Today we’d like to introduce you to Fatimah Valentin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Fatimah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Fashion + Jewelry have always been a passion of mine. Being of Middle Eastern descent, my mother had the most amazing vintage jewelry from exotic parts of the world. A world that the jewelry helped me dream through since I was born in the U.S. and raised in Oak Cliff, TX in a hard, working-class immigrant family. Both parents worked full-time and sometimes worked two jobs to ensure we had our basic needs met. My Mother and Grandmother (and actually my father too) had/have amazing style and I looked forward to visiting my Sito (Grandmother) on Sundays where I would devour her fashion magazines.
My parents afforded us a once per year shopping trip before the school year started that consisted of a few basic tops and bottoms and one pair of shoes to get us through the year. It was in junior high that I discovered thrift shopping to help fill the gaps and I have been addicted to the “thrill of the hunt” for discarded gems awaiting my rescue ever since. I developed a keen eye for spotting vintage textiles and patterns among the rows of second-hand goods and graduated to the garage, then estate sales, vintage shops and eventually buying directly from people’s closets. My mom used to joke and say that I had, “Neiman Marcus taste with Kmart money.”
Fast forward to a caring junior high art teacher who saw something in me and helped me apply to Booker T. Washington H.S., back when it was truly serving the less privileged of Dallas youth in providing an outlet for creative expression and energy that may have otherwise gone awry. I was accepted and it was there, with an entire student body of glorious misfits that I fell in love with studio arts and honed in on metalsmithing + jewelry design.
From there, the road took many twists and turns. I worked in floral design, the non-profit sector and finally, as a fashion stylist. All the while hoarding vintage and finding ways and means to never stray too far from my dream of having my own studio/boutique where I could share my finds and creations.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road hasn’t been super smooth, but I say this knowing now how good my situation was compared to many people. As I mentioned, I grew up in Oak Cliff, TX in the 80’s + 90’s, when it wasn’t fashionable and to my knowledge, my family were the only Arabs living on that side of downtown. We were working class, no doctors or engineers – my parents and their families left their countries due to political turmoil and declining opportunities in search of an American Dream – the Reagan Era took care to shatter the foundations my family had begun to build and from which they hardly ever recovered. I was never taught to speak Arabic and this, coupled with where we took up residence, proved a serious handicap when trying to commune with the Northern tribes of Richardson and surrounding suburbs – I was shunned for being too different. Luckily I found acceptance amongst the Mexican + Central American community south of the Trinity. They didn’t care that I didn’t speak Arabic and were eager to teach me their cultures. I found community + purpose at Booker T.. However, I still struggled with my identity and the duality that I lived with at home, with expectations to be a “perfect” Lebanese daughter + that often meant living with a double standard as a female and questioning what I was actually capable of achieving as a person in the world.
Come graduation, I had been accepted to RISD, Pratt + SCAD. To my dismay, my parents had the unfortunate task of informing me that, even with financial aid, all of these options were financially unfeasible, especially for an area of study that didn’t ensure a lucrative future – I would have to stay at home and work while attending a community college. I did that + eventually attended AI Dallas studying fashion design.
I married and worked, but I was unhappy and unable to reconcile myself with the lack of courage I had shown over the years to honor my true self in life. There were three life changing moments that turned everything around for me. One, my first daughter, Meena Aurelia, born in 2004. Two, the diagnosis and eventual loss of my mother to a battle with breast cancer in 2007. And three, the birth of my second Daughter Lulu Alice in 2008. My mother was only 56 years old when she passed on and this was a devastating eye opener for me. I had only just begun experiencing the magic that filled my first daughter and less than a year after my mother’s death, my second daughter was born and was filled with her own unique magic. I couldn’t help but think about all of the dreams my mother had held for her children and how many of her own dreams had been stolen or tossed aside, sacrificed in order to be a good daughter, wife and mother. And if I perpetuated this fear based living, would it be unintentionally communicated to my daughters and their lives? In examining this, I also came to recognize the wild-hearted spirit that lived within my mother and grandmother and sister and cousins that was undeniable. I don’t know why I allowed myself to suppress mine for so long. The loss of my mother was tragic and I made a vow to realize my dreams in honor of her and her dreams and of all of my ancestors who hold me up at this moment and show me that I don’t identify with any one group of people. That I am all of my experiences, but especially I am my own unique magic.
I began distancing myself from the corporate styling industry, deciding instead to work with individuals and special projects that jive with my vision. I took most of what I had in my savings and invested in my studio + storefront, invested in myself.
Tell us more about the business.
Fantastultra, (fan·tast – n. a visionary; a dreamer. ul·tra – adj. excessive; extreme.) are pieces I design that represents my perspective on feminism, beauty, ancestry, wisdom + power – communicated through a curated collection of handmade Jewelry and wares as a means of connecting to a cosmic tribe. The pieces I create are meant to hold power and become heirlooms that future generations may dream through. They hold experience and magic and are sentinels for the wearer. I mostly work in Argentium, which is a recycled fine silver material and I incorporate mixed metals and stones into my designs.
Portal 75 is where I house Fantastultra and my vintage addiction. I get my fashion fix, lessen my environmental footprint and help others lessen theirs by promoting a sustainable form of consumerism in recycled fashion. I carry a small curated collection of mostly women’s and some men’s vintage clothing ranging from the 60’s – 90’s with a sprinkle of 50’s and early 2000’s. Being petite and curvy, I am sure to make a serious effort to offer a range of sizes and shapes in the shop so as not to be exclusive. It isn’t very easy to put into words the aesthetic, it’s more of a mood or feeling that is communicated by the selection – it is definitely appealing to dreamers and individualists. I am most proud of the overall vision as a culmination of something I have been dreaming of all my life. The opportunity to materialize and grow and teach my daughters in the process of realizing a dream is very rewarding. My husband, Artist Lionel Lamy, and I work and live in an unconventional space in the Trinity Corridor (neighboring the Design District), where I have my jewelry studio and vintage storefront. I’ve created an experience that instantly transcends visitors into my “Portal” dream world the moment they walk in the door. Every decision from the decor, the curated vintage pieces, the jewelry designs, to the music has been vetted for its authenticity to the vision.
The physical storefront is currently open by appointment only and for exclusive shopping events throughout the year. The virtual storefront can be found at www.fantastultra.com.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I use to weigh life experiences out in terms of good or bad luck, but over the years, I have come to recognize the value of the struggle in shaping who we are. Maybe if I had been born into easier or well connected circumstances, I wouldn’t have the world view I have now or would not have been exposed to the colorful cultures and people I met along the road – I was privileged in this way and my long-term goal is to speak to that always.
There are some people that are unable to escape oppressive situations no matter how much they try and I hold these people dear in my heart + I dream about incorporating some aspect in my business that offers an outlet for the young + underserved creative thinkers, especially women, who are interested in bringing to life something different that doesn’t just buy into the Capitalist status quo but reimagines community building through all walks of life.
Contact Info:
- Address: Portal 75
1371 Crampton St. #100
Dallas, TX 75207 - Website: www.fantastultra.com
- Phone: 214.280.9107
- Email: fantastultra@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/portal_75/ - Other: https://www.pinterest.
com/fantastultra/pins/
Image Credit:
All photographed and styled by Fatimah Valentin.
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