Today we’d like to introduce you to Noel B Corbin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Noel B. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in Augusta, Georgia, watching my mother sew. As a child, I always tagged along with her for her weekly trips of the fabric store and spent hours watching her cut out sewing patterns and fabric, and create her own fashion looks, as well as dresses and costumes for my sister and I. I attended a performing arts high school where I began taking costume design and my dream of being a fashion and costume designer was born.
I went on to attend Savannah College of Art & Design and Georgia Southern University where I majored in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design. After graduating with an undergraduate degree in design, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 2005, where I worked in fashion retail and freelanced in design. I also enjoyed a quick two minutes of fame, appearing on a couple episodes of “The Real House Wives of Atlanta” (Season One) as Illustrator/ Sketch Artist to Sheree Whitfield. After five years of playing it safe in Georgia, secretly terrified to venture out into the world, I took a holiday trip to New York City with a few close friends and decided to stay. I found myself at the age of 27, living in Brooklyn, working in fashion retail, interning at Nicole Miller, and falling in love with the world of design all over again. Within three years of interning and working multiple fashion freelance gigs in Manhattan, I finally landed a full-time job as a Fashion Designer in women’s denim.
One of the main reasons why I was drawn to the world of apparel design as the foundation of research in fashion history and current trends, technical skills required to hand and computer illustrate design layouts, and construction detail in garments. Although I loved illustration and design at my full-time job, I longed for a deeper connection to fashion and culture. This lead me back to the academia world, pursuing a Masters of Arts at NYU in Visual Culture: Costume Studies, where I focused on dress in the African American communities in the 19th and 20th centuries. While pursuing this degree, I continued to work as a freelance Fashion Designer and began working in the museum sector as a fashion curator in Brooklyn and a contract Black Fashion Research Assistant in Washington, DC. Upon graduation in 2017, my museum contracts ended and I felt the push for another big move. Finally to Los Angeles to pursue Costume Design!
While in LA, I have been working at a costume rental house and working as a Non-Union Costume Designer for new media, short films, and features. Within the past few months, as the world has come to a pause, I have thrown myself back into the fashion design world and finally established my own company, A S O + A S A by Noel B. The company name means Cloth in Culture in Yoruba, a West African language most prominently spoken in Nigeria, where the largest part of my ancestry is found. The inspiration for this label is the reconnecting and reclaiming who I am ancestrally and as an American. But, in light of the current state of the world, the first product my label offers are fashion face masks.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely NOT been a smooth road. But each bump along the way inspired a turn in a better and many times, unexpected direction. Struggles along the way included dead end internships, not getting the design gigs, continuously fighting my own insecurities as a designer, and keeping the faith as a self-employed artist.
When I think back, the moments when I thought I hit a road block – it was just my path redirecting me to something better, I didn’t know I wanted. I now encourage all artist to not let the “road block” moments stop you or make you give up. Yet, find the other route to fully becoming the artist you are.
We’d love to hear more about the company.
My company is called A S O + A S A by Noel B. Aso Asa, means Cloth in Culture in Yoruba, and is a part of the inspiration for this label. In light of the current state of the world, the first product my label offers fashion face masks and I am growing into offering headwraps, fashion illustrated note cards, and DIY fashion sewing and painting kits for the creator in us all. The label also covers my Costume Design work, as a Head Costumer in film and new media. I am most known for my Headwraps and fashion illustrations and I am most proud of my company working with and supporting students, minorities, lgbtq community, and female artist, including contract sewers, painters, styling clients, and new media projects.
What sets me apart from others is simply me. The ability to just throw all of myself into a design 500%, if it’s a custom gown, a face mask, or a special costume for a project. I can sketch it, source the fabric, make the pattern, complete fittings, full ensemble construction- beginning to end. Just as A S O + A S A by Noel B is inspired by my heritage you get a piece of me/ my passion in every service or good I provide!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always shy. I’d rather hide myself in the back of the room or help those in the spotlight, letting something I made speak for me. In efforts to make me break out of my shell, my parents signed me up of any and every activity, from Girl Scouts, to music lessons to debutantes, and community youth clubs. My passion for the arts forced me out of parts of my shell, stepping up to write, direct, cast, and costume plays at my childhood church, produce my first fashion show at my senior high school talent show, and volunteer in my community with social clubs I was in. Although I was shy, with a little time of me getting comfortable with someone- I was liable to talk your head off and interview you on your dreams, love life, and hobbies. In that way, I am still kind of the same.
Pricing:
- A S O + A S A Fashion Face Masks starting at $15 (Child Size) / $20 (Adult)
Contact Info:
- Website: asoasabynoelb.com
- Email: asoasabynoelb@gmail.com
- Instagram: noelbynoelb and aso.asa.bynoelb
Image Credit:
Image of me dressing 3 women: Youtube Webseries “Stepford Sidechix” (Actresses: Lenore Coer, Jessica Obilom, Jessica Ward)
Image of me dressing 1 woman: Youtube Webseries “Stepford Sidechix” (Director & Actress: Swisyzinna
Image of 4 women in black: Youtube Webseries “Stepford Sidechix” (Actress: Lenore Coer, Swisyzinna, Jessica Obilom, Jessica Ward
Image of Teen in Gold Custom Prom Gown: Elizabeth Richardson
Images of woman in Gold Face Mask & Pan African Flag Face Mask: Camille Murray
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