Are you twins? (Yes.) Are you identical? (Yes.) Who is older? (I am.) Do you always dress alike? (Well . . . sometimes.) These are the type of questions that would shape and mold much of my and my sister’s childhood.
From a very young age my twin, Takenya, and I would partake in a nightly ritual of watching our mother choose the matching outfits we would wear to school the next morning. We then looked on as she delved into her own extensive wardrobe, planning what she would wear to her job as CEO of a major medical company—she favored office attire such as button-down blouses, high-waist slacks, and two-piece pinstriped suits.
Growing up in the suburbs of Baltimore in the eighties and nineties, my sister and I were always fiercely passionate, whether through writing, reading, drawing, painting, or fashion. By the time we reached our teens, we were constantly borrowing clothes from each other, she would borrow my long skirts while I insisted on wearing her jumpers and customizing as we saw fit by cutting, sewing new hemlines, or creating something different altogether. Let’s just say, when the borrowed item was returned, it was unrecognizable . . . much to the other twin’s dismay.
Of course, now through an older perspective, I can see how those little storms of rebellion against each other were simply ways to establish our own individuality. Though our lives would eventually enforce that individuality, diverging into very different paths—today, Takenya is the electronic singer and songwriter TK Wonder, currently on tour in Europe and Brazil, while I am editor in chief and cofounder of the lifestyle website Urban Bush Babes—we found common ground in our own creative niches. Here is a look back in photos of how our shared genes, heritage, and influences conspired to forge two very distinct expressions of style.
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