Ghetto Runways | S4 EP 5 — Aleali May

Ghetto Runways

Fashion designer and stylist Aleali May recounts her professional evolution from a retail associate at Louis Vuitton in Chicago to a global force

Key takeaways

• Aleali May's early retail experience at Louis Vuitton provided a foundational understanding of luxury client relations and brand history.
• RSVP Gallery acted as a critical cultural intersection where streetwear brands like Pyrex Vision met high fashion icons.
• The transition from Chicago to Los Angeles allowed her to expand into professional styling, notably for Kendrick Lamar's appearances on Jimmy Kimmel.
• Her design philosophy for Jordan Brand utilized materials like corduroy and satin to represent the textures of Los Angeles street style.
• She emphasizes that while digital presence is important, physical visibility at events like Paris Fashion Week is essential for long-term industry invitations.

Main topics

• Chicago Streetwear Roots
• Louis Vuitton Retail Experience
• Virgil Abloh & RSVP Gallery Influence

Notable quotes

You could be fly on the internet and that's amazing, but like when people see you in person, they're gonna remember to invite you as well.

Conclusion

An inspiring look at how authenticity and active participation in one'

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) How did you get there? Speaker 3 (0:01) How did Speaker 1 (0:02) I Speaker 3 (0:02) get there? Uh, you know, putting on my flyest fit every single day. Right, right. Speaker 1 (0:07) I can't really know. We don't know, like, there's something like, you putting that shit on. Putting that shit on. Every day. Every day. Speaker 3 (0:13) My whole wall was Aaliyah, like, you know, and you see that in the style. And looking at it now, those are my first forms of what representation was. Kendrick's manager walked in and was like, yo, we need a stylist tomorrow for Jimmy Kimmel. And everybody's like, Aaliyah could do it. I'm like... Huh? We landed, I'm with EZ, he's like, where you at sis? I'm like, all right, pull up. You know, we're with Travis and them, Virgil, Jerry. At the time, Travis just released Anecdote, I think. And I remember meeting a guy there, he was a photographer. When I left Paris, he posted me on Vogue. You could be fly on the internet and that's amazing, but like when people see you in person, they're gonna remember to invite you as well. They're like, so if you wanted to do a Jordan, like, what would you do? And I'm like, they gonna kill me. Jordan won. Excellence. Speaker 2 (1:30) Welcome back. Ghetto Runway season four. Please like, comment, subscribe. We need the help. We appreciate the love. It's been overwhelming. Twins, what's going on, brother? A beautiful day in Chicago, man. Speaker 1 (1:42) Great day in the neighborhood. I'm saying the sun is out and we got a, you know, like one of our top requested. guest with us today, facts. You know, like, I just think about when you talk about writing your life, you know what I'm saying? This next guest, she exemplifies that, you know, to the fullest. And I was privy to see it early on. We got a Lailie Mae here. What's up, Leigh? Thank you. How are you? Speaker 3 (2:13) Thank you. Thank you for having me. What's Speaker 1 (2:15) happening? Thanks for pulling up on us. Go ahead. Of course. No, yeah. So, like we said earlier, since the inception, you know, you've been like the number one, you and somebody else, as far as women, that they want to see. And, you know, it made sense. And we tried to make it happen before. Absolutely. We was in L.A., tried to get it situated. But we're glad we got it going now. Speaker 3 (2:36) Yeah. In Chicago. Yeah, Speaker 1 (2:38) in Chicago. Yeah. I'm not going to say where it started because you're not from here, but. Speaker 3 (2:43) It's definitely that particular time in my life is really where it started. Like I came to Chicago really knowing nothing. 18, just graduated high school, came to a city I knew nothing about. And I can't say that it did start here, you know. Speaker 1 (3:00) So when you when you started at LV, you were 18? Speaker 3 (3:05) Yes. Yes. Nah, Speaker 1 (3:07) it's funny because I remember that day. I remember when you came in there, right? Yeah. And they was like, oh, there's a new girl on there. Yeah. And, you know, she was real quiet as though, just chill. You know what I'm saying? Like, we couldn't tell if she was fly because we had to wear a uniform. Right. Speaker 3 (3:25) But Speaker 1 (3:25) all the guys, they was like, oh man, you gotta see the new girl over there, the new girl. And I was like, oh, she's young. She's Speaker 3 (3:30) really Speaker 1 (3:31) young. She's quiet, you know, just real cool, real chill, whatever. And then retail. So let's talk about retail in general. Yes. How did that help you? Speaker 3 (3:46) Just in general, I mean, my first job, I definitely was not about to work in a restaurant. I was like, I got to work in a retail store. Obviously, you know, I grew up mall culture. I worked at Pacific Somewhere, PacSun. And at the time, you know, just to give you like a gist, it was like Rob Dyrdek's brand, Robin Biggin there. There was, you know, Roxy, Quicksilver. Speaker 3 (4:10) Just like a lot of brands that we would see like MTV, Karma Loop, Famous Stars and Straps, things like that. So that kind of just gives you a gist of, you know, what I'm growing up in. And that was really fun just because I was like, I'm working at the mall. I'm working with clothes and I've always been into fashion. So like, how kind of was I? on the move to get to where I'm going definitely started there and then for college yeah I was well actually