When MoDA Market founder Kerry Ann Clarke mentioned that Harriette Cole was to guest host the event’s fifth anniversary celebration, eyebrows were raised. When the opportunity came to interview her, the challenge was simply where to start. An hour-and-a-half on the phone made the task that much more arduous. Cole is a multi-dimensional, walking series of accomplishments and living proof that a sound education, experience and a sense of self will keep you relevant at any chapter of your life.

Her mother once told her that people who stand out as bright lights are the ones to get to know. Since mothers are always right, we reckon there’s no better place to start…

Novia McDonald-Whyte (NMW): I’m starting this article with a quote from your mother, who said: “Whenever you are looking out, notice the lights in the room; there will be people who stand out as bright lights. Those are the ones you’re attracted to and you should get to know and stay in touch with, because they can be very important to you later on in your life.”

When did your mum share these profound words with you, and how have they shaped your life?

Harriette Cole (HC): I remember my mother saying these words all the time, certainly during junior high school, which was a troubling time for me. I was experiencing bullying from a group of girls, and I recall hearing my mother’s wisdom reminding me that there are other people in the world who care about me and who will look out for me. She wanted me to know that you can always walk away from negativity and toward the light.

NMW: Which women have shone the brightest for you, and why?

HC: I grew up in a home with fiercely bright women. My mother, Doris Cole, showed my sisters and me unconditional love. At 86 years young she still wears a dynamic smile on her face that is infectious. Her mother, Carrie Freeland, who lived to be 101, taught us to love our work and the people with whom we work, no matter what that work is. Honour and integrity were essential to both of them. My sister Stephanie Hill, now an exec at Lockheed Martin, has been my champion since she was born. My “baby” sister, she has shown me unconditional love, patience and kindness with a joy that remains unmatched. My older sister, Susan, has always been the whip ensuring that we used no-nonsense smarts and strategy to forge ahead.

Susan L Taylor was leading

Essence when I worked there. She inspired me and all of the team to see black women in all our incarnations of beauty — from the darkest complexions to the curviest hips and everything in between.

NMW: Media is competitive; that’s a given, But you’ve said that “there aren’t enough of us in the industry to be competitive”. Many might disagree with you. Can you clarify your original statement?

HC: There are very few media outlets out there that are targeting black consumers. I believe there is enough room out there for all of us. The challenges come with regard to building quality content that appeals to particular segments of the audience, and securing advertising/sponsorship dollars to pay for the creation, production and distribution of the products.

It gets tricky when entities feel they have to compete for the same dollars. I recommend getting creative and figuring out ways to work together sometimes, pooling resources or creating other types of collaborations that make a more appealing bigger picture.

NMW: Black icons, fashion influencers, even make-up, etc, have “crossed over” and are now an accepted part of popular fashion magazines. Why, then, aren’t there more black women helming major publications?

HC: The great news is that we have two black women at Condé Nast books right now: Elaine Welteroth atTeenVogue and Keija Minor atBrides. We also have black women like Vanessa DeLuca atEssence. And there are many web products with black female leadership. But, make no mistake, the door is only narrowly open. Why? Fashion and beauty, though large industries (especially beauty), are still cliquish and very small. You have to get in before you can rise up. I will say that over the past 20 years there have been quite a few black women to reach high levels in mainstream publishing and media, including Julee Wilson/Essence, Nikki Ogunnaike/ELLE, Simone S Oliver/Allure, TV personalities Bevy Smith, Michaela Angela Davis and Tai Beauchamp, Claire Sulmers/FashionBombDaily.com, Marielle Bobo/Ebony Magazine, Celia Smith/Essence.com — and many more.

NMW: What was your reaction when you heard thatTeenVogue had hired its first black editor-in-chief, Elaine Welteroth, who was a former intern of yours atEssence magazine?

HC: I met Elaine through her incredible persistence. She wanted to work with me. Her trial shoot was supporting me in California when we were shooting Serena Williams for the cover ofEbony Magazine. She was such a consummate professional with a great eye. I knew she was a keeper. Elaine moved from California to New York to work with me, and work hard she did. With a tiny team, we had so much work to do. Elaine was never afraid of pouring all of her creativity and energy into a project. She created a beauty department atEbony that rivalled the mainstream competition and forged significant bonds with editors and publicists along the way.

What Elaine did is rare. She went from

Ebony, a traditionally black magazine, to

Glamour, one of the largest mainstream women’s magazines, to

TeenVogue. In short order she was invited to step into the role of EIC. I feel like my baby has stepped into her big-girl stilettos!

