“I never chose it; it chose me.”

 

Richard Petit never knew he would eat, live, and breathe fashion but indeed such is the story of his life.

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Born in Cap- Haitian, second largest city of Haiti, He only saw the sunrise of his childhood for he moved to the Land of Opportunity at only the tender age of 2. Art was indeed ingrained in him at the early stages of his life, he was amused by drawing landscapes, live portraits and Human forms, however Elementary school was where it all began. At the age of eleven, though very young, he discovered his love for fashion. 

“I remember being in the 3rd grade drawing my first ever Sailor Moon character, which I used to watch every morning before heading to school”.

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Being in love with the arts, middle school permitted him to exteriorize his hunger for fashion. Having an eye for color, Richard dabbled into the arts and undertook self-publishing where he created magazines and booklets for each project season. As his work excelled, the public’s attention veered towards him, he knew immediately that art is where he wanted to make his dwelling.

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 His humble beginnings as a fashion designer began, at the age of 15, in senior High school under the guidance of his sewing teacher, Richard began to develop the skills of fabrication when he created his first garment: plaid boxers. The shorts were awarded a B, but the true test of the garment was its wear ability, a joyful truth when his mother did him the honors of testing that feature by wearing them all the time, a true delight when he discovered the shorts definitely had flair.

However, a tragic moment in his life marked the beginning of the rest of his career. It was around this time that Richard experienced the loss of his father.  “It was then I realized, you only get one life to live.  There are no do-overs” subsequently he adopted the motto “Do you,” meaning “Do what makes you happy.” “We each have to march to the beat of our own drum”

His goal was to challenge himself to excellence; he started designing for real-world events presented by his school’s community. By senior year, Richard had the desire to venture into formal dresses. So enchanted to see certain students walking into their prom night wearing Richard’s designs, it was indeed a proud moment to be forever remembered.

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After such demonstration, there was no turning back, therefore he enrolled and gained a formal education at Keiser University’s Fashion Design and Merchandising program which gave birth to the brand Papillon (written without the “I” purposely) “The name Papillon symbolizes what I was going through in life. A Papillon meaning butterfly, goes through so many stages of transformation before being able to fly freely, So I see myself the same way I’m going through life with up and downs, where some opportunities have been more generous than others but at the end I know I’ll get to where I want to be.”

 

Blessed beyond measure Richard’s creations have been featured in several magazines such as Creativ Magazine Winter Issue #30 and Rare Magazine, where he landed on the cover and received a full spread for both publications. These clothes were recently showcased at the Grab Hold Fashion Gala in Ottawa Canada hosted by Natalia Kargbo in November 2018. Another great achievement amongst his participation in several fashion shows was the graduating collection at Keiser University in 2009, and a Fashion show for Haiti at the Renaissance Hotel.

 

Richard’s designer influences come from two moguls of the fashion industry: Giovanni Versace and Eli Saab. His vision and influence also comes from music. Listening to music of all backgrounds and different parts of the world gives him the opportunity to create extraordinary gowns and ready to wear pieces. Sometimes he would combine culture with an era and create a hybrid collection. Nonetheless, he would never disappoint. His ultimate goal in life is to see his clothing worn not only by celebrities but also any one that would love to have something custom made by Richard himself. As always his heart is in the right place for he would like to open a school in Haiti, in the near future, for those who dream big like he does nurturing the dream of becoming a designer and to be able to push them to their outer limits of achievements” I do believe that if it wasn't for someone else giving me a chance I wouldn't be here today doing what I love.”

 

 

“C’est bien a vous de tracer le destin de votre vie”

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« Do You »

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-Richard Petit