Latest news with #VWBeetle
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Business Insider
I'm an analyst by day and a fashion designer by night. A-listers like Zendaya have worn my clothes, but I'm not quitting my 9-5.
This as-told-to essay is based on an interview with Steven Goudeau, the 42-year-old head designer and CEO of Stephen Goudeau. It has been edited for length and clarity. For the past 17 years, I've had two jobs. I own my own fashion brand and work as a full-time analyst at AT&T. I don't think the average successful entrepreneur has just one income. I'll never have one job. I've loved fashion since I was young My parents were super stylish. One of my earliest memories is of my dad wearing a mesh tank top and gold MC Hammer pants standing next to a VW Beetle. As I got older, I also started to play with my look. I studied communications but kept creating clothes for local people in New Orleans, such as the pastor's wife. I didn't have any sewing skills, so I would visit a family friend who owned a local alterations shop, and she showed me how to cut patterns and sew. I got a job as a visual merchandiser at The Gap in Houston, which was my first real experience working two jobs. During the day, I worked for Chase Bank as a phone contractor, and then at night, after The Gap had closed, I decorated the store windows. I started my first fashion brand in 2006 My cousins helped me with my first brand, Studio Sixth Sense. I designed clothes for the professional woman who lives a luxury lifestyle. I did the designs while they handled marketing, model booking, and finance. A local seamstress would sew the clothes. I'd take individual commissions and participate in small fashion shows. I didn't seek funding to launch my brand. As luxury fabrics such as merino wool and crepe were not cheap, I needed a full-time second job to cover this outlay as I finished my contract with Chase. A friend referred me to AT&T A family friend told me about a well-paid tech support job at AT&T. It promised good benefits and a good salary. I interviewed, passed the test, and started working for AT&T in March 2008. At work, I'd keep a sketch pad with me so I could draw my designs during my downtime. It wasn't long before my designs started to get noticed. New York Fashion Week invited me after seeing my designs on social media I was approached by New York Fashion Week for its September 2012 show, as they'd spotted my designs on social media. I was ambitious but still a little raw. I participated in a show with a group of other designers and created a new collection called "Eat Cake" inspired by Marie Antoinette. It featured big shoulders, a lot of lace, and a lot of jewels. It caught the attention of celebrity stylist Law Roach. He started working with Zendaya in 2014 and shot her in my clothes. As time went on, other celebrities, such as Tyra Banks, Lil' Kim, Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child, and Emmy-winning actress Tabitha Brown were photographed in my pieces. When I started gaining traction, I changed the name I never wanted to put my name on the brand because I didn't think that people would accept a male of color in the luxury fashion industry. Then I started listening to people around me, and I agreed that Stephen Goudeau on a label inside a couture gown sounded so much better. It's spelled differently from my name, so I kept my own identity. I don't think I will ever have one job Being comfortable is an unhealthy way to live for me. I work 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week at AT&T. My average day involves getting out of bed and grabbing coffee, then catching the train or an Uber to take me to the office. For the next eight hours, I work as an analyst for AT&T. I won't design on my lunch hour because I'm too busy. Analysts watch the data all day, liaise with the techs, and work with the managers in the field. At Stephen Goudeau, I'm the head of the brand. When I go to AT&T, I can relax a little because somebody else is in charge. I can concentrate on my day-to-day role. AT&T knows that I have my own fashion company. Having a brand hasn't stopped me from progressing at AT&T. When I get home from my day job, I focus on my designs Even if I'm tired, it's not hard to get inspired. My apartment is full of mannequins. I may work until 1 a.m., but I only need three or four hours of sleep. In the evenings, I have calls with my fashion company and a team meeting on Monday nights. Having a solid team behind me ensures I don't get swamped. The upsides of having two jobs are, of course, the finances Working at AT&T has also taught me a lot about running a business. I get to work with a larger team and see different personalities and how different people work. I am sacrificing the time I get to spend with my family and friends, and I feel guilty sometimes, but they continue to be my biggest supporters. I stay on track through positive thoughts. As soon as I get out of bed every day, I put my feet on the ground and tell myself I'm going to have a good day because we have the power to predict how our day will go. In 2025, I plan to get into retail My goal is to have a showroom this year. I've started designing a lot of accessories because nobody wears couture every day. My family does worry about me getting burned out, but they see the bigger picture. They know that I want the Stephen Goudeau company to be known as a luxury household brand, but I don't plan to leave AT&T.
IOL News
a day ago
- General
- IOL News
Why is the NPA made to race in a VW Beetle against Formula 1 cars?
