Fashion Forward

It truly looks like a scene from a movie. The who’s who of Oklahoma is gathered to celebrate another winning night for the Thunder at the city’s newest hot spot, KD’s. Instead of eyeing the menu selection, patrons have their eyes glued to the front door. Everyone is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Thunder starting line-up. Before the hometown heroes show, a tall lady with light denim skinny jeans, a loose fitting pink blouse and long brown locks starts to steal the show. As she passes the crowd, she greets her numerous supporters and stops for picture requests. She playfully moves around the room and pauses just long enough for you to notice her bright red Louboutin soles. She makes her way into the restaurant, spots a friend and heads in his direction. Vanity Perkins is used to this life, but this friend is helping her keep it all together. As he greets her, he not only compliments her outfit, but also boldly reaches out to adjust it. Vanity welcomes the move. This isn’t just any guy, it’s her stylist DyQuan Washington.

Who would think that DyQuan would even be able to find success in Oklahoma? The state is slowly starting to take its stake in the fashion kingdom. A Thunder player has a wife, and the wife must have a stylist. See—divine order. Enter DyQuan. After working at BCBG as a stylist and garnering numerous clients, DyQuan was finally starting to see his dream come true. “With BCBG you actually have a client book,” he says. “It was a great stepping stone to be able to learn about the business side of styling.”

“I was working at BCBG and she came into the store,” he says. “I didn’t know who she was.” Instead of catering to Vanity like basketball wife royalty, DyQuan’s unawareness forced him to treat her like an everyday customer. “We built a relationship through that,” he says. “I took the time to get to know her and not just talk about styling.” DyQuan is now fully aware of how hectic Mrs. Perkin’s life can be. He has styled her for special events and casual gatherings. They’ve found a way to express Vanity’s many dimensions through fashion. “She likes a lot of timeless pieces,” he says. He says that Vanity is comfortable with pushing the limits of fashion, but always aims for a sophisticated look. “She’s a mother. There’s nothing wrong with a mother being sexy and liberated, but there’s a limit.”

DyQuan is used to dealing with the hectic lifestyles of celebrities. Grammy nominated artist Keri Hilson and Love and Hip Hop Atlanta’s Rasheeda have also been styled by him. Before dreaming of working with celebrities, the Oklahoma native thought that his style would only see the inside of a courtroom. “I always liked putting clothes together,” he says. “However, when I was in high school, I wanted to go to law school and become a lawyer. I soon realized that my passion was actually in designing clothes and being a stylist.” DyQuan began wardrobe styling during his sophomore year in high school and hasn’t looked back since. He’s become the go-to person for the yearly fashion shows at his current school, Langston University. When he’s not busy studying for exams, DyQuan is sketching his bowtie line entitled 1BowtieAway. “It will be available in June,” he says. “I really wanted to do a lot of black and white. I wanted to create timeless pieces that men can have 10 years from now.”

DyQuan is always looking towards the future. While it can be hard to maintain the demands of college while also starting your own fashion line, DyQuan welcomes the challenge. He’s confident that his new line will bring rave reviews and more clientele. “Your work will speak for itself and people will come to you.”

For more information about DyQuan, give him a call at 405.517.6060 or email him at 1bowtieaway@gmail.com.