CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland designer and artist Cierra Boyd’s work has been featured in several national publications, including Nylon and Vogue. Now she’s bringing her work to TV on HBOMax’s The Hype. The first episode of the series airs Thursday, September 22nd at 3am. The show, in its second season, features designers proving their cutting-edge streetwear designs are worthy of “the hype”.
Boyd creates futuristic streetwear under the brand name Frisk Me Good. She is known for her sneaker wear – wearable items like dresses and bikinis – made from real sneakers. Her work bridges the gap between creativity and sustainability. For her postmodern creations, she deconstructs the sneakers and then reassembles them into a new, wearable presentation.
“I officially started my clothing line in 2017 after graduating from Ohio University,” she says. “It was there that my love of fashion led me to pursue a degree in retail merchandising and fashion product development.
“After graduating, I was tired of waiting and wanted to make my dream of becoming a fashion designer a reality,” she says. “So I started working with materials I had at my house because I couldn’t afford to buy fabric.”
Cierra Boyd designs cutting lines
Serendipity knocked on the door in 2018 during a design competition in Cleveland. For Fashion Mania 2k19, Boyd faced three challenges. The hardest part was creating a garment without fabric. “I was at a loss,” she recalls. “I didn’t know what to do. I was done with the other two challenges, but it was getting to the point.”
“Luckily I watched ‘Vice’ one night while I was designing. There was an episode about a guy who made a mask out of sneakers. I was like, wait, what if I made a top out of sneakers? She says. “So I tried to make a top and it didn’t look right. I shifted it down a bit and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s as cute as a corset.'”
Boyd won second place in the competition.
So she rolled with her success, releasing clothing items on social e-commerce site Depop. “People bought it,” she says. “I was super surprised, but it also gave me confidence. I really didn’t know what to think of it at the time, but I released it anyway to see how people reacted to it. The response was overwhelming. So I never stopped making them.”
Today, Boyd uses a variety of sneakers—Nike, Converse, Vans, Puma, and even off-brand, generic shoes—for her garments.
At The Hype she will appear with various designers from across the country showcasing their streetwear designs and unique stories. They will take on timed challenges to create ready-to-wear pieces that balance art and commerce while remaining authentic to their vision. Three judges – Grammy-nominated rapper Offset, celebrity stylist Marni Senofonte and progressive designer Bephie Birkett – will provide the designers with constructive feedback on their concepts.
The winner will receive a cash prize of $150,000 and their designs will be sold on StockX, a platform for the commerce and consumption of contemporary culture.
I’m a life and culture reporter – with a particular interest in food and dining – for Cleveland.com. You can reach me at … [email protected]. Here is a List of my posts.
