On today’s episode, Phlemuns founder James Flemons and I discuss the building of community through fashion. Whether it is through his social media presence on Tumblr, Twitter, or Instagram, or through his pop-ups, sample sales, and product drops, James has managed to create a brand built on a consistent open interaction with an ever growing community. His authenticity and honesty are unique and necessary for the industry today and I am grateful for his openness while we discussed his trajectory and journey until today. James and I also discuss fashion's relationship with music, and how important fashion is for artists to create "eras" and visuals. Through his brand Phlemuns, he often collaborates with musicians and has been a part of many iconic moments in music including dressing Solange for her Don't Touch My Hair music video, Lil Nas X for his TIME magazine cover, Lizzo, Kelsey Lu, Rico Nasty, and more.  We also talk about some of the challenges of running your own brand in today's industry, his early career working at Opening Ceremony, our personal style journeys, and our mental health journeys. James is a designer, artist, and activist. He is the designer and founder of PHLEMUNS. Follow José on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eljosecriales/ Follow José on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eljosecriales Follow James on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unclephlem Follow Phlemuns on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Phlemuns Follow James on Twitter: https://twitter.com/phakephlemuns --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/biasedwithjcu/support