STYLD INTERVIEWS: WILL BANK$

What's good y'all! It's your favorite blogger and welcome back to STYLD 101. Y'all already know what it is as you can see by the title. It's time for another STYLD interview and I had the pleasure of speaking with the one and only, Mr. Will Bank$, and yes, you have to include the money sign. Will is a crazy dope 24-year old creative and also a MEMPHI$ native but I'm going to let him speak for himself. With that being said, let's get into the interview!

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INTERVIEW TIME:

Q: Who is Will Bank$?

A: Will Bank$ is a visionary, a musician, a fashionaire, the Creative Extraordinaire, an unmatched vibe, an experience curated by the angels of light.

Q: What is the creative process behind your shoots? How do you come up with concepts?

A: Great question. I really base my concepts off my moods or little glimpses of my personality. I would say that I let inspiration find me. I typically go for the aesthetic that I feel the universe shows me over and over again. Then I do research on it. Since I’m a multifaceted Creative I use all media as forms of inspiration for my concepts. A lot of my work looks like album art/magazine covers because I studied them so much as a child that’s it has become an eternal mood of mine. I take certain elements and whip em together like a recipe.

Q: Being that I am now a student at CAU & you’re a CAU alumnus, would you say that CAU helped mold you get to where you are now?

A: Absolutely, CAU gave me my flowers. They applauded every last High Fashion/Avant Garde/Boujghetto move I made. Anything I put my mind to whether it be a new look or a new lane of interest, they have always supported since day one. I came in shy and quiet and no one let me be. 😂 They literally made break out of my shell and embody that “Spirit of Greatness only us Clarkites know about. When I graduated and was aimless, they still supported, when I found my niche, they stanned even harder. What can I say? There’s no place in the world like Clark Atlanta. It’s a wonderful place to come into one’s “iconic-ness”

Q: Where does your inspiration for $tyle come from?

A: Well, my style is influenced by the pristine black bourgeoisie southern black freedmen, my city, Memphi$ and its obsession with pimp culture, streetwear and all things gawdy. I’m also inspired by The Moors and their regality. I like to dress like modern Hood Royalty with a splash of HBCU . I honestly just enjoy looking larger than life. As a child I saw celebrities in all kinds of looks and that’s how I wanted to dress but I couldn’t cuz they didn’t sell that at old navy, so when I got grown I decided to dress like a celebrity. 😂 I prefer my style to be as detailed and as artsy as possible.

Q: You’re a man of many talents, you’re a creative director, photographer, stylist, & more. If could collab w/ anybody on a project, who would it be & why?

A: I would love to collab with Solange. She just gets it. Her minimalism with my maximalism would be absolute FIRE. I love the freedom in her music and art. I can tell that she isn’t making it for any other reason than self expression and healing. Her devotion to her aesthetic and her execution during her visuals/ live exhibitions show me that she’s on my type of time. I would also be one step closer to Bey.

Q: We love our good sis $olo! So many people have different views on what they think “fashion” is, what does fashion mean to you?

A: Fashion is where visual art and style meet to enhance the human experience. Fashion is conceptual art in motion— The actual garments. Just like any art, it is characterized by inspiration, style, and expression, medium(textiles). It’s the root of all trends.

Q: Being that you’re a Memphi$ native, do you try to incorporate your hometown into your shoots?

A: I incorporate Memphi$ in everything I do. The style that comes from here is unmatched. Its almost indescribable. It’s a certain mix of hood and class. As we say “grit n grind or hustle and flow” My love for music and art started here. I was exposed to such high level art that shifted my trajectory towards the creative lane. It’s influence is my greatest reminder of my distinct kind of blackness and why I am set apart. The native’s ability to transcend pain and find solace in art and beauty is my greatest inspo of all.

SOME OF WILL'$ WORK:

Q: As a creative, there are going to be times when you are struggling to make content that you’re satisfied with. How do you deal with, what I call, creators block?

A: Ugh I hate when that happens because I’m a perfectionist. If I find myself with creators block, I just force myself to create. It makes me depend on my truest inspirations that are embedded in my head. It also shows me that the system of methods I use to create are no longer serving me or that I need to take time to learn something further in my crafts. Ultimately I press on. I try to find new sources of inspiration; do things i haven’t done. Because even if I’m not satisfied with the work it will be a symbol of my growth.

Q: Who’s your favorite in the fashion influencer right now?

A: I think I’m gonna have to go with Aleali May simply because she never misses. She commits ! I love how she’s expanded in such a little time while staying true to herself. And she’s a REAL fashion girl ! A second runner up is my fav Princess Tyrina.

Q: I love her! she’s def one of my favorite fashion girls right now & she never stays stagnant. Lastly, for anybody who wants to do what you do now, what advice would you give to them?

A: Whew. I would definitely tell them to don’t be afraid to set your price and live your life. Don’t get caught out here selling yourself short for some clout. There is always a certain level of integrity that leaves art when you monetize it. Always have outlets outside of client work to express creativity. Never be afraid to learn new methods to improve your craft. Don’t be scared to promote yourself. If you don’t, who will? Hustle like there’s no such thing as Instagram. and lastly Prioritize your mental health so that you may create as freely as you’d like. Mental prisons can stifle any dream, but especially a creative one.

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And that's on period! Once again, I want to thank Will so much talking the time to speak with me. I really love his work & creativity. Every single thing he produces is so power and so original. I thought it was really important to share that with not only my readers, but the world. It’s so important to have to have black creators like him in the world. That about wraps up this post! I hope you guys enjoyed this interview & there will be plenty more to come. Make sure you guys subscribe so you never miss a post & also don't forget to follow me on all social platforms where I will also be posting updates. It's your favorite blogger signing out and I will see you all in my next post!

#$TAY$TYLD