Desmond Monette shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Desmond, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
Most definitely! I wanted to start a brand years ago, but I had no development. So decided to take a step back and dedicate these last 7-8 years to my craft. I know there’s no right time for anything, but forcing things to happen isn’t the best plan either. I felt before like I was forcing a brand because of outside advice. Right now I’ve never felt better about starting into something, and it feels so graceful and true now.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello I’m Desmond Monette and I’m the designer/founder of Cousue (kwah•sue). Cousue is a contemporary fashion brand that organically formulated from my final portfolio in fashion school, and at the time Cousue was just an idea for the purpose of my portfolio. Over time as I developed and with the support of family and friends, Cousue grew its own persona behind the scenes. This brand became an artistic outlet that me and my team use to explore self acceptance and expression, through the art of fashion and design. In the same breath we want to developed a space for people to do the same while receiving a sense of security lined with love.
Our artistic view comes from the beauty of life and all of its moments. No matter how mundane it may seem, or exciting it can be, all of the ugly, all of the beautiful and all of the ugly that is beautiful, we’ll explore it all, together. Togetherness is the premise of this brand. We strive to provide our community with a comforting love through treating them as family and not just as a consumer.
Currently the house of Cousue is preparing its first collection titled “ Entrée de Journal”. It’s a love story of accepting one’s self and finding peace within.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was a creative from birth. But that was soon shadowed by the only thing this world could see me as, an athlete. While being an athlete definitely is not a bad thing by any means, it was the only thing they said I could be. Running a race ran by so many, while everyone else got to explore, was frustrating at times when I knew there was more. But the turning point was in my late teens when Virgil Abloh created such a impactful brand in Off-White. And then later he received the creative director role at Louis Vuitton. Witnessing that shifted my focus on what was possible in my life. I saw someone like me for the first time occupy a space that I thought was off limits for me. Truly inspirational.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
When I started my fashion journey. This is so different compared to the sports world. There are so many things I had to give up but also receive. There’s things that I’m not supposed to “be into” but I don’t even stress it. The things I use as inspiration like art, certain music, books, movies, etc., are things I’ve gravitated to naturally. Most of it has been with me since I was a child. It was all just covered by a different persona give to me by the world. But these things honestly make me who I am and I strive to live close to honesty.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
The ideals of God. I’ve found his truth to be simplistic and pure. The closer I follow his ideals, the more life seemed to be beautiful and peaceful. My worries and fears have faded more and more as I’ve gained more understanding. Truly a blessing to have him watch over me.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I don’t think I can answer that question for people. I don’t spent much time contemplating on what they will think necessarily but more on how I can affect their lives. My mentor said “ if you lead with impact, your position doesn’t matter. I chose to lead with love so I can impact people from a positive stand point. It’s what I’ve been called to do. My legacy is based on my diligence to affect lives. The understanding of it is based on a persons own perspective of affection. And that’s something I have no control over.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ddoubleu________?igsh=dHY4dWNpN3ltNDBl&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cousue_official?si=MKoL95c1Y3xaLpWe
- Other: Tik tok:
@cousueofficial
Cousue’s instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cousueofficial?igsh=MTZuNHpvMTJtM3ZhaA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