I was working at American Apparel and like my dream I was like man I want to be on a pair of socks you know I was like Speaker 1 (4:46) I made it and Speaker 3 (4:48) I think one day I walked into Louis Vuitton and knew the security guard and I was like I get in here and he was like all right I'm a wait till like our district manager comes and then I'm gonna call you so you can come and bring your resume. So I was attending Columbia College at the time. I was going to school for marketing and he called me and I was like, do I go to class or do I go and turn in this resume? And I was like, you know what? I'm gonna go back to my dorm. I'm a dress like I work there. Because I am young, I was like, it might be a little bit harder to get in. Everybody there was definitely like well in their late 20s all the way to, let's say, 40s, 50s, 60s maybe. So I was like, if I dress the part, maybe I look like I fit in. And on my way in the taxi, I'm like looking up on Wikipedia, like facts about Louis Vuitton. Because I was like, man, I wasn't ready for this. But like, you know, so. I applied that pressure. I was like, hey, like, I really want to turn in my resume. I was like, you know, I love Louis Vuitton, like started in 1854 and the canvas bags. And she's like going, she's like, oh, great. Like, yeah, I love that you love, you know, you know, all this information. And then she was like, well, you know, in a couple of months we'll be hiring. So maybe we'll call you for seasonal. And so then I got the call back. And then that's when I started working at Louis Vuitton. everybody was like, who's this new girl? So, you know, I definitely became like point in contact for a lot of clients, you know, coming to buy belts and, you know, the little Alma patent leather bags for their girl, you know, they had the matching belt, the wallets, things like that. So I was actually like. top sales, like whether it was like units per transaction or just like selling. But then also that was gaining the clientele in Chicago, just people I knew, but also going to Columbia and just being in the loop. You know, I lived in the dorms, which is like in the middle of the city. So, you know, just walking around. And then about probably two months before I moved to Chicago, I came across RSVP Gallery's Tumblr. Wow. And I was like, I already been following Don and Virgil and Kristen, you know, on Tumblr, but I didn't know about RSVP. And so I was like, all right, well, I'm moving to Chicago. I'm going to go there. And when I first started going there, I was going there for in-stores, like Kid Cudi and Chip the Rip had an in-store. Who else? N.E.R.D. I think that was like the first one. And I was like nervous because RSVP, outside of like the people that were there. It looked like a museum, looked like you couldn't touch anything, you know, but it was also, and to paint that picture again, it was a place that you see all your favorite things on the internet, like Tumblr, all in one place. So like in a Goliard trunk, you had. you know, BBC Billionaire Boys Club t-shirts folded. On the wall you had Murakamis, you know, you had the big neon signs of Chanel and, you know, the Louis Vuitton, everything. A huge Astro Boy. So it was like everything in our world incorporated into a store and I felt so seen because I'm like where, you know, I learned fashion, which is really through hip hop. You know, hip hop really taught me fashion, hip hop, R &B, all the girlies, you know, and even when it did come to high fashion, the first woman I'm seeing is the Naomi's, the Kimora Lee Simmons. And then at the time, baby fat was super huge for me growing up. So I'm like, wow, you could be a boss. You can be fly, you know, and you could get the girls fly. Like who wouldn't want that? Speaker 3 (8:47) So all of that really helped paint the picture of the type of girl that I wanted to be. My whole wall was Aaliyah. And you see that in the style. And for me, I think looking at it now, those are my first forms of what representation was. So seeing girls, they're like, yo, she looks like me. She's fly. She's cool. That's how I want to be. And from an early age, five. I could say I can really start remembering things, especially like what I'm wearing. And then, you know, you showing up to school, latest Jordans, if you ain't have them, you know, that Speaker 2 (9:25) was Speaker 3 (9:26) a thing. So, you know, getting to Louis Vuitton, that was crazy because then I learned more about high fashion at the time. Marc Jacobs, you know, was doing the Takashi releases. And so seeing that from a sales point of view was really cool and just young. You know, so soaking all of that in and, you know, I just didn't really know how to break into fashion. But definitely working at Louis Vuitton and RSVP were two places and hubs that I got both of those. The learning experience was crazy, obviously being underneath Don and Virgil. Having them come in with all their energy and they're coming in from Watch the Throne. You know, I met them the night of Watch the Throne, Chicago. Wow. Yeah, I'm like it was in the ethers but it's to happen because you know there I the timing is really everything and like trusting that I was Speaker 2 (10:19) meant to be yeah, Speaker 3 (10:20) now Speaker 2 (10:21) I remember just that's that's when I remember seeing you I'm like yo, you got this fly ass girl to be a hard BP like he was working there super cool and like you said at the time like being the RSVP was like being on the internet like Speaker 1 (10:35) it's Speaker 2 (10:35) like It's like on your favorite blog and you just get to touch all this shit. There's just so much like that's