Meanwhile...

Pacifica West Menswear.

For most men, it's the fashion line with a certain theme for men of all spectrums: "Masculinity is a belief of the personal ideal." That means that manhood is not limited to the typical stereotypes and can be based on how one guy sees what being a real man is like in their eyes."

And that's the theme going for my friends and I since the line was created during our junior year at RISD back in 2014. Since then, we've created a line of men's swimwear (resort and competitive), intimate wear (underwear and bodysuits), activewear, and personal hygienic products. We're also looking into a new line of candles and men-themed bath salts. Our journey has never been without setbacks and we've been harangued by Joshua's family and their friends with their insults and their demands for Josh to marry a woman and work for them. But the benefits outweighed the costs as we've been given numerous sponsorships and we've been featured in many magazines across the country and even in Europe and Asia.

But as with the life of any aspiring artist, Pietro, Joshua, De'Andre, and I know the old saying "You're only as good as your last work" still applies. And with this pandemic, we knew that we had to work on bouncing back and reintroducing our line after showcasing our wares last year over social media since Fashion Week was held online. So it was necessary for us to meet at our design studio and boutique downtown (the building in general being an old tailor shop that came from the sixties) to talk about our product lineup as well as plans for the upcoming Fashion Week in New York.

"All right, guys," I said as my crew, some of the younger designers from RISD and Brown, and I met in the workroom area of the design studio upstairs. "We need to talk about our incoming designs for the swimwear/underwear pass. Coley, what do you have?"

"Andrew, Jenna, and Franz are working with me for a few test-drives for the swimming briefs," a fox-faced, redheaded young man piped up. "We're doing some of the fittings tomorrow, but we can run them by you later."

"Good," I nodded. "Tonya, what's going on with the jewelry collection?"

"Coming along," a plump African-American older woman remarked. "I'm working on the final men's pendant that'll feature some of the gemstones from my other line. All of the necklaces and bracelets will be ocean-themed, so expect to see a lot of peridots, diamonds, and turquoises in the mix."

"I'll need to see them after I talk with the guys," I replied. I pointed to one of the interns. "What about the underwear?"

"Mr. Suarez-Rice, I got a few test designs for the Graphite Steel collection, but there's some others that I've been sketching up," a pale and meek younger man commented. "I mean, they're only sketches and all, but-"

"Mr. Beckham and I will look over them," Joshua interrupted. "Don't be afraid to show off some ideas, Pittman. Remember, Pacifica West is all about being innovative and taking risks. If you have a new idea in mind, go for it."

"Exactly," Franklin agreed. To me, "We're still ahead with gaining sponsors, but we need to meet up with Fontaine from Murano Homme magazine later this month. Mr. Mori from Dressel & Slade in Boston also want to have lunch as well."

"Right," I said, writing down the notes before turning to De'Andre. "How are we looking with the media?"

"Esquire Style, Belaire, & Southlake Couture over in Texas wants interviews and exclusive passes to the preliminary runway show," he replied. "We're also going to be featured in an interview from NBC 10 in Connecticut and the morning news from WPIX in New York. And Allandale's been asking for you as well."

I felt a lump catching in my throat, knowing that New York's toughest and candid fashion socialite was going to be there. Veronica Allandale was someone you did not want to mess with when it comes to her keen eye on design. And if you wanted to remain in her good graces, you had to stay on your toes at all costs. "I'll need to call her ASAP," I muttered, clearing my throat before facing the others. "Everyone, New York Fashion Week isn't too far away, meaning that all hands will need to be on deck if our products are going to be sold and our line is going to remain steady. Make sure to stay informed and have everything arranged. Get your assignments in and make sure to be up to date with the tailors and the other worker's that aren't here. For now, you guys can go home."

Everyone clamored around to pack up their things as I motioned my friends to follow me into my main office. "Man, what a day," I breathed as I sat down. "Things are getting real now that we're coming out of this pandemic, howbeit only slow and steady."

"That's for sure," Joshua agreed, nodding. "But it never pays to slack off, especially when we could be treading water at any moment."

"The main thing to remember is that we're keeping up with the books and working with the sponsors," De'Andre reminded us as he looked through his notebook. "Anyway, I was thinking about an idea that's been floating around in my mind."

"How's that?" I wanted to know.

I saw him take a deep breath. "You know how Jamal's been the inspiration behind the Winter Lady masterpiece, right?" he began. "And he wore one of your one-piece swimsuits when he modeled it for Derrick."

I nodded.

"Well, it may be a bit of a long shot, but I wanted to know if you thought about having Jamal become a model for your swimwear lineup. I mean, he does have the body to be a perfect model."

"It might not be a bad idea," Franklin commented, "but would he consider doing it given the situations?"

"Maybe. Who can say unless one of us asks him," Joshua piped up. "Last time I heard from Naomi, she and La'Shawn told him that he needed to start truly healing after all the shit he went through with the Bookers of Atlanta."

"Mom and Dad were wondering if he was going to start therapy," Franklin pointed out. "I even asked Tyler when he had lunch with me and my family after he got the job as a server at the bistro. He said that Jamal's been busy with finding a job and then working at Walmart that it must've slipped his mind."

I nodded, considering what's being said. "Right now, you guys, we need to focus on getting things ready for the preliminary showcase next week before we talk about using Jamal. But I plan to ask him if he wants to consider it. Same thing for Tyler, though he'll likely be busy with being a server at Verano's for the time being. No promises, though, just so we're clear. If they don't want to model, then we respect his choice."

My friends nodded. "We'll let them decide," Franklin said. "I'm actually glad that they're in Solstice Hearts, if I can be real. With all that happened to them- Jamal's life in Atlanta and Tyler being disowned by his family, you can say that they needed to breakaway and forge their own path."

"Got that right," Joshua remarked.

I inhaled deeply. "All right, guys, I guess we can clock out for the day," I said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow morning as we'll do a conference call with Allandale after an early talk with the tailors and the other staff workers. For now, get some rest and enjoy your nights with whatever you got planned. After today, it's crunch-time and we can't play around. We're going all-in with Pacifica West and we're in beast mode."

"Then it's all the more reason to get the ball rolling," Franklin replied as he began to leave. "You take care of yourself, Cameron. We'll talk."

De'Andre and Joshua followed them out, the latter murmuring something to De'Andre before they too left my office.

I sat back in my chair and allowed myself to meditate for a few minutes. Would it be a good idea for Jamal and Tyler to become my new models for the line? I mean, it was worth a shot to ask. And who knows? Maybe this could mean getting to know Jamal better.

One way to find out.

Nice to see my boys getting a game plan for their fashion line, but will Jamal and Tyler also be involved while dealing with rebranding themselves? We'll have to wait and see.

But in the next chapter, it's all about Joshua and De'Andre as they meet with Ava who wants to be an ally...as well as share something about her sexuality. Oh, my! How the game-changing tea is ready to be poured!

Vote.
Comment.
Share.
Follow.
Add.
FAN!