photography by MINH NGUYEN
styling & interview by YACHI GAULT
location HOTEL 50 BOWERY

There was only one way to be Derek Fabulous:

jacket Abklyn at Confessional Showroom
pierce Verameat

Derek, can you tell us how you came into the world of fashion?

I came into fashion because it was my escape during my difficult childhood. No matter what was going on in my day to day life with was always my way of escaping my current situation. When I speak at schools I always talk about teen suicide and how I owe my life now to the child I was, because I wouldn’t have the life I have now if he didn’t stay alive for me now. I work so hard and drive myself forward because the boy I deserved it.

When you are styling celebrities, what is the most important thing to be mindful?

I have styled celebrities to homeless women who are going back to work. All women are the same. They want to feel confident and look as beautiful as they can.

outfit Private Policy NY
sneakers Gola at Agentry PR

Who was the most exciting person to style?  and the most difficult?

The most exciting person to style is the person who LOVES it. The most difficult are usually the ones that know it is a necessity but doesn’t care about it. Ur client is your partner and you want to walk away knowing your partner is going to represent your work with love and respect for the craft.

Melissa Castellanos (CBS news)  portrayed “Warburton, whose best accessory is the heart on his sleeve”  in her article “Real Fashion, Real Women,”  I find it truly describes you, what drove you and how did you get involved in philanthropic work?

I come from a very small town in beautiful New Hampshire. There was no celebrity/fashion scene. I got into the industry because I was a self-starter and planned or helped coordinate events. I volunteered or organized fashion shows as benefits. It gave me my beginning resumes as a fashion person and then became part of my calling. Doing good is my only option.

hoodie Mitchell Evan at Agentry PR 
shirt Brooklyn Standard at Confessional Showroom
shorts Abklyn at Confessional Showroom

Can you tell us about your work with Bottomless Closet?

Wow, bottomless closet did more for me than I could ever do for them. When I started volunteering with my program called “how to be Derek Fabulous” I was looking for something in my life as much or more than the beneficiaries. I and my volunteers would hold workshops for displaced or underprivileged women who needed a helping hand and wardrobe to go back into the workplace. Not only did we help thousands of women and their children over the years but it helped me tremendously overcome some mental and emotional obstacles I was facing. I will always be grateful to the women we encountered for their love and I congratulate all of them for themselves enough to move forward even under their difficult conditions.

Let’s talk about your philosophy, “help, teach, inspire, love and have fun.”  Where does it come from?

The meaning of being Derek Fabulous.

left:
jacket Abklyn at Confessional Showroom
pierce Verameat
right:
shirt Abklyn at Confessional Showroom
joggers Mitchell Evan at Agentry PR

In 2017, you were appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for Just a Drop, an international water aid charity, please tell us about your work?

My works with clean water may be the most important thing I have done in my life. The smile on people’s face when they see clean running water for the first time takes my breath away! Clean water is a god-given right and it breaks my heart that this is still a worldwide issue. If I could I would spend my life helping communities develop to have clean water and safe sanitation.

Tell us about people in Nicaragua? How is the living condition? additions to the clean water projects, what can we do to improve their well-being?

The people of Nicaragua are proud. They may not have much but they have dignity and kindness. The living conditions are very very difficult. Women have to walk miles to just get a bucket of clean water. Unsafe water is the number one killer of children. When asked about how we can help I tell people the same thing. The price of a Starbucks coffee if enough to give a family clean water, it’s shocking. Donate to justadrop.org
Both projects are so important but Nicaragua really changed my life. The bottomless closet is inspiring because the women in the program Can come on their own free will and they are making decisions to change their lives. It’s inspiring and I’m so proud of them all because they are making the choice for their future.
Nicaragua wasn’t like that. The communities there are in these situations because they were born into them. They have no choice. When u are homeless in America u can work with programs, use a public restroom, use a water fountain or even panhandle. When u are working with tribes in villages 100 miles from a real city and miles from clean water it is such a different atmosphere. Being there and aiding was one of the most important things I have done in my life.

 jacket Abklyn at Confessional Showroom
pierce Verameat

In your belief, what makes the world a better place for the future generation?

I believe consciousness, equality, love, kindness, and economic growth along with education is the key to our future.

Additions to disadvantaged women’s well-fare, and clean water projects in countries in need, what concerns you most?

Inequality is a huge concern of mine. Women are equal to men, trans women and men should be able to serve in the military, ending police brutality against black men and women. Enough is enough. Gay rights are human rights.

What is your next move/ambition in fashion, and philanthropic works?

I’m launching a new apparel line to pair with my fine jewelry line called Mr. Warburton in September. I am collaborating with fashion for Freedom and the global fashion exchange to complete a line of completely recycled luxury apparel brand made with fairly paired labor by indigenous tribes in Vietnam. All recycled threads, factory scraps and made by hand. I can not wait for it to be complete, I’m so excited to combine my fashion life with my philanthropic work.

The last question, what made you happy today?

Two things have made me the happiest today. One, I live in Hollywood. Hollywood has given me the chance to build a platform and create an international voice that is heard. I can do good as well as personally prosper.
Two, I got to catch up with my wonderful mom. She is my heart and soul.

left:
hoodie Mitchell Evan at Agentry PR 
shirt Brooklyn Standard at Confessional Showroom
shorts Abklyn at Confessional Showroom
right:
jacket Abklyn at Confessional Showroom
pierce Verameat

Derek Warburton,  also known as Derek Fabulous, is an international media personality, celebrity stylist, philanthropist and the owner and creative director of LAPALME Magazine.