>> "here and now," the program featuring the news and interests of the african-american community. here's your host, sandra bookman. >> coming up, getting more people of color connected with the fastest growing job sector -- computer and information technology. plus a lower east side school producing the next generation of female minority engineers. later, the police athletic league celebrating 100 years of serving the community by offering services to its youth. new york fashion week is getting underway, so what better time to shine a spotlight on some home-grown talent? that's all ahead on

"here and now."

>> information technology is the fastest growing job sector. that's according to the bureau of labor statistics. addressing the lack of minority representation in the computer and information technology field is one of the primary directives of the national action council for minorities in engineering. and joining us today is dr. irving pressley mcphail, the president and chief executive officer of nacme. welcome. nice to have you on the show. >> thank you. happy to be here. >> why is it so important that more minority youngsters be geared -- steered, i should say -- towards stem, essentially -- science, technology, engineering, and math? >> well, you started by quoting some data from the bureau of labor statistics. we know that our stem disciplines provide wonderful opportunities for employment.

they provide wonderful opportunities for engineers and computer scientists and others to make significant contributions to improving the quality of life. these are exciting opportunities, exciting disciplines, and we need to be able to move more of our young people, particularly those who have been traditionally under-represented in the stem disciplines, into these fields. >> and why do you think -- i want to know first, why do you think we do see fewer minorities, minority students, interested in these areas? >> well, i think there are a number of perspectives. first, awareness. a lot of our young people have no awareness whatsoever of what engineering is, what computer scientists or software engineers are engaged in. there are, in many cases, no one in the family, no one living next door, no one in the wider social network, role models and mentors that are available. and so we need to do a lot to increase the general level of awareness about the

opportunities in engineering and the opportunities in stem more broadly define. then, of course, we're concerned about the quality of mathematics and science teaching. >> in the school. >> particularly in schools that serve large numbers of under-represented minority students. we need to absolutely improve the preparation of teachers in math and science who can bring not only the subject matter knowledge but also can bring the enthusiasm to really motivate our young people to really get excited. >> you know, technology plays such a large role in all of our lives. i mean, look, we can't live without that smartphone. most kids would know what to do with it, but they never -- but too few of them, i should say, really believe that, "huh, maybe i could make a living doing this." >> exactly. as you suggested, the technology itself is ubiquitous. what we need to do is get kids excited about figuring out what's going inside the machines, what's going on inside the devices, and then to understand how they can make a contribution to really extending

the opportunities to develop new models, new devices, new paradigms. there's a consequence, make significant contributions to improving life. >> yeah, be much more than just >> exactly. in. what are some of the programs? you guys been doing this for years now, decades. >> yes. >> what are some of the things you do to help steer interested youngsters that way? >> we have a very robust pre-engineering agenda and strategy at nacme. the purpose of our pre-engineering work is to do just that -- to build awareness and to provide the beginnings, kind of skill sets, and opportunities for motivation, for kids to really get excited about engineering and science. and so we've done a number of things. we've developed a portfolio of materials that answer the question, "what is an engineer?" that really begin to answer that question, as well as provide real-world examples of engineers -- male, female -- who look like the kids that we're trying to interest and to motivate. we provide scholarship opportunities for young people

who successfully complete pre-engineering programs in a variety of settings, either the academy of engineering network, in which we're involved with two other national organizations, to try to provide opportunities for high school students, to get excited and motivated and skilled for engineering or for university-based stem programs or for other opportunities where young people can get exposed. we are engaged in -- we have, for example, a collaboration with princeton review, where we publish a document that's a guide to engineering colleges, the first document of its kind, that really provides information for counselors and parents. so we really are about trying to get information out. we have a lot of details on our website for parents and students and teachers really trying to infuse the general community use. >> and tell me about your go west initiative. >> ah, yes. >> which is really impressive, working to push youngsters

towards silicon valley. >> yes, well, as you indicated, as you started, there are significant opportunities for young people in the computing industry. we know that by 2018 the largest percentage of jobs in the stem sector will be in computing, roughly 71%. we know that 27% of that number will be opportunities in software engineering. we're very fortunate to have on the nacme board of directors hewlett-packard, one of our founding board companies. and through the interests and the support of hewlett-packard, we have launched this initiative we've defined as go west. the objective is to figure out how to get nacme better positioned in silicon valley, to have conversations with the leading industries there, to open up opportunities for scholarships, for k-12 activity, and for other initiatives designed to move more under-represented minority students specifically into the computing disciplines. >> and before i let you go, i just want to make the point that