NMW: Were you to go shopping with five gal pals who would they be, and why?

HC: Hmm. I shop alone. That’s way more fun for me. That said, I would take my soon-to-be 13-year-old daughter. We have fun trying on clothes and showing each other.

NMW: What would you wear, and why?

HC: I always wear a one-piece bodysuit so that it’s easy to slip on different clothes and keep smooth lines. I’m tall, so I don’t really need a heel, but a good wedge always works to add a lift!

NMW: 108 Stitches is your latest project. How did this come about? Also, how did you get prima ballerina Misty Copeland to be one of your fashion ambassadors?

HC: When I was 12, I had a little crochet business where I designed and crocheted clothing for the many babies who were being born in the neighbourhood. The next year I became a model and totally forgot all about my entrepreneurial side. Fast-forward to about six years ago: My family and I were out in Sag Harbor, in the Hamptons in NY on Memorial Day weekend, but it was too cold to go in the water. My daughter, who was six, had nothing to do. And our house had no TV. I quickly remembered that there was a five and dime store in town that sold yarn and hooks. I asked my daughter if she would like to learn how to crochet.

“Sure, Mommy,” she said. “What’s that?”

We went from making crazy stitches to me falling in love with this craft once again. I went on searches to find unusual fibres and off-size hooks to design unusual pieces. Along the way I realised that the act of crocheting was itself a meditation; hence, the name 108 Stitches. That number is considered very special in many spiritual circles.

How Misty came to be part of my life and later to graciously agree to take pictures wearing my art is thanks to Prince. The last issue I produced of

Ebony before I left in 2010 (as editor-in-chief and creative director) featured Prince. He subsequently hired me to interview all of the opening acts for his

Welcome2America tour. Misty was part of that tour. She and I hit it off instantly. When I asked her to be part of my inaugural photo shoot she happily agreed. It is my honour to have her wear my work, but more to be her friend. She is a force of nature with more humility than most.

NMW: What keeps you, a woman who many would say has done it all, motivated?

HC: My parents taught my sisters and me to strive for excellence always, and to remember to take care of others along the way. Family-wise, I am committed to guiding my daughter to become a dynamic, fully-empowered woman. I believe I do this by showing her the choices that I make and by instilling in her the wisdom, confidence and love that fuels me.

Workwise, I am motivated to offer my skills more broadly. I’ve been coaching entertainers and entrepreneurs one-on-one for years on how to engage the media and/or present themselves effectively. I launched

DREAMLEAPERS™, an educational initiative designed to help people access and activate their dreams, with the intention of sharing my wisdom and that of fellow professionals so that more people can leap into their own greatness.

NMW: What is your definition of success?

HC: Success, to me, is a recipe of sorts: identified dreams made manifest.

NMW: You were one of the fortunate ones: raised in a middle-class home, swimming pool and all. Dad a judge, mum an educator-cum-homemaker, university-educated. Were these pluses?

HC: I feel like I’ve had a blessed life. I grew up in a part of Baltimore, MD, that was safe and thriving with African-American professionals who all believed that they were carving out a great life for themselves and their families and who all appreciated those who had come before them. The children were taught that we had a serious responsibility to do our best and to share our knowledge and resources along the way.

I knew that we were privileged. While my father was the first black state senator in Maryland and the first black judge on the Maryland Court of Appeals (the highest court in the state), both of my grandmothers were domestic workers. My maternal grandmother was a maid and my paternal grandmother was a cook. It was a given that we would respect from whence we came and make something of ourselves in recognition of the hard work that got us there.

NMW: Career came first, marriage, and then motherhood. Was this your checklist or that of the universe?

HC: I always knew I would work in writing and fashion. That dream was planted when I was 12. I met my husband, a proud Jamaican, George Chinsee, while working on a book. Work has always figured prominently in my life, and the fact that George and I met through work was great. We’ve gone on to work on six of my seven books and many other projects in between!

Ten years after we were married we welcomed our daughter into the world. She is definitely a gift from God, the most perfect gift.

NMW: Would you have had it any other way?

HC: That’s a worthless question. I like to look toward the future rather than bemoan what ifs.

NMW: What will Harriette Cole be doing five years from now?

HC: I am building out DREAMLEAPERS™ with the intention of helping others manifest their dreams. I’m also working on several other book projects. Stay tuned!