Pamela Barthelemy For PMZY
January 27, 2019
Meet Pamela.
A Tampa native and your local fly girl. Our sweet little hometown of Tampa is not known for high fashion couture or even streetwear. Usually a ripped up pair of daisy dukes, flip flops and a tank top will do all year round. I was happy to see that there were other cool black girls on the same wave length, fashion wise, as I was. I met Pam at a photowalk in October hosted by the amazing photographers, Mark Clennon and Jarrod Anderson at Tampa’s River Walk park.
Funny story is that last summer in Brooklyn, I was walking with my friends and I passed this group of girls. I vividly remember one of them wearing this cute ass outfit that consisted of a grey sweatshirt, cropped grey sweat pants, slicked pony and snake skin boots. If you know me, you know I am very fond of grey sweatsuit outfits and complimenting my fellow black women. In passing, I told her “Hey girl! I like your outfit!” She said thanks. Months later, after meeting and hanging out with Pam, I see that same outfit on her Instagram and recognize, that it was her all along. Some connections were just meant to be. Everybody, meet my buddy Pam, the mastermind behind PMZY.
I’m Pamela Barthelemy, I’m a creative and fashion is my medium.
One of my nicknames in middle school was Pamzy. A few years ago a couple of friends and I were trying to figure out a brand name for me to start selling chokers under and one suggested dropping the “A”. I loved it and went with it. PMZY is the brand for the effortless and unapologetic. I just make clothes that I want to wear, that have a “quiet confidence” I guess. My style has always been a mixing of opposites; masculine and feminine, formal and streetwear which I think shows in my designs. And I love asymmetry and details.
I’ve wanted to be a designer since I can remember and I think designing is part of revamping. Making something new out of something old. Last year was when I finally decided to create from scratch. It’s not something I always believed I could do but my friends believed in me enough for me. I went to school for marketing, for practical reasons, but i know it can help me with running my brand.
I’ve realized how creative Tampa is and how much potential is here but I’m definitely moving to New York. I think that’s the place where I’ll find the best opportunities for me to take my career to the next leve
I’m not 100% clear on my end goal. I do want PMZY to be a fashion brand known for how it makes people feel and how they’re able to connect with it.
Make clothes you’d wear, that you don’t see anywhere else and that you wish existed in the world. There’s people in the world that’ll connect with it, who are waiting for clothes like yours.
Uhmmmm, I’ve been unimpressed lately. I think designers are letting themselves be influenced by pop culture too much and it shows. They’re creating their version of pieces that are already selling just so they can get a cut of the cash flow. But nothing is exciting anymore. There’s very few designers now that let their own point of view and storytelling drive their designs instead of the outside world. And as a young designer I’m trying to learn how to do that.
El oh el. I have very little figured out. I’m kinda just learning as I go. My mindset for the brand is already different than it was two months ago. You never know what life is gonna give you so I think it’d be weird to have everything all figured out because nothing goes as planned.
A perfect note to add about each piece of clothing is that they are all cut and sewn by Pam. The hard work and dedication is apparent in the quality of her designs and materials. To cop the newest collection, head over to PMZY to shop.
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