The reason the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) keeps being left in the dust in the race against the crooks is that it is made to drive a VW Beetle against corrupt individuals driving Formula 1 cars. That is how some of South Africa's top legal minds describe the situation that keeps leading to the NPA being in the news for the wrong reasons, bungling and losing cases as has happened this week in the R255 million "asbestos case'. 'The NPA is blamed a lot for the political side of its lack of capacity. If you enter a Volkswagen Beetle in a Grand Prix race against Ferraris and McLarens and Mercedes Benzes, you cannot expect it to win. And that is in fact what is happening in the view of Paul Pretorius, who was the evidence leader in the State Capture enquiry.' These are the words used by Accountability Now director Advocate Paul Hoffman to describe the NPA's atrocious performance over the years. I was tempted to rest my case and forget ever seeing any 'big fish' successfully prosecuted in my life time. But I refuse to give up all hope. As a member of the media community, I must continue to report, and continue hoping that there'll be a Grand Prix win one day for the hapless NPA against the Lewis Hamiltons and Michael Schumachers of corruption and other crimes. Hoffman invoked the analogy used by his learned colleague and namesake once to describe the ongoing shameful saga of the NPA this week during an interview on SABC channel 404 with news anchor Thembekile Mrototo. For the uninitiated, the lovable standard Beetle can only reach about 126km/h, while Ferraris and other Formula 1 cars can reach top speeds of about 375km/h. As a diehard Beetle and general VW fan, the interview left me feeling absolutely defeated. I felt the same way after that fake pastor from Nigeria left our NPA eating the dust a couple of weeks ago. And, then this week, a key accused in the asbestos case was told she was free to go. My question is: why is President Cyril Ramaphosa allowing the NPA to enter these races in a Beetle if he really wants the State to win?
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Shoppers gobsmacked after bizarre Land Rover smash leaves one motor mounted on top of another
Luckily, the vehicles were all recovered and no one was hurt PARKS & WRECK CREATION Shoppers gobsmacked after bizarre Land Rover smash leaves one motor mounted on top of another Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) YOU can't park there madam! Supermarket shoppers are gobsmacked after a car park prang left one motor mounted on top of another. The smash is said to have happened when a woman in a Land Rover reversed into another car, flipping it over and hitting a silver VW Beetle. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Supermarket shoppers are gobsmacked after a car park prang left one motor mounted on top of another Credit: Facebook 4 The smash is said to have happened when a woman in a Land Rover reversed into another car Credit: Facebook Others pointed out it looked like a modern sculpture. Former Army aircraft technician David Bowden posted pictures on social media, adding: 'It's all happening in Falmouth Sainsbury's. 'It is amazing, like a bit of modern art, or a collapsed game of Jenga.' Mark Carveth joked: 'The winner of the 2025 Turner prize is a sculpture from Falmouth.' READ MORE ON MOTOR INCIDENTS TOTAL RECALL Car brand to recall 273k motors due to issue that 'increases risk of crash' Dawn Chittock said: 'Would make a great Specsavers advert.' The incident happened at a Sainsbury's supermarket in Falmouth, Cornwall, on Saturday. A tannoy went out in the store asking for the driver of the blue car to attend the car park - where they were in for a shock. The vehicles were all recovered and no one was hurt. Two people were in one of the vehicles at the time of the crash, but both got out of the vehicle uninjured. Cops said the drivers swapped insurance details at the scene. A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We were called to Sainsbury's, Falmouth, car park at around 1.30pm on Saturday 31 May following a report of a three vehicle collision. Horse gallops down Scots high street and crashes into car "Only one vehicle had occupants but both got out of the car uninjured. All vehicles were recovered and insurance details swapped." A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "Emergency services attended an incident in the car park of our Falmouth store on Saturday afternoon. A small section of the car park was closed for a couple of hours and we're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused." 4 The vehicles were all recovered and no one was hurt Credit: Facebook
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Shoppers gobsmacked after bizarre Land Rover smash leaves one motor mounted on top of another
YOU can't park there madam! Supermarket shoppers are gobsmacked after a car park prang left one motor mounted on top of another. The smash is said to have happened when a woman in a Land Rover reversed into another car, flipping it over and hitting a silver VW Beetle. 4 Supermarket shoppers are gobsmacked after a car park prang left one motor mounted on top of another Credit: Facebook 4 The smash is said to have happened when a woman in a Land Rover reversed into another car Credit: Facebook Others pointed out it looked like a modern sculpture. Former Army aircraft technician David Bowden posted pictures on social media, adding: 'It's all happening in Falmouth Sainsbury's. 'It is amazing, like a bit of modern art, or a collapsed game of Jenga.' Mark Carveth joked: 'The winner of the 2025 Turner prize is a sculpture from Falmouth.' READ MORE ON MOTOR INCIDENTS Dawn Chittock said: 'Would make a great Specsavers advert.' The incident happened at a Sainsbury's supermarket in Falmouth, Cornwall, on Saturday. A tannoy went out in the store asking for the driver of the blue car to attend the car park - where they were in for a shock. The vehicles were all recovered and no one was hurt. Two people were in one of the vehicles at the time of the crash, but both got out of the vehicle uninjured. Most read in Motors Cops said the drivers swapped insurance details at the scene. A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We were called to Sainsbury's, Falmouth, car park at around 1.30pm on Saturday 31 May following a report of a three vehicle collision. Horse gallops down Scots high street and crashes into car "Only one vehicle had occupants but both got out of the car uninjured. All vehicles were recovered and insurance details swapped." A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "Emergency services attended an incident in the car park of our Falmouth store on Saturday afternoon. A small section of the car park was closed for a couple of hours and we're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused." 4 The vehicles were all recovered and no one was hurt Credit: Facebook 4 Onlookers pointed out it looked like a modern sculpture Credit: Facebook
Reuters
5 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Jose Mujica, former Uruguayan president and guerrilla, dies at 89
Jose Mujica, a one-time guerrilla and later president of Uruguay who drove a beat-up old VW Beetle and enacted progressive reforms that carried his reputation well beyond South America, has died aged 89. Syakir Jasnee reports.
