With a background steeped in high fashion and World Couture glamour, Therez Fleetwood designs exceptionally made and sharply edited apparel for women.
Originally from Boston, where she got her start in fashion, Therez started designing clothes at the age of 12 and sold her first dress on the famed Newbury Street in Boston at the age of 15. This was quite an accomplishment at that age as Newbury Street was home to Giorgio Armani, Marc Jacobs, and Diane Von Furstenberg, just to name a few. Therez moved to New York to attend The Fashion Institute of Technology and where she worked as a production coordinator on 7th Avenue in the garment district. It was as a production coordinator, overseeing garment production, technical garment specifications, and quality control, that she honed her skills in garment construction, fit, and couture construction.
Therez launched her career designing Afrocentric attire under the PheZula Collection label where she sold to specialty boutiques throughout New York City, made custom designs for private clientele and designed for celebrities: EnVogue, Vanessa Williams, Angela Bassett, Queen Latifah, Yolanda Adams, Kim Fields, Sheri Headly, and Shanice. As a custom designer, she worked with clients around the world from Germany, Egypt, Italy, Tanzania, and Australia.
She has showcased her world couture wedding dresses on several television shows including the Today Show, Good Day New York, and a nationally syndicated television commercial for American Express entitled “Portraits”. Her designs have been on display in the “New York Gets Married” and “Black Style Now” exhibits at the Museum of the City and at the Fashion Institute of Technology in honor of the Black Fashion Museum. She was also a featured designer highlighted in Macy’s “Catch the Designers” which provided a ‘behind the runway’ look at the diverse designers impacting fashion today.
With her love of fashion and her desire to remain innovative as a designer, Therez partnered with visual artist V. Kottavei to design a unique bespoke fashion/art garment for sci-fi writer, Nnedi Okoraor, for the 2018 Emmy Awards. Therez has worked with Tyler Perry stage productions to create the signature wedding dress for the play Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned. Her fashions appear in several books including Fairchild Publications textbook entitled Survey of Historic Costume (1st thru 3rd editions), The Threads of Time, Fabric of History, Style Noir, and Jumping the Broom. She is a recipient of the Allstate Insurance Company’s “From Whence We Came, African-American Women of Triumph” Award and Therez designed the only Afrocentric costumes to be worn by Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, which have now become part of their themed costume collection.
With her love of fashion and her desire to remain innovative as a designer, Therez created the “Harlem Renaissance Reverie”, a couture canvas of artistic homage and cultural celebration, where she elevates the artistry of eight visual artists from this period to unprecedented heights, turning fashion into a canvas for visual storytelling. She weaves together traditional folk art craftsmanship with contemporary flair, narrating compelling stories through each meticulously crafted garment.
Therez is currently working a four-piece textile-art collection for the Know Thyself exhibit for the Nation of Islam, launching Spring 2024.
AUTHOR
Therez is also the author of four books. Black Men and Intimacy – Voices From Across the Diaspora and Black Women and Intimacy – Voices From Across the Diaspora; Chronicling the intimate lives of Black men and Black women in the 21st century. Powerful compilations of personal, one-on-one interviews with 100+ Black men and women, across five generations, from the diaspora. Men and Intimacy, Real Talk. Real Answers explores the complexities of relationships through the minds of men who give real, no-holds-barred answers to the questions all women want to ask. The AfroCentric Bride – A Style Guide offers styling tips and fashion advice for brides of color who want to express their cultural heritage on their wedding day.