The first time I saw a Homage bag was of course on Twitter, where I scout most of the talents and editorial content. Social media, if used correctly, can be the greatest tool to find emergent and fresh fashion brands and their collections. Nowadays creatives have the democratic luxury to rely on social media to stay on track with new content and lifestyle trends. When it comes to fashion, social media has now become the major channel to enhance and empower a brand’s experience - through campaigns, endorsements, industry news, philanthropic events, etc.

As much as pop culture is intrinsic in our everyday lives, no matter where you reside, not all creatives follow trends or are interested in actively exploring them: they sort of make them without following! Antoine Manning embodies this kind of creative, a visionary of his own life’s approach.

Young, entrepreneurial, and creative in all senses, Antoine is the founder and designer of Homage. His products are bags (and a few accessories) in vegan leather, rounded at the bottom and leaner on the top, all circular and named after intentional messages. Yes, every bag is introduced with a poem, written by Antoine. Featured on ESSENCE and Vogue (through Black Fashion Fair), Homage is starting to become a fashion sensation in the USA. On behalf of The Curly Flower, I spoke with Antoine. I know that a lot of people can be inspired by his story and keep up their creative endeavors with positive inspiration models!

Homage is your brand and the name you made to express yourself in the fashion industry. But to what Antoine pays daily homage to? What are you grateful for?

People are like my support system. They invest in me over time, whether it be helping me and spending their time and the resources to help me get somewhere or whether it be them taking the time when I'm going through something to make sure I'm okay. They see some potential in me. They’re what push me everyday. What I’m doing is also in memory of them.

The shape of your bags. What made you go with a soft, circular, and remarkable design?

At the conclusion of an internship, I felt very inspired and very driven to do something different. A friend recommended designing a bag. Once the ideas started flowing in my head, I saw everything. I saw the shape of it, I saw the whole nature of it and the whole goal with the bag was to make it very organically shaped, something that someone can truly see and they've never seen before. It felt like an exaggeration, it was just about creating something that was just different, unique, at least that felt different, even if it's not different,

We're living in a new form of Roaring Twenties, full of creatives shifting from one industry to another, experimenting with styles, collaborations, and platforms. Where do you see yourself in the middle of this decade, in five years?

Within the next five years or more, Homage going to be at the top of something, and I at least care to be at the top of like the most meaningful and passionate and innovative pieces, where it isn't it's no longer about what looks good, it's about what feels good.

How do you fuel your creativity?

There are a lot of ways. The different things I've experienced and gone through and what I'm going through. The people I know, like my friends and family. The people I consult with every day, who understand the intention behind everything. They even push me sometimes, many times, when an idea isn't fully fleshed out to some extent or even when I'm not seeing a certain end. They show me another thought of something that I hadn't seen in a certain way: the drive and all that comes from people around me. What keeps me going is the ability to be able to at least do something for others in the future, or even now just that possibility of being more than just a brand. Being helpful. Being useful, being resourceful in the world, providing for people who don't have the ability to fight. That's one of the main things as well that keeps me going and keeps me inspired.

Do you find it difficult navigating the fashion scene?

The funny thing is that I don't keep up with trends. I find the most fun in enjoying and just creating and doing what feels right and then seeing if anything that we did is a good trend or just working to create a trend. Following trends, watching everything that's going on can be counterproductive.

Who's the perfect Homage client?

They're the type of persons who get up every day and they try their best. They're not the best, they're not perfect, they're not the greatest person, they may not even be the most known or popular. They're literally anybody, but they get up every day and they try their best. Despite what's going on in their world, the battles that they're going through or enduring, along with the different pains that they've gone through and that they experienced. Every day they get up and keep on going because they're not going to give up.

We are hoping for prosperous success for Antoine and his brand! Check Antoine’s brand on their official website, Instagram and Twitter.