TVISUAL

20 QUESTIONS: RICHARD NOEL

Richard Noel & Muse Danielle Nelson Photographed by Terrance for April TVISUAL Feature, Make-up by Lynda De La Mothe, Styling by Kambe Lovelace, Assistance by Kerby Young

1. What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

“One thing people would be surprised to know about me is that I was an athlete all my life. In both primary and secondary school I was captain at Hampton Athletics Club and ranked as one of the top four athletes by the National Association of Athletics Administration. I think a lot of people see me and they don’t see an athlete but I was, pretty much for all of the early years of my life.”

2. What is your greatest indulgence?

“That would have to be curry. I think curry is life! I can eat curry all day, every day, all week, and forever! So definitely curry is at the top of my list. I love cheesecake as well. For my birthday all I want is cheesecake. So curry is at the top of my list and cheesecake is a close second.”

3. Go-to song and movie?

“I don’t have a go-to song and/or movie because I listen to a lot of genres of music. However, if I had to choose I definitely have go-to artists and they will have to be Rihanna or Sia because I just love their music. So those two are who I tend to gravitate to in my quiet time. In terms of movies...I can watch anything basically but I can watch The Devil Wears Prada probably one hundred times and never get bored of it. So yeah, I wouldn’t say that I have a go-to because I can listen and watch anything really...but I’d say those that I highlighted are some honourable mentions.”

4. What do you do with your spare time?

“Spare time? I don’t have such words in my vocabulary. I would consider spare time, me not doing what I actually have to do. So spare time for me is procrastination. There is always something that I have to do but if I don’t choose to do it that’s what I create as my spare time. So when that happens all I try to do is sleep because I’m basically on the go all the time.”

5. What brings you the greatest satisfaction?

“I think the grace of God and his mercies are definitely my greatest satisfaction. Without him and the things that he has done for me I wouldn’t be where I am today and I wouldn’t have life in general. So the mercy of God is satisfaction by itself. It is the most important thing to me.”

6. What is one thing everyone should try at least once in their life?

“Hmm, that’s a tough one. I mean...I think we should try to do new things every day, so I don’t really have a specific thing. Although, what I can say is that we should do the one thing that scares us the most. So any adventure that you want to undertake but you’re uncertain as to if you should do it or you’re afraid of doing it I think that is the one thing that you should absolutely attempt. But overall, just enjoy life and try new things everyday...yeah that’s basically it.”

7. What is one thing you would change about the world if you could?

“That would one hundred percent have to be for us to love one another more, I think the world right now is just full of hate and a lot of people don’t love and appreciate life itself. So I think if I had the chance to show people or get them to love one another and live together as one, that’ll be something I’d love to do. We need more love in the world because people are out here hating each other and that’s wrong, we need to unite and be there for each other.”

8. Who is your biggest hero?

“That would have to be my mother. I think she is a pure indication of what a hero is; someone who would give their all for another person, someone who would sacrifice anything for someone they love, someone who would face obstacles and come out standing strong. I think that is a true representation of a hero. Giving one’s self without looking for anything in return and that would most definitely be my mom. She is my hero.”

9. What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

“I think that would be to never give up. Life throws so many obstacles at you and I often like to say, ‘Giving up is never an option.’ So no matter how hard it gets or how difficult it seems, as long as you never give up you can definitely achieve what you set out to do.”

Richard Noel & Muse Danielle Nelson Photographed by Terrance for April TVISUAL Feature, Make-up by Lynda De La Mothe, Styling by Kambe Lovelace, Assistance by Kerby Young

10. What mantra/quote do you try to live by?

“One of the quotes I live by is to put God first and then everything after. I believe that if you put God in the forefront of everything that you do then you will be able to achieve all the goals that you set forth for yourself. I believe that you can’t do anything without God, which is why I put him first and I often find that everything falls into place.”

11. What inspires you/your craft?

“Nature and that fun Caribbean luxe vibe. I was born and raised in Valencia, I spent most of my life in Valencia, my dad is from Tobago and my mom is from Blanchisseuse and I think that all of those backgrounds merged together to create my personality. I mean, I just love nature and that “walking in the wind” feel, that free spirit lifestyle. I think that is my inspiration towards my craft and the things that I create definitely has to represent that more relax and mellow feeling towards yourself and life and my clothing is a representation of that.”

12. What is the best experience you’ve had in the industry or while pursuing your craft thus far?

“I can’t pick one single experience because all my experiences led me to where I am today. Therefore, I don’t think that one experience out-weighs any of the others. Although I must say that I have enjoyed every moment of the journey and I’m still enjoying it as time goes by.”

13. What would be one thing you’d hope to gain from the continuation of your craft?

“One thing I want to gain is to continue becoming a better version of myself. There are a lot of things I want to accomplish and with that, I want to continue growing and becoming better at what I do. I want my brand to become a household name through-out the region and hopefully one day internationally. So yeah, there are a lot of things I want accomplish as my brand and I continue growing.”

14. What are the top three things on your perennial to-do list?

“To travel the world. I want to experience cultures and see fashion of other perspectives. Another would be to have my own studio/boutique. I want the Richard Noel brand to become a household name as I mentioned before. Lastly, probably to do something adventurous...maybe go on a cruise and just live and enjoy life while having fun.”

15. What is the best gift you’ve ever received?

“Best gift I’ve ever received...hmm. I can’t name one thing specifically, that’ll get me in trouble haha. I tend to appreciate anything that someone has given me so I wouldn’t pinpoint one gift above another. So, to stay out of trouble and to be politically correct I’ll just say that I appreciate being given any gift, no matter how small or how big. I think that being given a gift shows that someone cares for you, so to me there isn’t one gift that should mean more than another.”

16. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

“In 5 years I see myself successfully owning my Richard Noel boutique. I see myself becoming one of the go-to designers in the local, regional and even international fashion industry. Also, I want to be at a better place in life, doing what I love to do.”

17. What is one thing you wish you knew when you were younger?

“That would have to be that everything would be ok. At some point in time you often worry about what is going to happen and try to make things perfect, but if I had known that everything was going to be ok and I had just lived life, I believe doing that would have made things easier.”

18. What would you say to your past self if you had the chance?

“I would tell younger Richard that you’re gonna make it. Life is going to be tough and things are going to be pretty hard but at the end of the day you will accomplish everything that you set out to do.”

19. How was your TVISUAL experience?

“It has been pretty awesome. These are some of the coolest people I have met in quite some time. They have been pretty down-to-earth and they make you feel as if you’re home and a part of the team. They’re kinda like the cool kids that you just wanna be a part of...so yeah...that’s the most amazing thing about the whole experience. Its similar to joining a cool gang haha.”

20. Who should we highlight next?

“I have two recommendations, you all should check out Arlana Roberts, owner of RastaChiq Creationz. She is really talented and has an amazing future ahead of her. Also, Allan Jackman of Allan Jackman Events, who is a young and gifted events decorator and has a lot to offer.”

Richard Noel & Muse Danielle Nelson Photographed by Terrance for April TVISUAL Feature, Make-up by Lynda De La Mothe, Styling by Kambe Lovelace, Assistance by Kerby Young

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