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Welcome back Vibrant Fam! I am so stoked about the feature we have today. Today I am featuring a beautiful friend of mine named Lexi and her incredible brand: HDBNGR RVWR. I met Lexi not too long ago and was absolutely enamored by her and her energy. I am so excited for everyone to read more about her and her brand, I highly encourage you all to check out her clothing and snag some. Check out the interview below!
Hey there Lexi, please tell the readers a little about who you are and what you do.
Hey everyone! First off, I would love to thank the founder of Stay Vibrant for having me here today. This message of empowerment is something we all need to hear and have us uplift each other is why I love and support this brand. A little bit about me, I am from New York finishing my MBA at Mercy College and I am the owner and founder of HDBNGR RVWR, which is a rave wear brand that pushes the boundaries of size inclusivity. Not only do we specialize in that but we are the grungier side of ravewear and serving versatile looks to empower all genders and all sizes.
What brought HDBNGR RVWR to life and what spawned the idea to create this brand?
What spawned the idea of HDBNGR RVWR was the fact that I wanted to create something that I felt comfortable wearing. Not knocking down the other brands but I created all of my rave clothing and styles ever since I started in the rave scene. I wanted to feel empowered after being bullied online for dancing onstage at the Borgore show at T5 (Terminal 5) a couple of years ago. This platform is for everyone to feel empowered, a badass and most of all comfortable and serving fierce confidence.
Being so associated with rave culture, what is something that being within the community has taught you?
Being in this community has taught me to not compare yourself. We are all a community of Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect and we all have a lot to learn from each other. Also, as rave veterans, we have to set an example of people who are new to the scene. We have to remind everyone that P.L.U.R only dies if we let it die. It's important to protect, lift each other up and empower everyone despite what the outside toxicity we're dealing with today.
The topic of mental health is growing to be more commonplace, what have you seen within the dance community that is positive for mental health?
Definitely artists coming out about their personal struggles have been helping the community and bringing awareness on "it's okay to not be okay." I feel like before not everyone spoke about mental health and now since more people are talking about it, it's unifying us as a community. Also, everyone is more accepting of bodies and not belittling each other about weight. And finally, the consent movement that has been sweeping the festival scene. Consent is something very important. I still feel like there is more to be done but the consent movement has been something I've been waiting for.
How do you personally maintain a healthy relationship with your mental health and what do you do on the bad days?
To maintain a healthy relationship, you need to learn your triggers, weak spots and how to help yourself. If you need to talk to someone, talk to someone. Sometimes, people want to just distract themselves, which is fine. Self-love is the best medicine I would say. Our generation has this thing about self-depreciation that can do more harm than good. On bad days for me, I let music heal me. Depression and anxiety take away your ability of responsibility and goals. When you force yourself to do things like drink water, brush your teeth, eat something, do your makeup, shower, it makes such a difference.
What would you like to plug? What is coming with HDBNGR RVWR or personally that you are excited about? There are a lot of things I'm excited about for HDBNGR RVWR that I would love to discuss.
Expanding more styles, creating an ambassador program and bringing more awareness on bringing everyone together and having everyone involved. Vending is a goal I would love to venture into and just spreading the message of body positivity, empowerment, and self-preservation.
I am so grateful for Lexi taking the time to talk with us and I am ecstatic for what's to come within her brand and journey. Stay tuned for more awesome collaborations and as always: Spread Love, Spread Light and Stay Vibrant.