My Black is Beautiful TV Show Transcript

Episode 6: Fashion Explosion

TASHA: This is the last show.

KIM: This is the last show.

TASHA: I'm gonna miss y'all.

LEELA: I'm gonna miss y'all, too. Ooh!

KIM: It's been a lot of fun.

LEELA: OK.

TASHA: Mwah! Our girl Alesha's not here, but we love her.

KIM: We love her.

TASHA: And, listen, this closet is the bomb.

KIM: Isn't it beautiful? I'm gonna go look at that bag right there, 'cause it is kind of pretty.

TASHA: You know what? I'm gonna go look at everything I can carry.

KIM: Listen, this is nice.

LEELA: I mean, it is the last show, so you never know.

KIM: You're right.

TASHA: I got the sequins right here.

LEELA: I want this one right here.

TASHA: No, I mean, you're getting too much stuff. Kim, you don't need that.

KIM: Hurry up before they come, y'all.

TASHA: Let me see, hold up. Do you know that that chick told me this bag cost $26,000?

KIM: I might jack you for that myself.

TASHA: Let's go, honey.

LEELA: Wait a minute, I got a big SUV. It'll fit.

SINGER: Beautiful to me ... beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Oh-oh-oh-oh, beautiful to me.

[cheers and applause]

ANNOUNCER: And now your hosts: Kim Coles, Leela James and Tasha Smith.

SINGER: Beautiful. Oh-oh-oh-oh, beautiful to me.

KIM: Oh, yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. Yes. Welcome to My Black Is Beautiful. Today, we're gonna show you how to pursue and realize your life's dream. We're talking about dreams today, ladies.

TASHA: I love it, I love it. I love it. Dreams are my favorite things to talk about, because ...

KIM: Why?

TASHA: ... there was a time as a young girl where I thought my dreams were figments of my imagination, you know. I used to see myself as an actress, and I saw myself in this industry, but I was in New Jersey, and this industry was so far away, but that dream was really part of my future, you know? I'm dreaming as big as I can.

[cheers and applause]

KIM: Well, look — yes! Yes. You know what? Sometimes our dreams are kind of cut off by family members or by other people in our lives, and you just have to have that dream and hold on. I feel as if I didn't really dream this high. I was a girl from Brooklyn, and my dream was to become Carol Burnett or Lucille Ball. My very first job was "In Living Color," which was a sketch comedy show, which is as close to Carol Burnett as I was ever gonna get, so I didn't even realize that I, that my dream had come true, living and breathing, so we're encouraging all of you to live your dreams. Have you ever had a dream, something that you wanted to aspire to, and you haven't gotten there yet? How about that?

[applause]

TASHA: My Oscar® moment, but looking at Mo'Nique getting her Oscar, I feel like my dream can come true.

KIM: Is there something else that you want to do that you haven't achieved yet?

LEELA: Oh, well, you know, she said Oscar. I would love to have a Grammy®. Think that'd be a great thing. But I almost wanted to quit a few years ago, because it was so hard in the music industry, so discouraging, you know, and when you don't necessarily look like what people think you should look like or sound like what people think you should sound like, it can be a struggle, so I was willing to give up, and my mama said, "You better stand for something and don't fall for nothing."

KIM: Oh, hush now.

[applause]

KIM: We have our first guest who's gonna talk to us about her dream. She's a fashion industry icon on the rise, whose dream came true when her couture collection premiered during fashion week at Bryant Park. Let's hear it for fashion designer Kara Saun.

KARA: Yeah.

[cheers and applause]

TASHA: Mwah.

KARA: Hello, how you doin'? Nice to see you.

KIM: Hello, Kara. Come and sit down.

TASHA: Hang out with us, Kara Saun. Awesome.

KARA: Thank you, good to be here!

KIM: Your biggest dream?

KARA: I am dreaming my dream right now. It's coming true. You know, from the time I was five, I started dreaming of being a designer, and so you just take the steps, and things lead to another, and you just keep on going.