this is so much deeper than just getting minority students into the engineering field. it's really to the country's benefit if the country wants to be able to compete globally. >> exactly. recently the national academy of engineering and the national science foundation issued a report, "the grand challenges for engineering," that laid out a number -- 14, to be exact -- of those challenges that really impact everything from the quality of life, as well as the economic prosperity of our nation. these are challenges and issues to be addressed principally by engineers. if the united states is going to remain on the cutting edge of stem, particularly given the competition in the flat world, those challenges and others must be addressed, and we must develop the internal wherewithal to provide the talent to be able to address that. >> we so appreciate you being with us, dr. mcphail. i want to send folks to the nacme website -- nacme -- n-a-c-m-e -- .org. >> right.

>> they can find out about your various programs, the scholarship information, as well >> exactly. >> all right. here. >> my pleasure. >> next on "here and now," a lower east side school that's preparing girls to compete in stem-related careers.

stay with us.

>> girls prep lower east side middle school is working hard to produce the next generation of minority and female engineers and scientists with the focus on preparing students for stem careers. here today to tell us how they're doing that is the c.e.o. of girls prep, ian rowe, along with fourth grade student kaitlyn hendricks. thank you both for being with us this afternoon.

>> thank you for having us. >> i'm gonna start with you, mr. rowe. girls prep -- such a success story. why do you think you guys have been so, so successful in introducing these young people to science, technology, engineering, math in a way that really seems to be sinking in? >> sure. well, it's been a hallmark of girls prep ever since the beginning. when we were founded in 2005 -- so this is our 10th anniversary -- we're the first all-girls public charter school in new york. and one of the first things we discovered was that girls love science. and despite all of the perceptions that, you know, young women are not interested in engineering and math, we found exactly the opposite, and we said, "how do we actually really capitalize on that interest?" so, in elementary school, we have science five days a week, which is one of the only schools in new york that does that. we have dedicated science teachers, meaning that we have science teachers who teach nothing but science. kaitlyn has a great teacher,

mr. perez, and we found that this is really effective. so, for example, for the third year in a row, 97% of our girls, our fourth grade scholars, aced the new york state science exam, which puts us in the top 10% of all schools in new york city. >> which is amazing and numbers to be proud of, certainly. and even more to be proud of is the people, the students. >> well, you said it. we are determined to create the next generation of female engineers, scientists, mathematicians because our country needs them. and one of the keys that we believe -- we have to start early, because if we start early and develop that love of science, it will continue into middle school and high school. so, kaitlyn has a great future ahead of her when she enters our middle school because we have partnerships with cornell university, where our middle school students can go and take classes in physics and science fiction writing. we have partnerships with barclays, where our girls are

developing apps in a hackathon. so, the key is to have a deliberate approach to help our girls dream big and pursue these wonderful careers. >> yeah, and to get that attention early and to keep it. >> and to keep it. >> yeah, to keep meeting them where they are at every stage. >> yeah, and one of the nice things in an all-girls school is that the top student, the top mathematics student, is a girl. >> yes. >> the girl who's doing the best in science -- you know, that student is a girl, and so all of the perceptions that might exist in a co-ed environment, none of those barriers exist for our girls. >> and maybe some of the young hormones that can get in the way in a co-ed environment. they're focused more on the learning. >> yes. >> now, kaitlyn, you are a fourth grader. >> yes. >> love science is what i've been told. >> yes. >> what is it about science that really captures and holds your attention? >> it's a lot of things. it's a number of things. well, i have to say that my science teacher, mr. perez, he

makes learning fun. >> mm-hmm. >> and he lets us do all these different things that are scientific in a way and let us learn and have fun at the same time. and then it just captures everybody's attention so that we can stay focused and be focused, because i don't really know a lot of science classes that we have that are not fun, so yeah. >> and did you always know when you first started school that science was something you were really interested in? >> well, not really. well, it took me a bit of a while, but after -- >> 'cause she's so old. >> yeah. [ laughter ] but when i started girls prep, we had a science teacher. our science teacher was actually our -- >> your homeroom teacher. >> yeah, yeah, our teacher in our classroom. and then i don't really know if we had science lab. i think we did probably.

