Today we’d like to introduce you to Diallo Mitch.
Diallo, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born & raised in River rouge Michigan which I call DownRiver area!! Most people don’t know about that part of town so I just sum it up with Detroit Michigan!! 313 all-day though!!!!
Back in like 2012 once I graduated high school, I went to college majoring in “zoology” to become a wildlife veterinarian (I love animals)!! However, I drop out close to 2013 and started going to the art institute of Michigan for about two years majoring in fashion business & marketing!!! I dropped out of that course also because I had bigger and better plans for myself!!!
So late 2013 early 2014, I started my fashion styling & modeling career in Detroit!! I started off by reaching out to photographers in the city to build my portfolio!!! I stayed very consistent with it & my work started to gain attention in the whole metro Detroit area!! I started to walk in the local fashion shows which made me more known & respected because people got the chance to see my talent in full form up close and personal!!! I worked with over 30 photographers, big companies, fashion brands & local magazines in the city of Detroit around that time!!
By then, I knew what I wanted to do & it became a passion of mine!! So every time I had an opportunity to showcase my talent I did just that!!
Let’s fast forward to 2015!! What a year for me!!! By 2015 I put in so much work I wanted to see what it was like to move away from Detroit to chase my dreams I’m another state!! So in the fall of 2015, I moved to Los Angeles for like two months to visit, but to also see what it’s like to gain more opportunities for myself!! Mind you I was only 20!! During the 2 months, I had walked in a fashion show & shot with a few photographers because they knew who I was from social media and loved my work!! I’m a very humble person so I just cherished every opportunity that was presented to me!!! After being there for that time, I wasn’t ready to be in LA for good just yet!!!
So, I went back home to Detroit with fire burning up under my feet!! Which means I was ready to put in so much more work in my city to really make that big move to LA when I was ready!! After being back in Detroit, I had a grand idea of throwing my first networking event for the upcoming creatives and artist in the underground art scene!! I planned it all in my bedroom and reached out to everyone who I wanted to be apart of it!! I didn’t do it for me I did it for all the people who needed some type of support!!! To fill a room full of people who does the same thing Iconic!! It was a success!!! I had Detroit times & Michigan telegram come and cover my event!! I was so proud of myself for making that happen!!
Moving along…..so 2016 is approaching & I still have that same fire burning up under my feet!! My brother Kalyn & I was in talks about making that official move to LA!!! So we was like how are we going to make that happen with no money for real!! Aha!! But we had an amazing idea we started throwing our own “LOFT parties” in the city of Detroit!! We called ourselves the dynamic duo still to this day that’s what we are lol!!! We created flyers from our phone and just started posting them on social media to promote!! We did our own photoshoots from our phones for the content to make the flyers!! Once people got heed to all the attention people started showing up to our parties and we kept them going all 2016 to raise money to make the move to LA!!! Which we finally did move to LA in the fall of that year!!
But in the midst of all of that, I was still doing my modeling & styling!! I entered this contest that was presented by the big fashion company “VFILES”!! It was a modeling competition to model in their runway show in the BIG APPLE NYC!!! So I entered with my best pictures from my portfolio & fucking won the contest!!!!!!! It was people competing across the world and a boy from a small city won!! At that point, I knew anything was possible!!! I knew then people actually supported me and loved my work!! At that point, I knew to believe in myself first!!!!
Me and my brother went to NYC with 500 combined NOT EACH BUT COMBINED and made it work!! That’s what you call chasing your dreams!!!!!!
Let’s fast forward now… I made the move to LA in 2016 not knowing a single soul but my brother!!! People knew who I was though!! After being in LA, I just started to go to networking events to get my face out in the scene and build up my social life!! Once I knew where to be & what crowd I wanted to be in I took LA by stormmmm!!!!
I’m the type of person to express myself anywhere and everywhere that I go, so people would compliment me on my outfits &, etc.!! That there alone got me in the right rooms with the right people!!!
Once I found my groove, I started reaching out to photographers in LA to work!! Just like I did in the beginning of my modeling career!!
So, now 2017 is approaching and I’m now a resident of Los Angeles at this point!! I worked with a couple of photographers and I had work to showcase!! So I snagged my big modeling job which was my commercial for APPLE!!! you couldn’t tell me anything once I got that opportunity!! I called my Mom in disbelief because o really couldn’t believe it!! She’s my number one support of everything I do!!! That gig alone was board casted in all APPLE stores in the United States!!! MY FACE WAS EVERYWHERE!!! People started reaching out to me to tell me my face was in Cities I never even heard of !! People from all around was supporting me and I was so grateful!! Giving my thanks to the man above!!!!!
2017 for me was a roller coaster ride!! I had many wins and losses but it was all worth it!! I feel like those moments makes you stronger and humble you even more!!!
So now, let’s fast forward to the beginning of 2018!!! What a year for me!!! I had just went through a break up with my old lover of three years literally early January of 2018!! Lost and confused I was, but the way God works he knocked on my door with an opportunity!!!! I got the opportunity to have my first beauty campaign with BEAUTYCON !! It was there beauty bazaar campaign to promote their beauty convention!!! I was the face for it!!! My face was promoted on flyers, the website, at the convention and even had posters of my face promoted in NYC!!! All up and down soho!!!!! I was in all!!! That campaign alone brought in so much more attention to my work and I started working with photographers from all around the world!!!
At that moment again people started to really respect my work & notice my passion for it!!!!
So all throughout the year of 2018, I was just putting in a lot of work and making my name a household name in the fashion scene in LA!! Creating my own lane and being very original while doing it!!
So near the end of 2018, I walked for this fashion designer that goes by the name of Sav Noir!! This was legit my first big fashion show in modeling career while being in LA!! After walking in this particular show I gained more support behind my brand!!