TASHA: What kind of advice would you have for other up-and-coming designers out there?

KARA: I would say that, you know, if you are really planning on being a designer, every week, every day, you should be making steps happen. You know, are you sketching designs out for that season? Are you trying to make at least two or three samples? Are you, uh, having photo shoots? I used to get my friends together. One friend was a hairstylist, another one was a makeup artist, another one is a photographer, and we would have shoots all the time.

TASHA: Really?

KARA: Yeah, and so any time someone would say, "Hey, let me see your line," I would be like, "Here you go."

KIM: "Here you go." You were ready.

KARA: Right, you're ready.

TASHA: You know what's great about what it is you're saying is how you prepared for your dream, you know.

KARA: Yeah.

KIM: You can't just talk about it; you have to be about it.

KARA: Right. I went to Rutgers for communication, but all through high school, childhood, I was designing, you know what I mean, and always designing and putting steps forward to design.

TASHA: Well, you're so talented.

LEELA: You really are.

KARA: Thank you, thank you.

KIM: Are we allowed to talk about "Project ... "?

KARA: We are.

KIM: You know what, "Project Runway." You remember her from "Project Runway," right?

[cheers and applause]

KARA: Always, always.

KIM: I was gonna say for the record.

KARA: Yes.

KIM: What I loved about you is you stayed true to who you were always.

KARA: Thank you.

KIM: There was a line, and you were on it, and you knew who you were, and is that part of it also about success in general?

KARA: I think it is. I think, you know, when I was even interviewing for "Project Runway," I knew I was gonna be on that show. You cannot tell me I was not — even when I went with, you know, a thousand people lined out, you know, out the door, I just really felt that this was my time to be on the show, and sure enough, you know, it happened. And so when, you know, I got there, I just was there to design. It wasn't about really — it was about the show, but I really wanted to get to Bryant Park and show my line, and when it happened, it was amazing.

KIM: Tell us what's happening in your business right now.

KARA: Well, right now, I costume design for a lot of big reality shows.

TASHA: That's awesome.

KARA: Yes. It's been a lot of fun. It's been a lot of fun.

TASHA: Well, we thank you so much for coming here and for sharing with us.

KARA: Thank you for having me.

[applause]

KIM: Yes, Miss Kara Saun.

LEELA: OK, well, we'll be right back with more My Black is Beautiful right after this.

SINGER: Beautiful. Oh-oh-oh-oh, beautiful to me.

[cheers and applause]

FEMALE: I like to smile.

FEMALE: It makes me feel free.

FEMALE: Beautiful.

JENNIFER: Sexy.

FEMALE: Because it makes me happy. [giggles]

SINGER: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Oh-oh-oh-oh.

LEELA: Welcome back to My Black is Beautiful. Our next guest is a young lady who dreamed of a big career in fashion design. Let's take a look.

PAULA: I got started in the fashion business at a very, very young age. I was making Barbie® clothes growing up. My father sews, my mom sews, my grandmother sewed. When I first moved to California from Texas, my idea was I was gonna make red-carpet gowns for the stars, and then I got here and realized that it's a lot more detailed than you would think to get to the stars, and so I started focusing more on doing wedding dresses. And it was going well, and then I started to kind of be tired a lot more often, and, um, just didn't really feel like quite right, and so I did a self-examination and found a lump in my breast. It was breast cancer, and basically had to put everything else on hold at that point and go through treatment. Since January, I've been just on the mend, and my energy is getting back up. Now it's just a matter of trying to grow the business again, unfortunately, starting it almost from scratch. I want to revert back to doing custom for the masses, as opposed to mass production. I love the idea of people feeling good about who they are and just as they are. To see people express themselves in the way that they think is beautiful, you know, it makes me happy. My black is positive. An obstacle isn't really an obstacle. It's more of like a ... an opportunity. [laughs]

TASHA: As we know, this show is all about dreams and dreams coming true. I'm so excited to introduce you to this amazing woman, Miss Paula Saunders. Welcome to the show.

