The world of fashion is one of escape and fantasy, where hems and threads offer a dreamy alternative to the grim and grittier real life. Verneda White has a unique place in the fashion world as one who channels the desperation of the helpless into fashionista fantasies.
Verneda, the 27-year-old founder and creative director of the unisex apparel line Human Intonation, began designing T-shirts in response to Hurricane Katrina. Before the flood, her extended family called New Orleans home (her parents and older brother had moved from there to upstate New York shortly before Verneda was born) and she spent ample time visiting grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in the city, which she considers a second home.
“My family was blessed not to have lost any lives immediately to the storm,” says Verneda, who had just moved to New York City with a degree in apparel and textile management. But seeing her grandmother’s home in the 9th Ward submerged in water, and watching “people, elders and babies suffering under the blazing August sun in the aftermath, when help was not deployed quickly enough,” filled Verneda with a sense of futility.
She wanted to help with the relief efforts, so she and designer Evina Scott began designing and hand-painting fundraising T-shirts for a nonprofit called Hands on New Orleans. In doing so, Verneda — who considers herself a “social entrepreneur” more than a “designer” — realized that fashion with a purpose might be her calling. She went back to school for an MBA, and officially launched Human Intonation in 2008.
Today, the company’s major focus is on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention — an arena in which, unfortunately, Verneda also has personal experience. In 2006, James Wesley White, Jr., Verneda’s cousin and best friend, died of AIDS, just five months after being diagnosed with HIV.
“I took it really hard,” says Verneda, whose initial reaction was to lash out and exhibit “risky” sexual behavior. “It was almost four years after he died before I started speaking out — it definitely took time to see that his story and my grief could make a positive impact on others.” But advocating for HIV/AIDS prevention, says Verneda, is now what motivates her to continue with the Human Intonation line.
“A person may not immediately see how he or she could turn a negative into a positive,” she adds, “and that’s okay. When tragedy strikes, you do not have to have all the answers, but what you can do is listen to your heart, and if it prompts you to positive action, do not be afraid to listen. You will be surprised how many people may be feeling the same way you do and who will benefit from your efforts.”
Human Intonation’s latest clothing campaign centers on the slogan “Protection Is the New Black.”
“Being direct with our graphic messaging is what people like most — and like least — about our tees,” admits Verneda. “But I don’t worry much about people’s reaction as long as people have a reaction. My goal is to use my line to give voice to these issues and get people to start the types of conversation that can change perceptions, change choices and change lives. My apparel products and my advocacy are never separated.
“Photo Credit: Sadie Nash
