Fishing Some More

Still Fishing

Gone Fishing

When Angels Appear...

Angels truly do surface when you really need them... All day today, I kept receiving these random emails and messages saying, "Congratulatons Malcolm - Keep up the good work"... Or "Great Aricle - I am truly impressed." I started thinking to myself, "Are these people insane??? Is this what they believe I want to hear about being in the middle of a public scandal???" Just when I started to believe that either I or the entire world was absolutely crazy, I logged on to my computer and opened up to the following article that had been sent with a huge "CONGRATULATIONS"... What a day this has been...

Fairwell Ms. Hearst

I am going to make this post very brief as regards the exaggerated “Malcolm Harris / Lydia Hearst" feud as it all seems too ridiculous for words…

Personally, no matter what you may hear or read in the press, I still believe Lydia to be a very sweet and charming young woman. In both of our defense, I honestly don’t believe Lydia nor I had any idea how much work and time it would eventually take in forming and maintaining an organization such as Designers For Darfur. I will also say this - - - we were very fortunate to have Lydia Hearst on board at the onset of Designers For Darfur and also in allowing us the use of her family’s great name, as it most certainly did open many doors. But in the end, it has always been up to DFD to perform once those doors had been opened.

It is absolutely amazing to watch how the media and bloggers love to create a fuss and/or feud out of real people’s lives. I am not a celebrity nor do I ever want to be, I am simply a person that is extremely passionate about both my chosen profession as well as the world in which we all live. No matter what people choose to write and/or say about me, nothing can ever stop me from doing either.

I truly do wish Lydia Hearst the best in her journey and thank her for the time that she has so willingly assisted Designers For Darfur.


YOU Can Help End the Genocide in DARFUR:

1. Attend meetings and events.

Join our email list for updated information.
For notices about upcoming events and ongoing campaigns in the NYC area sign up for our email updates by going to http://www.savedarfur.org/ and search by Zip Code or name to sign on to NYC Coalition for Darfur.

NYC COALITION meetings are the first Wednesday of every month
7:30pm Intro, 8:00pm General Meeting All are welcome.
Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew, 263 W.86 St.btwn.Bwy.&West End Ave.
For info: 212-714-4535 email: interfaitharts@gmail.com
(For Brooklyn meetings email Darfur Crisis Committee-Brooklyn For Peace at: TakingAStand7@gmail.com)


2. Every week, make a FIVE-MINUTE phone call for DARFUR
call 1-800-GENOCIDE (436-6243)

a) to receive “talking points” you can use in your conversations with public officials and

b) for direct connection to relevant officials involved in current legislative campaigns - http://www.1800genocide.com/

3. Contribute to Relief Organizations that provide food, water, shelter, medicine & health services to Darfuris
Doctors Without Borders USA http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

American Jewish World Service http://www.ajws.org/ 212-792-2900 and 800-889-7146

United Methodist Committee on Relief http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/ 1-800-554-8583

Save the Children, West Darfur program http://www.savethechildren.org/ 1-800-

SAVETHECHILDREN
(IRC)Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children http://www.womenscommission.org/ 212-551-3111

World Food Programme website: http://www.wfp.org/ email: wfpinfo@wfp.org 212-963-8364


4. DIVEST investments in companies fueling the genocide in Darfur. http://www.sudandivestment.org/

Lobby your NY City Council Member to pass Resolution 0695-2007, demanding NYC officials to divest NYC govt. pension funds from investment in Sudan. Also, directly pressure NYC Comptroller William Thompson to divest NYC govt. pension funds now invested in Sudan. Call 212-669-3500 or 1-800-Genocide.

Investigate investments made by your own private pension funds; sell-off any of your own funds that now have investments in Sudan (investments that may be paying for the government-funded genocide).

5. Promote the CHINA CAMPAIGN (China is Sudan’s largest foreign investor and trade partner, largest provider of weapons, and chief diplomatic sponsor preventing UN deployment of protective forces.)

Write: Ambassador Wang Guangya, Permanent Mission to the UN of the People’s Republic of China,
350 East 35th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Tell China’s govt. to coerce Sudan President Omar al-Bashir to end the genocide in Darfur long before the Olympics begin in China on August 8, 2008.
Help implement the China Olympics’ campaign. http://www.dreamfordarfur.org/
Lobby your NY City Council Member to pass Resolution 0954-2007, which would pressure American sponsors of the Olympics to press China to coerce Sudan into ending genocide by 12/31/07.

6. Attend Monthly Vigils: first Tuesday of each month, Noon-2:00pm, to maintain pressure on the U.S. government by standing vigil to press for immediate UN troop deployment.
U.S. Mission to the United Nations 140 East 45th St. (between Lexington Ave.& 3rd Ave.)

