The tweet with her photoshoot received about 80,000 likes and over 9000 retweets.
Travis Terry's brand took off all thanks to his mom/model: Laverne Terry, who is 61 years old. Travis, 23, started his brand, IEMBE, three years ago. He was a student at Clark Atlanta University. He was going for a spring break trip when he realized he didn't have a bag to take with him, but he did have a refund check from his student loans and an idea, as reported by TODAY. He worked at a local deli to save up the funds to start his own business. He started gaining traction once he started designing and manufacturing his own bags.
The word IEMBE comes from the phrase, "in my bag". "When you say the name, IEMBE, you’re saying those letters, I-M-B. And the meaning is really just trying to motivate and let other people know to be confident in themselves, get to the bag, which means get money, and just go in and grind and focus, said Terry.
His mother is very proud of her son and his achievements. “The neighborhood we came from, the kids that he grew around, a lot of them don’t make it out,” she said, pointing out that drugs and shootings take place in their neighborhood. Travis was earlier asking his sister to be his model but once when she was unavailable, he asked his mother instead. The shoot which was inspired by rapper Cardi B, went viral. She had no experience in modeling. She became so popular after this that she made it onto a billboard in Times Square.
The tweet with her photoshoot received about 80,000 likes and over 9000 retweets. "The funny thing is, this is the third time using my mom as a model and this one just took off," Travis said. "I feel like if I ever change models, people are going to ask where my mom is at since now she is, in a way, the face of the brand," according to CT Insider.
Even Cardi B tweeted about Laverne's photoshoot. She wrote, "Wow I feel so honored." For Laverne, age is nothing but a number. “It’s like the best time of my life. I’m 61 now. I’ve never been as happy in my life," she said.
His mother helping him has been special for Travis because he lost his dad shortly after him graduating. “That was another reason why I wanted to do it because I feel like I wanted to change the narrative of honoring your parents,” he said.
For the mother-son duo, the sky's the limit and they are just happy to see where this journey takes them. "It’s a pinch-me moment, but it’s kind of like, I need somebody else to pinch me, right?" Travis said.
References:
https://www.today.com/style/iembe-fashion-designer-goes-viral-model-61-year-old-mom-rcna54310
https://www.ctinsider.com/entertainment/article/travis-terry-ct-designer-viral-cardi-b-16767791.php
Cover Image Source: Instagram | TravisDi'meer Terry