PAULA: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

TASHA: Welcome to the show. You're a cancer survivor.

PAULA: Yes.

TASHA: Can you share with the women a little bit about your story?

PAULA: Yeah, um, I, like a lot of people, did not have health insurance, and so I was, um, really self-testing. I found the tumor myself. First, I took about two days and just really didn't believe that I had found it, and I kept checking it, checking it. "Naw. Naw." But then it turned out that it was something there that I needed to find, and so I did a lot of Internet research and found a clinic that I could go to for a free mammogram.

TASHA: Yeah.

PAULA: I had the mammogram and was officially diagnosed, um, and then I went through treatment, and I know a lot of people that found it and just ignored it.

TASHA: Right.

PAULA: And that's the worst thing that you can do, because the sooner they catch it, the sooner that they can get you better and get you back to normal.

TASHA: I was reading your bio, and it said that you had never celebrated your birthday before until this cancer scare.

PAULA: I decided that I'm gonna start having a birthday party every year. [laughing]

TASHA: Yes, right?

[applause]

PAULA: Yeah, and everybody's gonna have to dress up.

TASHA: Yes.

PAULA: And they're gonna have to enjoy it.

TASHA: Well, happy birthday, OK?

PAULA: Thank you.

TASHA: I know it's not your birthday, but ... but you're feeling good now?

PAULA: I feel great.

TASHA: Yeah?

PAULA: I feel great. I started exercising a few weeks ago again, and trying to do some aerobics in the morning, and, you know ...

TASHA: I love it. Well, let's talk about your design. Who is your customer now?

PAULA: Well, my customer now is women like me, um ... 30-somethings that still, um, you know, want to wear things that are figure-flattering, um, but not too revealing. Because of, you know, coming out of treatment and getting ... you know, starting over again, I'm kind of in a place where I'm looking forward, and I'm excited.

TASHA: Yeah.

PAULA: And so there's, like, everything is a bright color, you know?

TASHA: Yeah, that's great.

PAULA: And it's all flowy and fun.

TASHA: So earlier in the week, My Black is Beautiful helped you produce your first fashion show. How did it feel seeing all of your stuff on the runway? You're at your first show.

PAULA: It was incredible.

TASHA: How was that?

PAULA: It was so exciting. It feels like the first step, you know. I feel like I've accomplished so much, but then there's still more, and I just see the limitless, you know, potential.

TASHA: We appreciate you so much and your story, and I'm so excited for you and your future.

[applause]

PAULA: Thank you.

TASHA: A little later, we're going to see the actual fashion show, but right now, here's a backstage sneak peak.

[upbeat electronic music]

PAULA: I've never been involved in a show of this magnitude with all of the professional makeup artists and, you know, the models and everything. It's just ... it's almost overwhelming, but ... [laughing] I'm just hoping that, you know, the vision that I had, you know, is portrayed properly on stage, but I think it will be. I'm really — I'm just so excited. I can't wait to see the show.

ANNOUNCER: For more tips and info on the products you've seen today, check out our fan page at facebook.com/mbib or follow us on Twitter™. Or log onto our Web site, myblackisbeautiful.com, to request samples of the brands featured today, while supplies last.

FEMALE: My black is 34.

FEMALE: My black is 27.

FEMALE: My black is 26.

JENNIFER: My black is 35.

KIM HILL: My black is on a sliding scale of 30. [laughing]

SINGER: Beautiful to me, oh, yeah.

TASHA: Welcome, welcome to our fashion explosion, where we're celebrating the diverse beauty and style of the African-American woman, and we are so excited about doing that.

KIM: I want to send some love to Alesha, who's on the road looking for other amazing African-American stories to tell on the show, so ...

LEELA: Sit back and enjoy the premiere of Paula Saunders' fashion line!

