Fairy-tales and fashion have been a dynamic duo since Cinderella lost her Prada Glass Slipper. In her quest for love, she traded her last season’s rags for one night-use of a Christian Dior Gown. The outfit of a princess, queen, or prince is always the essence of elegance and love, and Designer Naima Ferbos is no stranger to love, fashion, and fairy-tales.
Ferbos, a New Orleans native and non-traditional wedding gown designer, has been designing for over seven years. Ferbos designs for the unorthodox bride who has a story to tell and a testament to make love.
“Each gown is designed for each specific woman. I allow clients to come in and tell me their ideas for about an hour and I create something they will cherish, keep, and remember for a lifetime,” Ferbos said.
No one gown in Afomi Black Label, Ferbos’s Brand, is the same. Longtime client and model of Ferbos’s, Priscell Holman said. “Afomi Black Label is like a fairytale; the designs are so over the top and amazing.” Ferbos’s inspiration for her gown comes from the structure of gowns in the early 1900s.
Ferbos’s passion for art, love, fashion and production has landed her an upcoming opportunity to showcase her entire vision to an international audience during Essence weekend. The show will be about the empowerment of women, displaying the woman breaking her shell, showing her power, all while attending an extravagant non-traditional wedding.
“There’s so much power in femininity and I make sure I include this in my gowns and in my production to show the power in womanhood,” Ferbos added.
As a transgender woman, Ferbos has faced several struggles in her design career. Misconceptions and discrimination are common issues for Ferbos, and sometimes reflects on her design process.
“Going from a young man to a beautiful woman, you will deal with a lot of people who are uncomfortable or uneducated about trans people. It affects my design process because of the way I translate my ability to create who I am, into creating who my client wants to be through their gown” said Ferbos.
Throughout the past couple of months Ferbos has contemplated ending her designing career, finding love, and has experienced other outside pressures. However, through it all and the process of creating her production, Ferbos has found love and her fairy-tale in more ways than one.
“I am literally watching something I prophesied a year ago, manifest right in front my eyes. I am anxious and nervous for the show but I am blessed to watch all of this happen right before my eyes in such a short amount of time,” Ferbos said.
Ferbos’s Afomi Black Label Show will be June 29th, from 10 pm – 2 am at the Hilton Garden Inn. More information on the event and Ferbos can be found at Afomiblacklabel.eventbrite.com or by calling504-315-4618.
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