Fishnet Socks Fashion

Hempsmith, a local hemp clothing business run by NC State Wilson College of Textiles graduate Arlo Estill, started out as a joke. Arlo Estill’s brother, Zafer Estill, planted the seeds of the business in high school when he embroidered a cannabis leaf onto a hemp T-shirt, playing on designs from companies like Ralph Lauren. 

Zafer Estill recognized the compatibility of industrial hemp as a strong, much more sustainable alternative to plastic fibers used for clothing manufacturing. His initial idea later blossomed into an innovative clothing company.

After Zafer Estill’s passing in 2016, Arlo Estill took over the business using Zafer Estill’s original designs. True to its founder’s original goal, Hempsmith’s mission remains to spark a restorative local economy through industrial hemp. 

“Our main goal is to bring hemp home, so we want to create a market that can cause the North Carolina farmer to grow industrial hemp,” Arlo Estill

The 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture had a number of celebrities, beauty industry professionals and content creators help us create magical moments on stage. One of those very special moments were led by TikTok’s very own, Chazz Inniss, who sat down with content creators Pierrah Hillaire and Nydia Twitty to discuss their journeys of being Black content creators on the platform, building community and the importance of supporting one another.

Hillaire, whose TikTok username is @pierrahh, has garnered a following of over 50K on the platform for her content centered around Black-owned fashion brands. “Two years ago, I didn’t see a lot of people talking about Black-owned brands, but now I’ve seen a shift and a lot more are people sharing Black-owned businesses and are interested in learning more about Black designers and brands,” says Hillaire. 

Twitty, also known as @slimreaperofficial on TikTok, is actually a Black designer herself

Jumbo Tsui, Photographer/ Founder of Pour Lui

Can you describe your everyday style? Talking about style, the most conspicuous thing might be my triangular silhouette, I usually wear tight tops and excessively baggy pants. I like to use some small random accessory to complete a fundamental style logic. I don’t want to appear like a fashionista; my size makes it impossible for me to blend into the crowd, and dressing up even slightly complicated would immediately turn me into a walking signage board.

Which Chinese designer brand are you closely following, or who is your favorite designer? Ximon Lee for menswear, Maya Li is one of my favorite rising stars in women’s wear. Could it be that both come from the family Li?

Liang, Visual Artist & Fashion Photographer

Can you describe your everyday style? My everyday style can be called urban chic/casual.

Which Chinese