Tyra Banks Surprises Teen Fashion Designer Whose West African Print Prom Dress Went Viral
Tyra Banks surprised teen fashion designer Kyemah McEntyre on her new talk show by wearing a custom dress made by the New Jersey teen.
A photo posted by Kyemah McEntyre (@mindofkye_) on
</blockquote><p><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script></p><p>Since posting a photo of her self-designed, now viral <a href="https://instagram.com/p/4F41g_F9mD/?taken-by=mindofkye_" target="_blank">prom dress</a> on Instagram, 18-year-old <strong>Kyemah McEntyre</strong> has been approached by <strong>Indie Arie</strong>,<strong> <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/news/a42678/kyemah-mcentyre-designs-naturi-naughton-bet-awards-dress/" target="_blank">Naturi Naughton</a></strong> and other celebrities interested in her sartorial skills.</p><p>Now, the New Jersey native has another famous name to add to her client roster: former supermodel <strong>Tyra Banks</strong>.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>Tyra recently invited Kyemah onto her new talk show, <em>FABLife</em>, and surprised her by wearing the commissioned Nkrumah pencil print dress that the young designer had custom-made and delivered earlier that day. The two had a heartfelt discussion, with Kyemah wearing her famed frock, of course.</p><p>"I am such a fan of you," Tyra <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnabJqOlOGs" target="_blank">told</a> the teen. "I saw you on the Internet and you blew me away with your talent, with your beauty...This is the beginning of your journey and becoming the force that I know that you can be in the fashion world. This is not existing in the fashion world right now, and it is desperately, desperately needed.”</p><p>As a freshman at Parsons School of Design in New York, Kyemah is certainly on the right track to putting her unique touch on the homogenous industry.</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></p><p>"I was trying to show society that it's OK to be yourself and I say that over and over again because I think it's really important that we let people know that you don't need someone else to define your identity," she said on <em>FABLife</em>. "This was a representation of me and where I come from, which is Africa."</p><p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dd30f3c2a1a9d5bbc6388a5d0dbaaebd"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vnabJqOlOGs?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span></p><p>(h/t <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tyra-banks-brings-tears-to-teen-designers-eyes-with-this-heartwarming-surprise_56015d31e4b00310edf87bca?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000047" target="_blank">Huffington Post Black Voices</a>)</p>
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