ADDITIONAL ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP STOP THE GENOCIDE IN DARFUR:

Our officials need to take action – pressure them by personally typing or hand-writing letters – these letters have greater impact than faxes or e-mails. Write a letter to express your support for:

Immediate UN and NATO deployment of an international military force, United Nations peacekeepers, or combined African Union/UN peacekeepers, with a strong mandate to neutralize Janjaweed Arab militias now committing genocide in Darfur and implementation of all UN resolutions regarding Darfur; Continued funding of current African Union troops; Enforcement of the arms embargo against the Sudan govt. and/or imposition of pressure or sanctions on governments and corporations that provide or sell arms to Sudan; Encouraging Arab countries and China (Sudan’s largest financial backer) to exert pressure on the Sudan government to end the genocide against Darfuris; Implementation of provisions of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, including denial of port entry to ships that have carried Sudanese oil; Asking the United Nations to restore the level of food provision to Darfuri refugee camps in Chad;Implementation/enforcement of stronger multilateral sanctions; Implementation of targeted sanctions against officials in the Sudanese government responsible for the ethnic cleansing campaign against Darfuri tribes, including freezing their financial assets; Passage by Congress, and signing by President Bush, of H.R.180 which supports each State’s right to divest pension funds from Sudan and denies US contracts to companies that do business with Sudan and provide little or no benefit to the people of Sudan; Investigation & prosecution of war crimes in Darfur, other regions of Sudan, and around Chad refugee camps.

Send Your Personal Letters about the issues above to:
President George W. Bush, The White House, Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20500.
Phone the White House: 202-456-1111 Fax: 202-456-2461 Email: comments@whitehouse.gov

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Main State Building, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520 Phone U.S. State Department: 202-647-4000 Direct dial: 202-647-6575.

Your U.S. Senators (202-224-3121) and Representatives ( 202-225-3121)
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510

U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515

The United Nations Center for Human Rights and, separately,
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

Secretary-General: 212-963-5012, Fax: 212-963-4879
United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY 10017

main UN phone: 212-963-1234
Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Ambassador & Permanent Representative to the UN, & the U.S. Delegation to UN U.S. Mission to the UN, 140 E. 45 Street, NY, NY 10017 usunpublicaffairs@state.gov

Contact local Darfur advocacy organizations:

Help Darfur People’s Association of NY collect clothing & school supplies for 2 ½ million refugees in the Darfur region. Collect Funds to store/ship/deliver supplies. Obtain Speakers for your events.

2211 Church Avenue - Rm. 301, Brooklyn, NY 11226, Phone: 718-282-0108 ext.282 or call Motasim Adam: 347-683-8017

Help research & prepare Darfuri victims for International Criminal Court;
Pursue water-resource projects in Darfur; Obtain speakers for your events.
Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Inc. http://www.darfurrehab.org/ 973-274-9424 Yahya Osman: yahyadrp@yahoo.com

For current in-depth Information and Advocacy Materials:
1) Genocide Intervention Network, http://www.genocideintervention.net/

2) Human Rights Watch, http://www.hrw.org/
3) http://www.sudanreeves.org/

4) STAND (student anti-genocide coalition) http://www.standnow.org/

5) http://www.enoughproject.org/

"The Old Razzle Dazzle"

A few weeks ago, I featured one of my young fashion friends and colleagues Esteban Cortizar here on Cut, Sew and Blog (Colleagues not Competitors). I have known Esteban since he was 14 years old and he has always been pure talent and sunshine. So to see his name splattered across the pages of various blogs for the past week in such a hardcore way, I was forced to write today’s post.

Recently, as many of you fashionistas may know, Esteban was appointed as the head designer of the legendary house of Emanuel Ungaro. Good news right… Well not according to most… Never before have I seen an appointment of a designer make such a stir. The barrage of negativity coming towards this young 23 year old “creative” seems to be almost unbearable. With all the recent appointments that seem to make less sense than this one, I don’t know why this young kid has to bear the lion’s share of the industry’s frustration.

I will admit when I first heard of Esteban’s appointment, I too slightly scratch my head. wasn’t shocked by his tender age, nor if this was a perfect fit - - - my shock came from the fact that I knew first hand how many other designers had been approached regarding this position and they had all undoubtedly turned it down. But in no way did I believe Esteban’s appointment to be a negative thing. What did they want him to do? Turn it down… He’s 23 for crying out loud… This is the time he should feel invincible and not defeated because the industry is simply frustrated.