and it took -- 'cause i wasn't really developed at that age that i could really understand. all i knew is that it was science. >> yeah, when you're about 5 to 6, you're really not that developed at that age. >> all you know is that, "oh, i'm in science class," and then, "oh, we're gonna do some experiments," and then it's always like same old, same old, that you have. >> i'm sorry to interrupt you, but obviously now it's not just the same old, same old because it's something you want to study more of. have you decided what you think you'd like to do when you grow up or what you'd like to study maybe in college or focus on? school. >> okay. >> i got the idea that i want to be an engineer. i also want to be a scientist, but the only thing about a scientist is that i'm afraid of -- a bit of afraid of the the -- >> but don't you think -- and i think mr. rowe would agree me -- that as you get older and you

sort of get more experienced dealing with the different things in a lab so that you don't really have to be afraid of it because you're gonna be told and taught step by step how to do things. >> yeah, because there's, like, steps to -- every time that we have an experiment, it's steps to what we have to do on what we have to do to make it work. >> yeah. and mr. perez makes sure that you're prepared for every step. >> yeah, yeah, and always that -- sorry to cut you off, but every time that we -- just to make sure that every time that we're prepared that sometimes it's not always gonna be a success. sometimes it's not always gonna be successful. like, when we were building our light circuits, sometimes the light bulb won't work or sometimes the wires won't work. >> but, you know, that's sometimes how you find out what not to do, too. you know, you got to eliminate right thing.

>> yes. >> i mean, it sounds like in what you guys have been doing at girls prep, you sort of eliminated a lot of the fluff when it comes to really being able to get students to focus on a curriculum and have it learned and taught the way it needs to be. >> well, kaitlyn is a fantastic ambassador because you can just hear, you know, the scientific process. you know, not everything may work at the beginning, but you learn. >> and the enthusiasm. >> and the enthusiasm. learning is fun. and also listen to the vocabulary, talking about lighting circuits. you know, this is very, very important, so science is almost a silver bullet because packaged in science is curiosity, inquiry, vocabulary, knowledge that then is transferrable in all of our other subjects. >> and have you found that parents and families understand your approach and appreciate it? >> i think so, although sometimes if they go home and want to blow up things -- [ laughter ]

...that may be a problem. but i think our families generally love the fact that we are exposing our young girls to career paths that may typically be seen as only for the boys or only for men, and i think that's one of the reasons that they chose to go -- you know, to enter a lottery, to enter our schools, because we're creating opportunities and hopefully, again, creating the next generation of young women to pursue stem careers. >> and i want to ask you real quickly, 'cause they're telling me we're out of time -- when you start talking about career paths -- she's in the fourth grade, so it's very young and early on and she's got all these options and really talks about what her options are -- at what age, at what grade are you really trying to steer them specifically towards a path? do you have a good idea when it comes to a student, you know, where their skills are, what their passion is? 8th, 9th, 10th grade? >> well, i wouldn't say -- i mean, truthfully, we started

pre-k talking to our scholars about what is achievable for them. in most, you know, middle and upper class communities, the idea of college or graduate school or careers is something that's embedded from the very, very beginning, so we try to simulate that same idea. so, starting in pre-k and kindergarten, our students are visiting college campuses. we have college and career week. actually, in two weeks, where we have people from a whole range of professions talk to our girls, and actually we've started an all-boys school, too. similar idea -- to just expose, you know, to demystify success, to say what is it, how does someone get to be an anchorperson at wabc? how does someone become the president of wabc? >> so, make it a possibility in their lives that they can touch and feel? >> that they can touch and feel, that they can demystify, make it very practical. "okay, that's where that person went to college. ah, that's what an engineer does. i could do that. i can see myself in that setting." so it's very much about our education and the experiences that we can create for our scholars. >> we thank you both for being with us.

kaitlyn, you have to come back. >> okay. >> when you get a little bit farther on in that science thing. i don't know if we're gonna let you blow up anything. >> [ laughs ] >> okay? >> okay. >> thank you for being with us this afternoon. best of luck to you. >> thank you. >> and we will be talking to you again for sure, mr. rowe. the new york police athletic league is celebrating its centennial year. and when we come back, we are going to introduce you to some of its new leadership.

