The New Stereotype – Marquelle Turner-Gilchrist

“Today, I’m a man on a journey to live the best life I can. I’m passionate about people, three-cheese mac and cheese, music that makes you feel, and authenticity. I don’t know where life’s final destination will take me, but I’m enjoying the scenery on the way to getting there” – Marquelle Turner-Gilchrist

Having been featured in BET’s 30 Under 30, British Vogue, Fashionbeans, GQ UK, Bevel, Black Enterprise, and many more, Marquelle Turner-Gilchrist is making a cultural splash in the world of fashion. A native of Johnsonville, North Carolina, Marquelle grew up with a “very limited household income” which he believes, “naturally helped me develop a wild imagination. This imagination eventually became what I know today as uninhibited creativity.”

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With his busy schedule and an ocean in our way, I reached out to interview Marquelle over email; who replied with haste and enthusiasm. His answers are below:

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I am Marquelle Turner-Gilchrist and I currently reside in the neighbourhood of Harlem in New York City. I moved back a little over two months ago after spending nearly 3 years abroad in the Middle East. I am in the process of exploring new career opportunities to continue my career in the luxury fashion industry. In the next few months, I’ll turn 33.

How did The New Stereotype come about?

The New Stereotype (TNS) is a project I started back in 2015 along with a few friends with the simple aim of highlighting the many diverse layers of black life in America through the lens of fashion. It started as a simple photo-shoot on Wall Street and evolved from there.

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Who/what inspires your work?

In general, I am inspired by life. I’ve been fortunate to have been able to see a few different countries of the world and each has provided an opportunity to expand how I view life and how I engage with it. When I started TNS back in 2015, I had a very limited scope. Although I had lived briefly in the south of France and travelled to Portugal, England, and Italy, my lens of life was highly concentrated in an American way. If I were to revisit TNS, it would look very different.

How do you believe fashion can open a gateway of understanding to a person or a community?

In addition to language, dance, food, and music, fashion, or the way people dress, heavily permeates and helps define a culture. Often times, a specific culture or community dresses in a way that reflects their lifestyle. For example, while living in Doha, Qatar, many of the locals wore their traditional clothing and it was appropriate as a nod to the history of the country as well as the climate and typical everyday activities.

Were you always interested in working in fashion? Or did you grow into it?

Actually, my first love, even to this day, is music. When I was young, I had every intention of becoming a singer. I consider myself a creative and I always used music as a medium of expression. I actually didn’t take fashion into consideration as a career until around 2011. It started when I was walking into a restaurant and I held the door for a lady who was leaving. She quickly complimented what I was wearing and then began to explain that she worked for the local newspaper and asked if I was interested in being interviewed for a segment. Excitedly, I agreed and that small interview turned into the front page of the life and style section. For me, that moment reiterated the potential of working in the fashion industry that I heard so many times before and cemented my decision to pursue it full-time. This ultimately led to quitting my job in higher education and to accept a role in retail.

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Who is someone, living or deceased, you would love to collaborate with?

I would love to collaborate with Kerby Jean-Raymond, founder of Pyer Moss, on a fashion show concept or editorial. I would also find it very exciting to work with Elaine Welteroth on an editorial that promotes the intersectionality of fashion and politics.

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Where do you see yourself and TNS in 5 years?

The TNS chapter has come to an end for now. The team and I achieved more than we had originally planned to do. If there were any new developments, it would be centred around a documentary or TV event. In 5 years, I plan to live in a large metropolitan city and to be a senior director for a luxury fashion company helping to dissect, on a global scale, how people view menswear.

What is one opportunity that your job has helped you achieve that you treasure most?

Fashion has allowed me to see some of the most beautiful places in the world and as a result, I have a worldly friend base. From Singapore to Amsterdam, I feel confident that I would have a friend or a friend of a friend in most countries. Travel is the best educator and has exposed my indiscretions and strengths.

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When did you realise that this is what you wanted to do with your life?

Currently, I’m passionate about two things. First, helping to ensure that the fashion community is more inclusive. Fashion draws its inspiration from the world and I believe that should be represented in the people who help make decisions that sculpt the industry. Secondly, I want to expose men to varying forms of masculinity and its expression. There could be 100 different men in a room and that means there could be a potential of 100 different ways to express being a man.

What is some advice that you would like to pass on to whoever may be reading?

Believe in and embrace the power of temporary. Great moments are temporary and so are bad ones. Understanding this and knowing that things will always get better or change helps you prepare for the flow of life.