The one thing we all know is the fashion industry is screaming for change… The industry is simply screaming for newness - - - and not the run of the mill newness that comes from yet another wunderkind or a new “shocking” appointment to a major fashion house… The industry is screaming for a new plan, a new future, a new way of making this tired old wheel spin… But once again instead of picking up the gauntlet and challenging the industry to really step up to the plate by coming up with something original - - - what do we do??? We once again give the world the same old Razzle Dazzle…

Fortunately, Cathy Horyn of The New York Times, was spot-on in her recent blog post. She too agrees that if the industry wants to do something bold, it needs to develop a new strategy – a forward way of looking at the globalization of fashion… This is why I believe we are all so fortunate to be in the fashion industry at this present moment – globalization.

I can’t wait for the world to see Harris Group International as we begin to truly roll out our plan… I can promise you all this – The HGI / Mal Sirrah, Inc. plan is bold, courageous, forward and ambitious… I can also assure you that it will put the industry’s old “Razzle Dazzle” to “Fizzle Dizzle" - for sho my "Nizzle" (sorry, I just couldn't resist the Snoopism)…

“You’ll never work in this town again!”

If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard the words “You’ll never work in this town again!” – I would have exactly 10 cents, as I’ve only heard it once in my life… Therefore, I had to share this story with all of you. So "buckle up - it's going to be a bumpy ride..."

Recently, I had one of the hugest publicists in the business call my office screaming like a lunatic at one of my sweet and hardworking interns as she read her the riot act as to why she despises me. Everyone in the biz whispers about how mean and nasty this woman is but no one dares to say anything to her about her behavior. They just chalk it up to "fashion". Now I know for a fact that I am a tough pill to swallow, but I didn’t know I evoked such hatred from certain people within this lovely industry. I know some of you are under the impression that I am the sweetest things since sliced bread, but this is not always true. What I “attempt” to be in my journey is fare, understanding and compassionate. So when people take to bullying people I care about and/or people that can’t defend themselves, I use my voice and my well worked out muscles to protect them. I am neither saint nor brute – just Malcolm.

Well it turns out this publicist whom shall remain nameless for now, also has a reputation for being one of the industry’s biggest bullies. She has made many an intern and/or fledgling fashionista actually weep from her verbal attacks and tirades. She is legendary for using the “f-word” the way most of use the words "this, that and those". Is it just me or is the f-word a bit more juvenile than it is vulgar? It always seems to reek of a lack of vocabulary and/or education. Anyway this irate publicist accused me of badmouthing her “all over the industry” after hearing that I said “verbatim” – “I don’t work with her anymore because our spirits didn’t mix.” I don’t know if this qualifies as “badmouthing” as when I said it to her “best friend” I was under the impression I was being quite diplomatic…

This publicist has now declared “Malcolm is through in fashion! He will never work in this town again!!!” I swear when I heard this I thought to myself “Do people still make these ridiculous threats.” It’s like something she must have heard in one of those old Hollywood movies starring Joan Crawford or Bette Davis. I also wondered if industry darlings like Phillip Lim and/or Peter Som are ever told things like this - or is it just me. I could actually imagine her putting out a cigarette in one of those stand-up ashtrays after she declared me finished... I am sure she said it loud enough for all of her poor interns and underlings to hear. Then it finally hit me… That’s it… Most of the people in this business are simply playing some role... All reliving some ficticious scene from an old Hollywood movie watched in the wee hours of an insomniac’s playtime. Unfortunately most of these roles aren’t even worthy of being called classics – they are simply tired, over rehearsed and just plain old “bad”. I think I would respect some of the “crazies” in the business a bit more if they were a bit more original in their craziness. Imagine if the role of publicist had been originally been played by Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi.

I wish I could say at this point that after my intern informed me of this obnoxious telephone call I decided to take the “high road”. But the high road sometimes is best left for those aforementioned... For me, I don't really mind getting right down in the trenches and duking it out with the best of them… No, the high road isn’t always for me. Surprisingly, what I did do after receiving this telephone call message on this late Friday afternoon was to give myself a solid three day cool-off period. I would use these three days to see if I would still be filled with the same anger and sense of outrage I had felt as my intern relayed this vile message. The vile message that she was forced to write down word for word just in case she had gone home for the weekend before I returned to the office from my outside meetings.

Do you know what upset me the most? It was the fact that this poor girl had to receive such venom directly into her gentle spirit. To pour salt into her wound, she now had to repeat these words to her boss whom had arrived earlier than expected and whom she also knew would be a bit wounded by this woman’s poison. Meanwhile, I was not wounded in the least... I simply imagined myself as a cowboy in one of those old Westerns wherein the tough guy would take out his pocket knife, cut into the victim's wound and suck out all the venom before spitting it onto the ground. You see – I too know how to play a role… But I digress…

So I waited the entire weekend to see if on Monday morning that nagging “pang” left from Friday’s unfortunate incident would still be there… And on Monday morning, as I rubbed my stomach and chatted with my inner voice I could still feel the “pang” as if it were a pregnancy that had been carried to term. It was less than 30 minutes before I made the call...

