Voyage Dallas Magazine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick C Perkins II.

Derrick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started in the SOUF; the good mud of Greenville, Mississippi. Born and raised with only one older sibling, so I guess you can say I was kind of the only child but not spoiled by a long shot. It’s not really easy growing up where I’m from. Being surrounded by so much violence in such a small town, one could only imagine how much a young child could be introduced to. I mean school wasn’t even that “safe place”, home was my safe place. Learning to stick tight to your family and how to weave out a hand full of solid friends was definitely key to surviving and “making it out”. Mother and father worked hard everyday to provide and make ends meet why’ll I was always at some type of sports practice or at home doing some type of chore my dad or mom would have me doing. I didn’t really have the easiest childhood though.

Growing up, I wasn’t like your class favorite or most athletic. I was short, still trying to grow into my shoes, super quiet unless spoken to first. I can remember one time having a pair of silver high-top shows that looked like they were from space lol. Clothes that weren’t the trend for our generation (in my hometown) at the moment was my style, so I stuck out like a soar thumb. So of course I was joked on… HARD, but honestly I just laughed and talked noise because that just how things worked in the Ville. You always had to be tough no matter who you were. A huge problem that I had was the access of dope garments and on top of that nothing fitted me right. From placing rubber bands around my ankles (pre jogger era) to safety pins on my shirts, I tried it all but it was only a temporary fix that I was really getting tired of it. God works in mysterious ways though because in 2013 right before I graduated high school, I stumbled upon my moms super small hand needle and thread set and let’s just say that was the start of me becoming the tailor and designer I am today.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth?? Not at all! It was hard enough getting into college. Being that I was the first and only person in my immediate family to go was very challenging. I made too low of a score on the ACT four times which definitely tested my faith. I was blessed to stumble upon a summer school program that allowed me to get into Mississippi State University and that is where I earned my bachelor’s in Landscape Architecture. Imagine trying to focus on schoolwork, your business, your jobs, relationships, school organizations and trying to have fun at the same time. There were times I just questioned am I taking on too much, but I just fought through it. I got the wounds to prove it. I lost super close people in my life just from choosing myself first. After all, isn’t that the most important thing in your life? College is where I really learned all of my skills.

At the time on campus, I was pretty much the only person sewing besides fashion design students. I honestly didn’t pick that major because I listened to other people say, “It wasn’t any money it that major”. I battled with finding mentors and just people that were in the same lane I was in. I wasn’t interested in the fast fashion business, my interest are in quality bespoke and couture garments and accessories. To this day, I still think about what would my life be like if I would’ve gotten my bachelor’s in fashion design, but it all is work out for the best. I had made myself known on campus to be the main person out of over 18,000 students and even faculty members to go to for all of your tailoring needs and on top of that be in fashion shows and fashion weeks. I’m blessed beyond measures and it’s only getting better with time.

Please tell us about DorettaLang.
So DorettaLang is a home that houses personal tailoring, couture and bespoke garments for men and women and also photography and videography. I want to be able to make the client look and most importantly feel good. My brand is all about quality so choosing my brand is like investing in art. You can expect a very professional and vibed out experience. I really try to build a relationship with my clients. I give advice and guidance and even take advice from them. I take a lot of time on EVERY client’s project to make it come to life. What really sets me apart from the rest is that no one else offers all of these services and still delivers high quality, CONSISTENTLY.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is when my mother, father and I own and ran a soul food/barbecue sport bar. I did everything from cooking to being a dj. I watched my dad start the business but the sad thing about it, I also watch the business go down. We ended up having to shut it down due to poor management and not knowing how to grow a business. My dad did manage to still own the property so he allows people to rent it out. This was a huge life lesson to me because it not only showed me that me and my family can actually own something but it also showed me that it can all be gone at the blink of an eye.