We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Destiny Isiguzo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Destiny, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The story behind my mission of “Finesse the bullshit life throws at you”, came from when I was homeless and created my brand ‘Hooded Bandits’. I didn’t want to sit around sulking and feeling sorry for myself so with all this time I now had; I used it to my advantage and began to connect with people and get my story out there to the appropriate avenues. Always finesse never stress. But in all realness everyone has the ability to change their narrative no matter the story and background where they are from.

Destiny, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a college graduate with a bachelors degree in Fine Arts. I became homeless my freshman year of college without any means of what was next for me. All I had was hoodies and sweatpants; and a dream basically and that is how Hooded Bandits was created.
What sets me apart from others is true authenticity. No hiding behind glitz and glamor and faking a story that I think people want to hear. I tell my story for the voices unheard and those unseen. We are among everyone everyday and no one knows what we are going through nor the challenges one is facing. I want to create a safe space where these individuals feel welcome to express themselves freely.
What I am most proud of from Hooded Bandits is that it was born from trauma and turned into triumph. Changing that narrative was the most empowering thing I think I could have ever done for myself.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that you always need to be doing something. That’s not true at all. I used to think I had to put new designs out every season even though the designs from two seasons ago were still doing numbers. There is creativity in idleness. One will burn themselves out if they think they need to constantly be doing something to remain relevant. If your work is true and authentic; it will speak for itself and be timeless.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding thing is probably finishing a piece and showcasing it for the first time at a gallery. There is nothing as great as seeing everyone’s first impressions to something for the first time. Because most of the time I beat myself down on how a painting turns out but the feedback would say otherwise and that is rewarding within itself to be reminded of who you are.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kingdesyonce
• Twitter: @kingdesyonce

Image Credits

Jahmario Bent