I will not go into the gruesome and gory details of this call void of vengeance and motivated by purpose. My purpose was to finally say – “Enough is Enough!!!" All you need to know is that I haven’t heard a word from this self-acclaimed bad-ass/nail spitting publicist since this phone call... I guess she is out and about ruining my career. But what I will share with you is this, “The f-word sometimes serves it purposes.”- - - no matter how juvenile I still find it.

To be quite honest, I even waited a complete week before I shared this story with all of you… Mostly because I really had important work to do last week with the launch of the DFD T-shirt collection and simply did not want any of the negative energy associated with this encounter to commingle with our positive efforts... But for some reason, I knew that I had to share this bit of my journey as well…

What I can say about this entire episode is that I have learned a very important lesson about myself… I truly do love everything that makes me - M... I love the part of me which is so sensitive that the gentle words of a poem or a well delivered line in a favorite movie can move me to tears. I love my innate sense of elegance and poise that has been instilled in me by my mother and her AKA sorority sisters as well as my sense of power, strength and fairness inherited from my father and the venerable gentleman of his Omega Psi Phi fraternity. But what I also inherited from my father is my red hot Jamaican blood that flows through my every vein that says to all those that dare mistake me for some mere “fashion batty boi” - “If you ever use that language and/or attitude towards me or anyone I know or care about – I will FUCK YOU UP... Yes, I will fuck you up and still be the head of my own luxury brand.”

To all of you that believe that I may have finally gone over the deep edge, I respect you all but what I am saying is simply this…. The days of these fashion bullies are truly over... Never let anyone tell you that they can make you or break you as this is not true… They can of course attempt to throw roadblocks in your path, roadblocks that can easily be maneuvered by hardwork and perseverance. But no one – I tell you “No One” - can make or break you… I beg of you all to never give anyone this sort of insane power over your future... Your future is your own... Ask Marc!!!

Do you all think that it is by any coincidence that fashion’s Golden Boy, Marc Jacobs has finally said, “Enough Is Enough”… But everyone wants to call him crazy... This is no coincidence at all… People, individuals just like me, you and everyone else, are finally saying – “Enough is Enough!” “I will work in this town again… But I will do it my way… And you know what else - Fuck You!!!”

Sorry I couldn’t resist the f-word just one more time… That one felt really good and grown up…

p.s. Mark your calendars – I promise you all – I won’t be going anywhere… I will work everyday in this tow to make sure that I am still here…

Thank you... Designers For Darfur

I would like to personally thank all of you that came out last night to support the launch of Designers For Darfur Limited Edition T-shirt... As most of you can imagine, this work is not easy... However, with every opportunity to enlist a new voice or to strengthen an existing one in this fight, is well worth it all.

We really do thank you all for your continued support.

p.s. If you have any ideas as to how you believe we can move these t-shirts into circulation, please do not hesitate to share your brilliant idea with us... In the meantime, click on any of photos below to be redirected to our online store.

The Pierces - Designers For Darfur

Okay for those of you who won't be able to attend tonight's Designers For Darfur T-Shirt Launch, check out the email I just received from our featured artists "The Pierces"

"I'm sure you were already going to tune in to your new favorite teendrama, Gossip Girl, but now you have an extra reason to watch! Ontonight's episode, G.G. will be featuring...That's right...ThePierces! And not just our music, we are actually on the show! We'll beperforming "Secret" and "Three Wishes" at the annual cotillion ball. We saw all the drama go down in person and let me tell you, it is simply riveting. The only thing that could've topped this would be if we had sung at the Peach Pit on 90210 :) Tune in tonite!!! "

Designers For Darfur Limited Edition T-Shirt Launch Event

Event : Launch of Designers for Darfur Limited Edition T-Shirt Series

Venue : Gin Lane, 355 West14th Street (between 8th & 9th Aves.)

Benefiting Charity : The Save Darfur Coalition / Designers For Darfur

Date : Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

Time : 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

RSVP: rsvp@designersfordarfur.com

The launching of Designers for Darfur Limited Edition T-Shirt Series. The event will be attended by New York City’s influencers from the worlds of fashion, art, entertainment and finance. There will also be key members of the Save Darfur Coalition on hand to mingle with the crowd and advise how each individual can play a part in ending the genocide currently taking place in Sudan. The event will be hosted by DFD founders, fashion designer Malcolm Harris and Performance Artist Andre J.

Special Appearance by Rolling Stones Break Out Artists –
“The Pierces”

Afternoon Quickie - Bob Fosse

As a huge fan of the late choreographer Bob Fosse, I would be completely remiss if I did not share the following video with all of you (if you haven't seen it already). Please press play... I beg of you!!! You won't regret it...

Enjoy your weekend - and walk it out - Fosse style of course!!!