Fashion and beauty experts sharing personal stories at a virtual event

As Jennifer Walters’ husband entered the life of a woman, it was difficult to find clothes that fit her well. So Walter, 50, of Gilbert, Arizona, turned the problem into an opportunity.

She created a fashion line for transgender buyers and launched the Willow Scott model agency, which now has 35 models, 11 of whom are transgender. All are small or large, sporting tattoos or piercings, and represent the LGBTQ community, but unable to achieve general representation.

Her agency represented Phoenix Fashion Weeks’ first transgender model, she said.

The model agency hopes to show that positive side of being transgender to the world, while also being part of the larger LGBTQ + community, she said.

Walter will join four other Americans on June 8 to share true first-person stories about fashion and culture on the USA TODAY Networks Storytellers Project. Watch at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET. Sign up in advance to receive a reminder at https://www.storytellersproject.com/all-events and watch storytellers’ projects Facebook page, Youtube channel or website.

Sharing stories are also:

• Carolyn Covington, 60, of Raleigh, North Carolina.
• Irene Michaels, 75, of Chicago.
• Wendy Farrell of Phoenix.
• Christian Allaire, 28, from New York

Covington, who went legally blind in mid-life after a 40-year career in the beauty and fashion industry, is the founder of Insightful Visionaries, a nonprofit that empowers people with disabilities. through advocacy, education, wellness, the arts and entertainment.

The blind community experiences beauty and fashion in their own way, she said. Our hands become our eyes. You can feel the texture of the fabric and the style of the clothes.

We use an app to identify colors. Through this process, we create our own fashion statements.

Growing up, Allaire says he never felt like he was fitting in.

I felt like I wasn’t indigenous enough and often avoided my culture. But now, as an adult, I’m proud of my heritage, says Allaire, fashion writer for Vogue and a member of the Ojibwe First Nations tribe in Ontario, Canada.

Allaires’ story revolves around a traditional ribbon shirt that several members of his family made for him decades after his grandmother made his premiere. His story explores how every detail of the garment means something to him and represents his heritage from the image of the crane on the back to the abalone shell buttons and the colors of each ribbon.

Irene Michaels is a luxury beauty and lifestyle expert and international bestselling author of I On Beauty Living Beautifully and Luxuriously Beyond 50.

Some may recognize the former model from a recurring role in the 1990’s general hospital afternoon soap. Today, she is best known for I On The Scene, a culture and culture webzine. company that publishes content on gastronomy, fashion, travel and culture.

A terrible car accident injured her self-esteem as well as the face and body she was living. It took her years to regain her confidence and she will tell how it happened.

It is very important to love yourself, forgive yourself and always maintain a healthy attitude towards yourself and your neighbor, she said.

Farrell, who has loved fashion since she was a child in Vermont, now sits on the board of directors of the Phoenix Art Museums Arizona Costume Institute and works as a costume designer at Wonder Wendy and Friends.

Being our authentic self and honoring the self of others is really key to the community, said the award-winning stylist and designer.

This virtual night of storytelling is part of Storytellers Projects 2021 storytelling season, which features 43 national and regional shows. The series features stories from across the United States told by mentored by USA TODAY Network reporters and professional storytelling experts.

LOOK: Storytellers Project Episodes

Learn more about the Storytellers project and apply to tell a story at https://www.storytellersproject.com/.