Darion Weatherspoon, a junior fashion major, is the man with a master plan! His great fashion sense, eagerness to live each day with passion and purpose, and his love for others is the reason he strives for success. During our interview, Weatherspoon discusses his experience as a Vegas native with a love for fashion, his post-graduation plans, his non-profit organization “The Silent Cry Foundation”, and the importance of being yourself. Many of us have dreams, but how many of us are truly pursuing them? Take a look at Darion’s story, and hopefully you’ll be inspired to start moving!
Her Campus: Darion! How have you been lately?
Darion aka “Spoon”: BUSY, class work, football, the planning for next year’s fashion show has me stretched out.
HC: You are preparing to go into your SENIOR YEAR of college, are you excited?! Nervous? Worried?
Spoon: I’m anxious because everything I have dreamed of is becoming a reality; getting my degree, excelling in tailoring, and hopefully winning a championship ring in college.
Her Campus: That sounds amazing. I am proud of you. You made quite a move from Vegas to Atlanta to attend college. What was the transition like for you? And why did you choose the illustrious Clark Atlanta University?
Spoon: Clark Atlanta gave me everything I was looking for in a school. I always wanted to move away from home and grow with out the reach of my mom. I wanted to go to down south, HBCU, in a major city, study fashion, and play football Clark Atlanta gave me all of that.
HC: What inspired you to choose Fashion as your major?
Spoon: Since I was a small boy, I loved suits. I loved to dress nice and wear bowties, watches, etc., so when I came into my junior year in high school, I told myself I want to do something that will make me happy for the rest of my life.
HC: How does the fashion in Vegas compare to the fashion in Atlanta?
Spoon: Las Vegas fashion is a lot more relaxed than Atlanta, I blame the weather. Wearing a suit in 110 degrees isn’t something people practice often.
HC: When you came to college, did you feel comfortable dressing like yourself, or did you feel any pressure to conform to how those around you dressed?
Spoon: All my life I “dressed different”, but I prefer to have style. I tell people all the time I rather have style than fashion. Fashion cost money and everyone can get to it, style is the way you live and express yourself. I don’t want SWAG because I define SWAG as Stuff We All Got; why look like the person next to you.
HC: Tell about some fashion no-no’s you have if any.
Spoon: Gentleman get your clothing ALTERED, just because it fits snug to the body doesn’t mean its tailored it just means it’s too small. Clothing should not be Asexual, men wear menswear and the ladies dress as ladies
HC: Do you hope to have your own clothing line someday?
Spoon: Most definitely. I wouldn’t describe it as a “line” but I want my own tailor shop where I’ll be 100% Bespoke menswear
HC: It can be a bit challenging balancing various activities while maintaining good grades, and focusing on our personal craft. You also serve as a student athlete! How do you balance each?
Spoon: Making a plan for the day and sticking to it, my days start at 4:30 AM and ends at 1:15 AM so my goal every day is to make every single second count.
HC: That is a great mindset to have. Would you say that tailoring is a gift you have?
Spoon: It’s a gift I am happily developing. As a Tailors apprentice there is A LOT for me to learn.
HC: How did you become a tailor apprentice for the International Tailors Association?
Spoon: The shop that I apprentice at is a member of the international tailors association, and with me coming in to learn, the shop owner told me that as I develop, I will some day be able to officially call myself a master tailor and have proof.
HC: How has that experience benefited your personal and academic growth as a fashion major?
Spoon: It holds me to a even higher standard. I didn’t get into this to be good, I got into tailoring because I want to be the best and going through this time in my life is pushing me to go even harder.
HC: Tell me a little about the Silent Cry Foundation and the inspiration behind creating it.
Spoon: The Silent cry foundation is a Non-Profit Organization I founded in the winter of 2011 with the Spiritual guidance of Rev. Charles McCall that stresses teen suicide prevention, counseling, and life development. What inspired me to find it was my own personal depression that I fought during high school and throughout life, and as I fought through it I saw it as a duty to bring someone out of the dark and see the great light we have in front of us.
HC: Tell me about a moment you’ve had during your experience with the Silent Cry Foundation that caused you to realize God is using your journey to better the journey of others.
Spoon: Well due to legal confidentiality, I can’t get into much details, but I’ve talked someone out suicide while I myself was in a dark place and it made me realize even in the darkest time EVERYTHING falls into place, and it’s not our job to figure it out.
HC: What have you learned about yourself and others since the start of this foundation?
Spoon: I found that as people we are broken, but no matter how broken we are, smile. At the end of us crying, complaining, and being angry, the issue is still there, and the same energy used to go through all of that could have been used to fix what is breaking us; BUT ONLY THE THINGS IN OUR CONTROL
HC: What vision do you have for the Silent Cry Foundation within the next five years?
Spoon: I turned over all operations to my CO-Founder while in college but within the next five years I’d love to see the Foundation be a major presence in every Las Vegas teenager.
HC: What advice would you give to individuals that are also interested in starting their own business?
Spoon: Have a Goal and a PLAN. A goal without a plan is a wish. If you can’t answer who, what, when, where, why and how in detail you don’t need to start yet.
HC: Do you plan to move back to Vegas upon graduation to pursue your field of study, fashion? Or do you hope to remain in Atlanta?
Spoon: Upon graduation I plan to return to Las Vegas and work in the shop I am a apprentice for.
HC: If a beneficial job opportunity is offered to elsewhere, would you be open to taking it?
Spoon: Always look for the next move, never sit still; that’s the only way I can answer that.
HC: What advice would you give to individuals that want to dress more fashionable?
Spoon: Never pay retail. Retail means someone else can look the exact same as you. Thrift stores and custom is the best way to enhance your style.
HC: What is a quote you live by?
Spoon: “Remain a Gentleman at ALL TIMES.”
HC: What do you know God’s purpose for you to be?
Spoon: To not question him, do has he says, do right to people, and in everything I do give him all the credit and praise, and under any situation bow my head.
Can’t get enough of Darion? Follow him on social media @_therealspoon on instagram and Twitter. Stay up to date on his fashion projects and more!