I want to that's really when I want to dive in like Let's talk about your RSVP RSVP time. You know, I'm saying like how was that like? Speaker 3 (10:50) Yeah, I feel like my eyes was just my third eye open there, you know, I felt like I was like a sponge But everything was just like to the highest level. Like I couldn't really put into words what I was experiencing or just even seeing, you know, we had pow chains from and Lushay you or verbal and you and, you know, at the time it was super fun T-shirts, which were Virgil's original like party shirts. And then from there it moved into Pyrex Vision. And, you know. Any person that worked in the store, we was the models for the store. We ran the Instagram. We ran the Twitter. You know, it really helps you kind of be like this all around athlete in a way. And Speaker 1 (11:39) so. You know what? Not to cut you off. I'm glad you went there because working in retail, you're definitely a part of breaking a lot of brands, right? Yeah. And RSVP. Speaker 1 (11:54) Broke a lot of brands. Speaker 3 (11:56) Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And like. It was in-house brands, right, by Don and Virgil and all of the friends. And then really moving into when we started getting Jordan and Nike account to Givenchy account. Right. And you have to think, like, at that time, like, just in the U.S., we didn't have stores like that. You know, Colette existed in Paris. Exactly. You know, there was... there was really no other store that you can pinpoint and be like, so it was for sure a destination spot. So with it being a destination spot, everybody would come into town. You had a concert, you getting fresh at, you know, RSVP, Leaders, you know, which I tried to get a job at before RSVP. Really? Yeah. That was, you know, listen, shout out Jovi, you know, the whole, you know. Speaker 3 (12:53) But yeah, and I remember actually going into leaders had a fake shirt with some sixes out fly, you know, like, okay, and that was actually where I saw Vashti shoe. But it didn't like I wasn't like, I want to make a Jordan. I was just like, that's so fly because I love Vashti, like seeing her walking in twos, a hoodie and denim shorts with Pharrell and pairs. And the Louis bag. I'm like, that's me. Like, you know, and I think. Speaker 1 (13:22) Because I'm going to say, like, your style is definitely tomboy. Speaker 3 (13:26) Yeah. Speaker 1 (13:26) Right? How would you say, like, growing up in L.A.? Yeah. Do you think that influenced, like, how you dress still to this day? Absolutely, yes. Speaker 3 (13:34) Because, so I had, you know, I was very fortunate to have, like, a very fresh family. You know, my grandmother was definitely, like, luxe. She was more into, like, the name brands, furs, you know, just really, you know, fly, right? Speaker 3 (13:51) My mom was definitely more like she loved Sade, but she would wear like Ralph Lauren, you know, the boots with like the oversized real 90s, you know, slick back bun, ponytail, red lip. My dad was super L.A., Chucks Dickies. But then he was also like, you know, there was definitely a time in like early 2000s, you know, when it was like big baggy denim shorts, plaid short sleeve, chicken leg, low cut sock. and like a runner. But then I knew like if I wanted Jordans, I'd ask my uncle, which that's my dad's younger brother. And he would always, he was like, I think when I was, when he was born, I bought you like sevens, you know, like that was like your first pair. But that was a thing between me and him. And he was in high school at the time. So like all his friends would come over my granny's house. Like it was just always a thing. Everybody was always fly. Speaker 3 (14:48) So a lot of the things that I would see, let's say in magazines or let's say in music videos, the first time I'm seeing it in real life was through my uncle, you know, like coming in with the jerseys and stuff like that. Whole wall, Master P, doll that talks, little Kim, you know. So like, again, all of those things help influence like my personal style. And I feel like, you know, at some point they like, all right, so. what are you going to do? And I'm like, uh, you know, I'd have like little styling sessions with my granny. She'd be like polka dots and stripes you cannot wear. I'm like, guess what? They're doing it today. Speaker 1 (15:27) It's Speaker 3 (15:27) called maximalism. But yeah, all of that was just, I just soaked it in, but I love fashion, but that's also how I was introduced. So I feel like it always comes out in my projects of like the feeling of when you're seeing these things. And then like building through that with the story and the campaign, you know. Speaker 2 (15:48) Let's talk about some of your projects. What's your first project? Speaker 3 (15:52) My first design ever to the world was my first Air Jordan 1 collaboration. That's Speaker 1 (15:58) why I set you up. Speaker 3 (15:59) And it was, Speaker 1 (16:00) it Speaker 3 (16:01) was. Speak Speaker 1 (16:02) on how you got it, though. We need to know. Yes. Okay. Okay. Speaker 3 (16:05) So. working at RSVP, you know, this was like 2011, 2012-ish. Gmo Wong and Frank Cook, you know, they would just come in every time they'd come into Chicago and like I met them, but it wasn't really like crazy, you know, and easy. The manager at the time that is also the owner of Anthony Gallery now, you know, he would put me on the shoes. Like he'd be wearing LeBron South beaches and things like that. So, you know, there was always like just this constant overflow of inspiration. I didn't know that I was going to reconnect with Gmo and Frank years later. So I left Chicago in 2013