Also, right before 2019 was approaching my brother & I was presented with the opportunity to have a 2 page spread in the international magazine that goes by the name of “OYSTER MAGAZINE”! This was our first physical magazine feature and for it to be international was epic!! Plus to be featured with my brother was even more iconic!!! The thing that was very touching about this feature though was the title!!! Which was “how to make it out alive” it meant a lot to me because me and my brother went through so much shit and still was able to push through and make our dreams our reality!! I cherish the little things!!!
Moving along…2019 is here!!! 2019 was such a good year to me personally!! I felt like I truly discovered how I wanted my art to inspire the people who supports me!!! I took risk in 2019!! I didn’t hold back & I pushed the narrative!! I said fuck all society rules and it felt good!!!
In 2019, I walked in so many fashions shows, created with photographers from Germany, worked on fashion films, & even started selling my own merch!!
I put in so much work in 2019 that I couldn’t even keep up!!!! I was featured in Vogue magazine, Vogue Italia, Complex uk, Highsnobiety, Behance, SUBVRT, KALTBLUT & more!!
The one opportunity that stuck out the most to me was being featured in vogue magazine because that was a goal of mine when I first started my modeling career in 2014!! Just to know I have been striving for greatness through all the bullshit makes me so damn proud of myself!!! I’ve done some amazing things within the year of 2019!!
Okay so let’s talk about how me and my brother Kalyn Mitchell brought back our dynamic duo brand!!!!
In the year of 2019, we started back up our styling duo which we call “THE MITCHELLS” now and started working with well known + even upcoming models in LA on special projects!! We made a big impact on the fashion scene with always doing projects together & even always being on the scene together!!
We started styling household names like Kari Faux for the magazine Harper Bazaar!! We worked on a lot of our own projects that we showcased via social media that brought along more clients for us!!! People knew how creative/powerful we were alone, so for them to see us working together they wanted parts!! We love that!! We love the genuine support!!!
Outside of just styling as a duo we started modeling together as a duo and got booked together as models for projects!! Which I thought was very cool because my brother did not think he was a model at first !! But he finally got in that model bag!!! Working with my brother is so easy because we get each other … we are tapped in with each other creatively and spiritually!!!
Moving along…towards the end of 2019 a creative that goes by the name of Rosegawd reaches out to us to host one of her parties which goes by the name of Ladreahearts!!! So, we checked out her work and what she represented and by then, we were all for it!! She booked us to host our first event with her which was themed “Denim Edition” !! So we promoted it to our supporters via social media and word of mouth and people showed up and out for us!!! What I loved most about partnering up with her is that we all created a safe space for creatives to fully be able to express themselves without no limits!! That’s what I’m all about!! Free of expression!!! Now that we’re partners for her parties I will always express that!!! These parties are also a gateway for us to meet our supporters in person, to embrace them, to thank them, and to have a good time with them!!! Nobody has to support you, so to know that people will show up for me, US is powerful!!! I cherish that!!!
Now we’re here in 2020!!!! Woowwww 2020!!!! The month of January was everything and more!!! I was literally working my ass off the whole month!!!
I released my long overdue video interview on my website, I worked with most of my friends who are artist, I worked on some very special projects that will blow people away once they get released!!!!
I reached a goal of mine in this month of January I’m 2020 also, which was creative directing my first fashion film!! Not only did I creative direct it, I was the model, stylist and also starred in it!! I wear many hats when it time for me to work!!
So for me right now in this year of 2020, I want to work on more of my own personal projects, have arts shows, work a lot more with my friends & finish inspire the world through my art!!! I want to be a force even more!! I will make it all happen!!
So for the people that supports me old and new thank you!! Thank you for always being there for staying with me along this wild journey!!! It’s not easy but it’s possible!! So from me to you NEVER GIVE UP!! KEEP GOING!! YOU CAN DO IT!! EXPRESS YOURSELF!! TAKE A RISK & FUCK ALL THE NAYSAYERS!!!!!! Muahhhh!!!! Xoxo!!!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road!! I would be lying if I said it was!! I went through many ups and downs!! From being homeless, being fired from old jobs to making sure I’m financially stable!! I just feel like the struggles make it all worth it because of you keep going you’re going to come out winning!! If you believe you can overcome any obstacles you can !!! You just have to take action and that’s what I always do!!
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Well, I’m a fashion model, stylist, creative director & plus more!!!! I’m known for always saying “I’M HERE TO INSPIRE” which I live by because I’m always trying to inspire people through my art, the way I move and the way I carry myself with my fashion!!! I’m a very expressive person and people always long that out before even speaking to me!! I love that!!
I’m mostly proud of the people who reaches out to me and lets me know that I inspire them!! For them to actually type those words or speak those words to me means a lot and lets me know I’m doing something right!!!
What sets me apart is that I know who I am!! Not saying that they don’t know who they’re but I KNOW EXACTLY WHO I AM!! I don’t take shit from no one and I always stay in my own lane!’
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over only thing I would have done differently was get an agent in the being of my career!! I’ve been doing my own thing independently for my whole career which works, but having an agent in the beginning would have been a big help! That’s all!!
Pricing:
- For styling inquiries my rate is $150 a hour or we can do a set rate of $600 depending on the projects. Now if it’s B.I.G. companies reaching out I need $1k
- For modeling inquiries my rate is similar to me styling which is $150 a hour or B.I.G. companies 1k & up!!’
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iridescentgroup.com/diallo
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Photographers: Yungdij, Gaptoothshorty, Lqk , Myai Anthony, Samath , Mar + Betsy Johnson, Khalil Slim, noltekuhlmann
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