For Derrick Tré '17, Fashion Is More than a Passion

For Derrick Tré '17, Johnson & Wales University’s Charlotte Campus was situated in the perfect location — at the intersection of Center City Charlotte and the second largest banking center in the U.S. Professional people were, and still are, plentiful and looking fashionable. The JWU Charlotte College of Business alumnus has had a passion for fashion as long as he can remember, thanks to the influence of his seamstress grandmother, Monteen Gates. “She never pressured me though, it just came organically over time,” he notes.

Growing up in Middletown, Ohio, Tré watched her ability to sew and her understanding of tailoring and the way clothes fit family and friends. One day in high school, a JWU admissions representative presented on the College of Business and its programs, including Fashion Merchandising & Retailing. He knew he had to visit.

Today, Tré is the boutique manager at Captivate in South Charlotte’s trendy SouthPark Mall. He also owns his own brand, Styled by Him, that names his talents including style curator, booking agent, creative director and talent recruiter. Just about every day on the job, Tré says he is reminded of his College of Business studies. “All the time! Merchandise buying, inventory control, shipping online orders, interviewing and hiring, retail buying and how to price. I now understand why Professor Laura Egeln was hard on us. I always loved her classes. She put a lot of effort into all of her students.”

“Fashion merchandising is about so much more than just a pretty outfit,” Professor Egeln says. “Clothing, footwear, and accessories are worn all the time by everyone so there are always consumer needs to be filled. The program at JWU prepares students for all aspects of the industry, allowing them to focus on their own interests.”

“I now understand why Professor Egeln was hard on us. I always loved her classes. She put a lot of effort into all of her students.”

Tré has worked on a number of fashion shows in and around the Charlotte area and says the state of the fashion industry is growing. “This is my demographic. CEOs, entrepreneurs, executives. I feel like I can create opportunities in Charlotte for the fashion industry. There is so much growth here, and money. Charlotte can be a pioneer in the fashion world.”

“Most people don’t realize that it was textiles, primarily cotton, that brought the banks and businesses to the Charlotte area,” Professor Egeln explains. By the start of World War I, Charlotte was well on its way to becoming an urban center with a solid base of textile mills, banking, and utilities — all supported by an increasingly robust public transit system. In conclusion, notes Egeln, “The roots of the fashion industry are very deep for Charlotte; those roots have created opportunities for fashion forward businesses to develop.”

Tré says since he graduated he is seeing more urban chic, bolder, eccentric, and out of the ordinary designs. He is interacting with more industry designers and boutique owners than ever before and he says that’s good news for JWU students. “They need to take advantage of all the mentors and internship opportunities. In my classes, all of the wisdom from my professors has carried me throughout my career.”

Today, Tré’s career includes his grandmother, who still influences his work. Just last year, she traveled from Ohio to attend a Charlotte Fashion Week, where he assisted her as she presented her own collection. Two generations, working side by side — and hoping to add a little more classy couture and street chic to the Queen City.

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_{ABOVE RIGHT: DERRICK WITH HIS GRANDMOTHER, MONTEEN GATES, WHOSE OWN DEDICATION TO FASHION INSPIRED HIS CAREER PATH. BELOW: DERRICK IN THE ROSE-COVERED PHONE BOOTH AT CAPTIVATE, THE CHARLOTTE BOUTIQUE WHERE HE IS A MANAGER.}