The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
CONNECTICUT DESIGNER
Captures celebrity attention
With the help of his 60-year-old mother, Hartford fashion designer Travis Dimeer Terry took his brand IEMBE to a new level. In December, he tweeted four pictures of his mom Lavern Terry modeling IEMBE’s lime green “Gretchen” bag. She was wearing a white dress with white thigh-high boots, a fuzzy hat and a green coat to match the bag. It went viral.
The tweet received 80,000 likes and over 9,000 retweets — plus attention from rapper and pop culture icon Cardi B, who Travis said inspired the look. When a Cardi B fan account retweeted the photo shoot saying it was “Cardi B inspired,” the rapper commented, “Wow I feel so honored.” Her comment received 6,227 likes and 193 retweets.
“The funny thing is, this is the third time using my mom as a model and this one just took off,” Travis said. “I feel like if I ever change models, people are going to ask where my mom is at since now she is, in a way, the face of the brand.”
Laverne had never modeled before. “I told him how I thought the shoot would look good in the snow and it should be shot on Pratt Street (in Hartford),” she said. “I did not even think the shoot looked good as I wanted more snow but I woke up the next morning and it went viral.”
IEMBE is a Black-owned luxury brand that stands for “in my bag” and proposes “you define luxury, a motto we live by,” Terry said. The brand, which sells bags and clothing online, came to life on Jan. 3, 2020. And, one item — the “Biblical IEMBE Jacket” — has been a big hit.
The jacket, which has an Adam and Eve design, with the brand’s name spelled down the sleeve, has been worn and posted on social media by celebrities and pop culture personalities like Jordyn Woods, Fabolous, Meek Mill and Jim Jones.
“When I saw Fabolous wear the ‘Biblical IEMBE Jacket’ with a paisley tapestry design not only once but twice? That was huge,” said Travis. Fabulous was also the first celebrity to order the jacket.
Travis said he was starstruck when his friend asked him to send Jordyn Woods the “Biblical” jacket.
TRAVIS DIMEER TERRY GOES VIRAL WITH HELP OF HIS MOM — AND CARDI B
“I was so excited to send her this jacket that on my way to the post office, I wanted to beat the time to make sure it got to her,” he said.
Celebrities or not, Travis said he enjoys seeing tags from customers with their reactions on social media. “Nothing is better than seeing people get their purchases and happy with it,” he said.
Terry was raised on Barber Street in Hartford and graduated from Clark Atlanta University in Georgia with a degree in business. His foray into fashion all started when he canceled a spring break trip to Miami because he did not have a bag to bring. With the money from his trip reimbursement, he decided to order bags off Amazon, designed a logo and created prototypes to test out his own bag design.
“My brother told me that if I was going to start my business and make these bags, I had to do it the right way and he helped me find the connections,” he said.
Travis said he wanted to create a unisex bag in vegan leather. “Something people do not know until ordering is that it is a 4-in-1 bag. Customers have the option to use it as purse, a bookbag, a shoulder bag or just a clutch,” he said. “This design is going to take over the world.”
The handbags have a “Telfar and Hermes Birkin” look to them, according to Travis’ sister, Hartford firefighter Lanitress Terry. “They sure have been selling like them too as they are always sold out,” she said. Travis’ goal is to see IEMBE on the shelves at Saks 5th Ave.
Laverne said she’s been enjoying helping her son’s his vision come to life. “We are always having fun together and when he asked for me to be his model, how could I say no? I am so proud of him and what this brand stands for.”
“I feel like having our mother modeling for IEMBE will change the perspective on having to be a certain age to be in front of the camera,” Lanitress said. “Seeing them change the game and go through this journey together is exciting.”
Travis hopes to inspire others to go after their vision. A first-generation college graduate in his family, he said he especially hopes to be a role model for his cousins and let them know you don’t have to be from New York or Los Angeles to be a success.
“Just because you are from Connecticut, does not mean you can’t make your dreams come true,” he said.