Taylor Bembery
Associate Editor
In the song ‘Empire State of Mind’ by Alicia Keys, she refers to New York City as the concrete jungle where dreams are made. Former Jackson State University student and rising fashion mogul, Dalvin Brown, is definitely making his dreams come true in the Big Apple.
Brown is a 21-year-old native of Meridian, Miss. and the oldest of eight children. Growing up, he was always creative and had a passion for art. His love for sketching fashion flourished in the sixth grade, from then on he knew his purpose, despite what others thought.
“People always tried to sway me away from my dreams, saying things like ‘boys don’t do fashion, go be a coach or something’ but fashion just felt right. I could not throw away my gift,” said Brown.
Living in a small town all of his life, Brown knew that he would have to move to a larger city to be immersed into the lifestyle that he wanted to live. The thirst for culture led him to Jackson, Miss. where he attended JSU in fall 2011.
“Moving to a bigger city like Jackson compared to Meridian definitely gave me more opportunities. There was a fashion scene going on in Jackson that I heard about. JSU was the number one choice in Mississippi for me. I went on a college tour in high school and I always wanted to go to an HBCU. It was something about the atmosphere at JSU, it felt like home” said Brown.
Attending JSU was big for Brown but he did not know that it was only preparing him for a life changing opportunity. The first day of school, Timothy Abrams, Director of the Veterans Center and former employee in the JSU Center for Service, did a presentation in one of Brown’s classes about the National Student Exchange program. He was immediately interested in the program once he learned that it was an opportunity for him to live in New York City while gaining college credit.
The following semester, Brown embarked on his journey to New York City. He found himself overwhelmed from lack of research and planning, which made his first day in the city of dreams a complete nightmare.
“I was 18-years-old and I failed to do critical planning. I didn’t know much about New York. I didn’t know how the transit system worked. I also never visited before. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. My first day, I was lost. It wasn’t necessarily cold in New York. I had a light jacket on and I was burning up. Then, I finally got to my apartment and I realized that New York is not what it looks like on Sex in The City,” said Brown.
He will never forget the night frustration took its toll. He said he truly stepped out on faith. 
“I remember the first night in New York, I called my best friend back in Mississippi and I started crying. I literally broke down. I didn’t know what I was doing there, even though it had always been a dream. The second day I just took a deep breath and told myself to figure things out. I started at the bottom when moving to New York. I was sleeping on somebody’s couch and in a roommate situation that I did not like. I was not happy but everything fell into place,” said Brown.
He was taking classes as part of the JSU curriculum at Queens College in New York. After finishing the first year of the NSE program, he decided to transfer to Queens College as a full-time student. Brown said JSU was the stepping stone to pursuing his dreams.
“I think there is no shortage of opportunity at JSU. There is something there for everybody if you choose to be active on campus. When I learned about the National Student Exchange program, I knew that it was something I needed to take advantage of,” said Brown.
The trials and tribulations have definitely made him more determined to reach his goals. He is currently a designer and buyer for a boutique in Nigeria. The position has afforded him many opportunities. One of those opportunities was being able to attend New York Fashion Week which Brown calls ‘The Fashion Superbowl’ that took place from Sept. 4-11, 2014. During the week, Brown met Paris and Nicole Hilton, Kimora Lee Simmons, June Ambrose, and other fashion icons. He said NYFW was work for him but fulfilling.
Brown’s future is bright. He plans to produce his own clothing line, become a motivational speaker, and most of all continue to work on his own happiness.
“I will not be one of those people that loses themselves in their career. I love to work hard and I love to work all the time but I don’t want to lose the reason to why I do what I do. I want to inspire people, especially my brothers and sisters. We basically didn’t have anything growing up. I want to inspire people to dream further than what they see. People told me not to do fashion, they wanted me to do something they could see. I want people to know that there are no boundaries when it comes to your dreams, success is for you right now,” said Brown.
If you would like to follow Dalvin’s journey, follow him on Instagram: @Dalvin_Brown.
Be First to Comment