Konjo International COO Baqash R. Wilson has been in the Fashion Arena for more than 40 years with an eclectic history that has taken him around the world. He brings those experiences to the projects he produces and coordinates.
Born in the Bronx, New York, Baqash knew he would become a Fashion Designer when he began making his own clothes at the age of 12. Growing up the eldest of twelve children, there simply was not enough money to buy what everyone was wearing. He noticed even then, that every season people would run after the same fad or fashion that had flooded the market, even in the urban neighborhoods.
He asked, “Who decides what we will wear each year? I think I want to be the person who influences what my people will wear!” Upon graduating from High School he chose to major in Fashion Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and this formalized his education in the field.
Baqash has won several national design awards including the first New Day Designer of the Year, Canadian Club Designers Showcase and Golden Design Award. His merits as a Costume Designer have been seen on stage in local productions of Dream Girls, The Wiz, Evita and several others.
While he enjoys designing for both Men and Women, his menswear collection shown at South Africa Fashion Week gave him his first sign that he would be successful in this business. His collection was featured on FTV (Fashion Television) and after the show he presented a suit to Nelson Mandela as a gift. His collections were also shown in Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
He has also enjoyed the thrill of seeing his Evening Gowns and Costumes on stage in both the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants. “I have been designing for young women competing in the pageants for years. To know that more than 1 billion people are watching your designs is an incredible experience” he says.
His women’s collections today reflect the beauty and splendor of the many exotic places he has visited as a Fashion Designer and Stylist, while he continues to prepare young women competing in the top Grand Slam Pageants.
Baqash says, “I have the opportunity to design, dress and style these young women for competitions that sometimes last up to four weeks, preparing and coordinating everything the wear from day into evening. As Ambassadors of Beauty, there is no limit to the opulence I am allowed to create, because they have to look flawless every moment of the competition!”
He founded Konjo International as a company that mentors emerging designers and new talent in the Fashion and Beauty industry.
This editorial features credits
MODEL: JOEY DAVIS
PHOTOGRAPHER: ERIC GANISON
FASHION: BAQASH WILSON
ACCESSORIES: DEIDRE HARDIN
MUA/HAIR: D’ANN LYNCH
STYLISTS: BENJII DARIO & CHRISTOPHER SOSA
