting thought behind the purpose of each piece I make and if I do use a logo how can I make it so that the main focus isn’t a logo. There’s a couple pairs of bottoms I’ve done called the Illinoise Cargo Trousers where I’ve placed a print on the front over the seam of the bottoms. It’s something I love to wear because it’s a cool way to showcase a cropped fit and you do not see it very often. The name is an homage to where I was born in Illinois and my love for music. The by hand component on pieces is important to me because I wanted to really be apart of the process in making the pieces. Quality too, sourcing the garments from places of integrity to me. It really wasn’t till my buddy Vinz wanted me to make him custom piece and asked for the logo to be on the front that I had ever even thought to put it on a piece. Then I began to incorporate my name further into the pieces. I would only sew my initials or if it’s a custom for someone their initials onto the sleeve. This last tour he went on he took some pieces on the road and it was so dope seeing those out in the wild. Honestly it is out of passion and I’ve done it for the love of the process. From sewing or even just conceptualizing the pieces it’s therapy bringing something to life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not, but that does not mean you can’t smooth it out when it’s bumpy. I think life has to be made and created before it can be lived. So I mean there are times when I’ve felt that heavy. Music and creating has always been great remedy to those moments though for me. So many of our dreams get stifled by reality sometimes but you just gotta eat those moments to the face as best as you can. I think some of our greatest moments come from when we have the least certainty or control of what’s going on. Showing that can almost feel like a luxury at times but we are all human and doing our best. I’m hella human and know first hand how hard that can be at times. I’m a little quiet about those moments usually and that’s because I kind of grew up with it not being ok to show it. At the end of the it’s your life and experiences nobody knows exactly what that feels like besides you so we gotta give ourselves some credit and love too. I’m a firm believer that you can make it look good still and not for everyone else but for yourself to survive those moments when life gets tough. Certainly there is tragedy in life and hardship we all face.
There’s many times where I am tired but staying up throughout the night working on a piece or working and then going to the studio to make music. Those instances are the love and drive for what I like to do but beyond those scenarios I mean life can be a struggle straight up. I moved out really young and did not make it through college so I had to really work to get to somewhere I want to be. Plus the nuances of living and surviving, I give grace to everyone because it gets real out there. My mental has been so important and keeping hope through any rough time internally. There’s a lot of power and strength that comes from us in the not so stellar moments of life. I give many thanks to art, people, and inspiration for getting me through those times.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What’s today? I gotta check. Really depends on the day. I’ve done modeling and acting which was kind of my first love. Beyond I’m an artist and am in the entertainment and music merchandizing industry. I’ve been a lot of things though in life and really find solace in the thought – I am whatever I want to be. With merchandizing it encompasses so much beyond what you might think of naturally. It is e-commerce, music production, business, and I like to think creativity. All my life I’ve been very transparent for what I love. In that industry it helps a lot taking interest fashion and keeping in tune of what’s going on and nexxt. Even on a less creative level details. I’ve always been a details type mind and it has also aged well into what I projects I have whether it’s in that space or art.
Clothes resonate so heavily with all the things that maybe I have felt quirky about myself at some point in time. I’m really big on if I distress a piece why am I doing what I am where I am. I think and feel a lot during that process. In turn I think that helps connect the dots on something looking dope or just to say it was done to be done. I am very critical of myself and that can at times hold you up but also at times that can be a good thing too if used properly.
The times where I’ve thought maybe I’m doing too much have ended up helping the end result of whatever it is I am working on or trying to accomplish. When I was working on some projects within music side of the industry I would send the graphic artist notes about the background on the artist and things I personally thought would be dope to implement. That’s not something someone would ask of you but things that like that can help attain the end product. It situational and in that case I did not want to encroach on any creativity from the graphic artist and still be respectful to them. So it goes back to that understanding of humans and things of that nature too. That’s why I think the human in us makes so important. I’m always gonna put myself into a project if I am a part of it.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think a mentor can be game changing in life and whatever it is you want to do. I haven’t met most of my mentors if that make sense ahaha. There have been many people I look up to from authors, movie characters and so on. I did not grow up with a super tight family but I’ve had many great friend and influences in my life. You can find such great knowledge on things you are curious about or want to get better at through books or even online. There are so many things that don’t easily come up in life or get discussed that I’ve found from listening or reading. When I was a valet I would listen to audio books by like Napoleon Hill and Robert Cialdini on YouTube everyday. Equally I think there are fictious characters that can guide us through life.
I think in terms of networking something that has really showed it’s self is that being you will attract who it is meant to. Throughout my life even when I was focused more so on one thing than another I still made a lot of friends and network in other various industries. I’m Dezi no matter who I meet. I think being genuine and a good person really can go far in life even if we feel like at times it is doing the opposite effect. Touching on reality, there have been so many times I could have been dissuaded from the things I love in life but I stand true to them. It’s a great strength to be yourself if you are leading intention and treating people with integrity. Then you can’t go wrong.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dezicartier/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeziCartier?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dezibennett/
- Twitter: https://x.com/dezicartier?s=11
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBVYddwe-EC88P9Sa2Q6F7w
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/34bgo58z97qeE3wpEwUs0H
Image Credits
Raphael Loquellano
