"Basketball Wives LA" may thrive on the drama between the ladies, but the pettiness has become almost too much for "LA" star Draya Michele. As season four continues, Michele is ready to show audiences her growth and maturity during those less than civilized moments.
"I just don't have a tolerance for the crap anymore," the fashion designer told Headlines & Global News in an exclusive interview. "The audience will get to see that and I think that they'll appreciate me [for it]. The audience is on my side and they're kind of fed up with the stuff that I've been dealing with also."
Michele already played peacekeeper in the premiere, brokering an offer between the women to accept Jackie Christie back into the group. She's also growing in her professional career, showing off her clothing line, Fine Ass Girls, at her first runway show.
The reality star spoke to HNGN about how she finds inspiration for the Fine Ass Girls brand and her swimsuit collection, Mint Swim, and previews what's ahead for both fashion lines.
What opportunities has starring on "Basketball Wives LA" presented for your fashion design career?
Oh my gosh, the show has been a huge platform for me to promote my businesses. [The show] likes to highlight the women and their businesses. Regardless of all the drama, they still gave us a fair opportunity to talk about what we were doing in life and I appreciated that so much. It was like a free commercial with a huge audience to see it. So it helped a lot.
Fine Ass Girls is a little more affordably priced than your Mint Swim merchandise. Was that a conscious decision to reach out to more of your fan base?
Yes. I like to say that Mint Swim is affordable, but I like to say that Fine Ass Girls is even more affordable and I just wanted to make stuff for every single person that I have following me. Everyone that I have following me is not the kind of girl that's going to go spend so much money on a bathing suit or so much money on a tank top. So I just wanted to create something that was special for them, fun and unique, and still really trendy and cool but also affordable.
How do your followers on social media inspire your designs?
They tag me in photos. They say, "Can you make something like this?" and they'll show me. They write in my comments what they would like. I really listen to them. I also look at people who have bought some of my things in the past and I look at what else they're wearing and see if I can make something that they're wearing part of my line. It's cool to know what the young girls are doing nowadays because you gotta keep up with them They're such a different generation than me so I really have to pay attention.
Do you get any inspiration from your 12-year-old son's girl friends?
They're a little bit too young. They're still kids so I don't get any inspiration from them because I wouldn't want any 12 or 13-year-old girls wearing Fine Ass Girls. That's just not appropriate.
A lot of the merchandise for Fine Ass Girls is already sold out on the website. How quickly do you get stuff back in stock?
I make a certain amount, which is usually a lot, but because a lot of the things that I make are tests, I'm not really sure how they're going to do. I usually always underestimate myself [laughs]. When I put out a product that's limited edition, it will sell out in the same day, like 500 pieces and I'll say, "Oh man, I should have made more." It will sell out in one day but then it takes two weeks to produce it again. I don't want to waste anything so I guess it's just me being cautious.
Celebrities like Zendaya, La La Anthony, Adrienne Bailon, Selena Gomez and Christina Milian have worn items from your collection. How is it for you seeing these famous women wearing your designs?
When I see celebrities wearing my stuff it's really cool because sometimes they ask for it and sometimes I will ask them if they would like. But when they ask for it, that's such a great feeling. Then you know they're going to actually wear it and wear it with pride because they actually wanted it and it doesn't feel fake or imposed, like you're making them wear it.
Have you thought about expanding into men's bathing suits?
Yes, I'm going to start the men's line for 2016 and we're also expanding to pajamas. The swim trunks are a little bit harder because the fabric is really hard to find so it's just a matter of finding it. But as soon as I get my hands on it, I'm definitely all over that.
You have a diverse group of women modeling your bathing suits on the website? Are you involved with choosing the models?
Yeah. I pick every model and I just want a different look every time. I think that it's pretty typical to have a blonde with the perfect body modeling for swimsuit companies. That's just how it's been since the beginning of time and that's great to use once in awhile but I like to switch it up, to throw in all types of ethnicities and just who ever is wearing my suit and looks good.
"Basketball Wives LA" airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. on VH1.
