The ability to connect with one’s inner feelings and create a channel to outwardly express it is a quality that makes creatives innately special. Within the hierarchy of creativity, the higher echelon consists of the creatives who manage and oversee other creatives, all known for having the reputation of being some of the most difficult and narcissistic people to deal with at times. They also tend to be purists who are incredibly sensitive when things are not going their way, and they often have a strong disdain for being told what to do.
Junior Sealy is in that upper echelon of the creative hierarchy and his outstanding work in the recently concluded Fashion Week Brooklyn depicts this clearly. A decade ago, the profession of being a Creative Director was not as celebrated as it is now. Sealy, who has been working in this capacity from before its glorified days, would affirm that people probably thought you were absurd if you felt that you could make a living from being a Fashion Director or Creative Director. To be honest, many did not and probably still do not know what the position entails; but hey – it must be re-iterated that the Caribbean has to break our youth out of the antiquated mentality that you can only be successful as a lawyer, a doctor or an accountant.
In addition to being the Caribbean Fashion Director at Fashion Week Brooklyn, Sealy is also a photographer, stylist, furniture designer, architect and fashion entrepreneur who owns his own clothing line called Loyalty & Brotherhood.
Out of his plethora of artistic giftings, Sealy acknowledges that fashion was his first artistic pursuit. He stated that, “It all started with fashion for sure. I went to George Brown College in Toronto for Fashion Management. Before moving to Canada, I was doing that for a long time in Barbados, and in many instances I was considered that weird kid who dressed weird.” Growing up in the Caribbean and having eccentric style can lend itself to unprecedented levels of scrutiny, ridicule and unkindness. Sealy further expanded on the “art kid” stereotype by stating: “Growing up anywhere being different is hard for anyone, especially in Barbados. I had a different aesthetic from the jump! My aesthetic was not really American, it was European and Asian influenced and even though people knew those aesthetics it was never seen on a black kid from the islands.”
Like so many Caribbean creatives, it was not until Junior moved to Canada and started Loyalty & Brotherhood that he started to feel acceptance for his uniqueness and creative offerings. It is notably counterproductive that as Caribbean people, we still have not learned to embrace and support the endearing quality of uniqueness. Sealy expands on this by saying, “When I set up my store in Toronto, my brand was experiencing exponential growth – getting sales from places like the Philippines and New Zealand. Coming back to Barbados, the weird art kid perception of me didn’t change; people just thought I was a tourist.”
For most people, 2020 will be remembered as the worst year of their existence. However, without being insensitive to the struggles of others, Junior asserts that 2020 was a breakthrough year for him – especially in regards to being accepted artistically in his homeland of Barbados. He said, “I think it’s only within this year that people started to really catch on to the fact that I’ve been doing crazy stuff in fashion for a really long time. Even though 2020 was probably the worst year of everybody’s life, it was the year that people started to take notice of what I’ve been doing forever.”
A highlight of this year for Junior was indeed his outstanding work as a Fashion Director in this year’s Fashion Week Brooklyn. The arresting visuals that Sealy put together for the show are evidence of the world-class directorial ability he has. One would have assumed that the pandemic-related challenges which caused the show to be virtual this year would be an inhibition to Sealy’s creativity, but that was not the case. He jovially stated, “I should be honest and say that this year was probably better being a virtual show because I got more creative freedom. Usually, it would have been a runway show with everybody micromanaging your creativity; but because it was a virtual show I got a chance to express myself by directing a fashion film which took longer, but was an overall better product at the end of the day.”
For this show, Sealy had to manage and oversee a team of approximately 50 creatives, from the film crew to the models. We asked Sealy about the non-artistic aspects of his personality that he believes enables him to function so well in his directorial capacities. He responded by saying: “I’m a Virgo, so it always comes back to that for me. It’s about being super precise, having foresight and being supremely organized. I always write down things far in advance. Additionally, its about balancing, being compassionate and being strong. With creatives, you have to be able to put a positive twist on a critique even when it has negative elements. You cannot approach other creatives with negative vibes. It’s about nurturing, but still letting them know if there is a better approach that can be adopted to doing something.”
As Sealy works assiduously to finish 2020 strong, it is unimaginable how potentially earth-shattering the year 2021 could be for the young veteran. The multifarious talent is currently finishing his first architecture project, a house on the east coast of Barbados designed by himself and his good friend Scribs. He is also gearing up to direct new visuals for Bajan Dancehall superstar LRG. Junior Stealy’s stamp of seniority is destined to leave an indelible impact on this earth and the Caribbean is proud to have birthed another futuristic visionary.