TASHA: Yeah!

[upbeat electronic music]

[cheers and applause]

PAULA: Thank you so much. I'm Paula Saunders, and I thank you so much for coming today. This is so exciting. Wow, all these beautiful faces, beautiful black people. I love it.

[applause]

PAULA: I want to thank Procter & Gamble's My Black is Beautiful for making my fashion dream come true. Whoo!

[cheers and applause]

KIYAH: Black women — you come in so many different skin tones. I mean, what is the perfect hair color for your skin tone? For the lighter-complected women, the reds are great, so you got red/browns, you got red/violets, you got red/honey. The brown-tone women, you guys can pretty much go with the blacks, you can go with the chocolate/brown. Then you have the darker-skin-tone women. I really love the warm colors, reddy-browns or black.

[cheers and applause]

KIM: Welcome back to My Black is Beautiful. And speaking of beautiful, how about that show, ladies? Let's give Paula a hand.

TASHA: Yes! That was great!

[applause]

KIM: Paula, earlier today, Kara Saun — you know who that is?

PAULA: Yes.

KIM: She was here, and she heard that you wanted a mentor, and so she has offered to give you insight regarding setting up your business. Kara Saun herself is gonna hook you up.

PAULA: All right!

[cheers and applause]

KIM: She's gonna look over your business plan, she's gonna give you pointers on your line, and additionally, she wants you to have some practical experience, so, therefore, she wants to take you with her on her next professional gig.

PAULA: What? Oh, my god! That is great!

LEELA: You got the hook-up.

PAULA: Yeah. Oh, my gosh, I'm gonna have to do it for real.

TASHA: Isn't that amazing? You'll be able to work on a real set, in real production.

PAULA: Yeah.

TASHA: I love it.

KIM: And it's stuff that you can't learn in school, and it's stuff you can't learn on your own. That practical experience is what you're — gonna be handed to you.

PAULA: That's what I need.

KIM: That's what you need.

PAULA: That's exactly what I need.

KIM: And you got it. You needed it, we gave it to you.

PAULA: Thank you.

KIM: Is this a fabulous show? Is your black beautiful?

LEELA: Yes! Yes!

[cheers and applause]

KIM: Oh, what a fabulous show. Dreams were encouraged and others were realized, and we hope that we made it very clear that if you have a dream, you need to plant it securely in your heart, water it daily with your faith and wait patiently for it to blossom in its appointed season.

TASHA: And we want to thank our guests, Kara Saun and Paula Saunders. I also want to say that we've had an amazing season. We've traced our ancestry ...

LEELA: Hi, I am from the Yoruba and the Pulani people living in Nigeria.

TASHA: Revealed unbelievable makeovers. Tell me if that ain't a makeover.

[applause]

TASHA: Celebrated the diversity and awesomeness of black beauty, and we even found out that the secret to a sexy butt was Cookie Johnson's CJ Jeans. I love that. And, of course, none of it would have been possible without My Black is Beautiful sisters, Miss Leela James ...

[applause]

TASHA: Alesha Renee, and my homegirl, Kim Coles. Yeah!

[cheers and applause]

TASHA: Yes. We've also gotta give it up for our wonderful style team, Jennifer Austin, Kaya Wright and my man Sam Fine. And we have a very, very special thanks to Procter & Gamble, and thank you to each and every one of you for watching the show. We really appreciate it. And please remember that your black is so beautiful. We'll see you next time on My Black is Beautiful.

[cheers and applause]

ANNOUNCER: For more fashion, beauty and lifestyle tips, log onto bet.com/mbib.

ALESHA: My black is faithful.

KIM: My black is yummy.

LEELA: My black is soulful.

JENNIFER: My black is of strength.

FEMALE: My black is happy. [laughing]

FEMALE: My black is confident.

KIM HILL: My black is regal.

FEMALE: My black is strong.

FEMALE: My black is polished.

TASHA: My Black is Beautiful.