The first time I wore something bright and loud in public that was authentically my own style was my first rainbow wig. That took sheer audacity and pure courage. There was absolutely no confidence involved, because confidence means experience. What does that mean?
If you summon your courage enough times, eventually you build up confidence. But until your courage muscles are bulging, you don’t have confidence. Courage experience leads to confidence. And if you stop at confidence, and don’t continue to exercise your courage skills, you’ll stop growing and learning.
When I wore that first rainbow wig, which looked like I had dyed my own hair, I was sending a message. This is who I am. This is what I think I should look like. This is what I look like when I feel like myself.
I’ll never forget that first experience wearing bright, bold color on my head, because it was a huge exercise in courage. It taught me that I didn’t need confidence. We all need practice in summoning the courage to be who we are. And I couldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if it weren’t for that day.
This month I interviewed and wrote about four very different color courageous women. Four women who’ve built their lives through sheer courage.
Olivia Rubin trained at Central Saint Martins, worked at McQueen, Dior, and Galliano, then relaunched her own label from her dining table with a rainbow sequin skirt. “I accidentally started my brand with no plan, no funding, just an idea and a longing to create colourful clothes that made me feel like myself again.”
Jennie Walker wore black for a long time before she let color into her life. She now owns the largest known working vintage Moschino archive in the country, over 2,000 pieces. “Color is also about being seen. You have to be willing to be seen. You have to be willing to stand out.”
Joan Bostwick makes oversized ostrich feather brooches by hand and dresses brides, dancers, and Kentucky Derby guests. Her motto is We Make Everyone Fancy. “I never wanted to look like everyone else, but always wanted my own identity to shine.”
Lakwena Maciver put neon wool into a Floor Story rug for the very first time and named it Home & Peace. “With all of my work my hope is always that it will bring hope and life to the spaces that it lives in.”
You can feel their courage emanating from their words. You know what I love? The word encourage has the word courage in it! My job is to encourage you to be color brave, and to introduce you to the color maximalists who are living in full blown technicolor. I’ve learned that color maximalism comes from courage. Be courageous, color lovers. You wield the power of color.