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and now, for a limited time, you could get a $300 reward card. call today. >> for 100 years, the police athletic league has served boys and girls across the five boroughs, offering everything

from after-school programs to summer day camps to juvenile justice services. pal is marking its centennialitnew leadership. newly appointed executive director frederick watts is joining us today. congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> and welcome to "here and now." and you told me it's actually been eight months. >> about eight months. >> so not brand-new. you've had eight months to get the lay of the land. >> i have. >> and you like your new job? >> i love my new job. >> what is it that you love being at the helm of this 100-year-old organization? >> a few things. i've spent my life in public service, and this is the essence of public service. we're serving the kids of new york city. the second is, it combines two things that i'm passionate about. one, which is -- most people aren't passionate -- but i like administration and managing people and organizations. >> you were in the d.a.'s office. >> i was in the d.a.'s office. >> for 30 years? >> that's correct. and i was involved in both trying cases in the beginning, and i did a lot of management of that office. so, that's one thing that i really enjoy.

but the second thing, which is just a treat, is doing that management for kids and the fact that i get to interact with kids -- not a lot -- but our work goes toward these kids, and i get to see the programs and be involved and see their successes. it's just a tremendous treat. >> and i can feel your enthusiasm just in this short period of time. you know, it seems like the point we are when you talk about relationships in the community between young people and police officers, pal is even more important than ever before, not only for the work you do, but really also about getting that message out there that this work has been being done for 100 years. >> that's correct. i mean, we have been around for that long, and it started with police officers. we are now -- and have been for more than 50 years -- an independent not-for-profit, but we have a very special relationship with the police, and it works well for the community. the police interact with our kids.

they help us run programs. and in doing so, the children, the staff, and sometimes the families are exposed to police officers as regular guys. they're playing basketball with or sitting with, talking about their issues. i think the police learn a little bit about the kids, and the kids learn a tremendous amount about the police and that they're regular people doing a hard job. and i think i've said this before -- if a kid growing up meets a police officer in a non-threatening environment for the first time, it's far better than if they have, you know, a tense situation the first time they're meeting. so, we've had this special relationship, and we have great commitment from the police commissioner on down to work well so that the children are exposed to law enforcement. >> yeah, it sets the tone for that relationship, quite frankly, not just for young people but for adults, as well. >> exactly. >> that initial interaction. the thing i really find intriguing about pal is that it is about so much more than athletics. >> yes.

>> you really meet the kids, you know, really where they are in their lives. i mean, you're talking about early learning programs, after-school programs, you know, this juvenile justice service for kids who have run into some trouble, and the program really helps them sort of get back on the straight and narrow and do things before they get into any deeper trouble. it's just really a wide spread of services. how are you able to do that and do so effectively? >> well, you know, when i was interviewing for this job and i was studying up on pal -- and i thought i knew a lot about pal. i realized what the breadth of the services are, and i'll steal a phrase from the council to commissioner bratton -- we try to take them from cradle to college. we have headstart from ages 2 to 4, and we have specialized people. we actually have a woman with a phd running that program, so that's a very good program where -- and it's good for the

community because now parents, it gives them a chance to work while they have a very low-cost alternative for childcare. we have very robust after-school programs, and the city is a great partner. the city of new york helps us with funding in that regard. so, elementary through middle school, every day from 3:00 to 6:00, we have a full program focusing on academics, recreation. we try to do some special stem work with the kids. we have kids growing lettuce in a center in harlem. i mean, it's just really a very robust program. and then, of course, our teen programs. so we're really taking them all the way through. and the two special programs that you mentioned that i'm particularly excited about -- the juvenile justice program. we have done some studies with john jay college, and we really have great statistics in dramatically reducing the recidivism rate of a youngster who maybe at 15 gets into a little trouble but gets some counseling and turns himself around.

and the other great success we have is, we have a program that is a college readiness program. it's relatively small, and we really want to grow it. but we have in the area of 98% of those kids go on to college, and you compare that -- most of those kids are kids with real economic challenges, most of them are kids of color, and we're sending in the -- it's 92%. 92% are going to college. you compare that to the department of education, and it's 15% for the same work. so those are areas -- cradle to college, we're really doing well. i think our goal is to just if we can do more, you know, if we can reach more kids with the same kind of quality. >> and how would you be able to do that? what would help in being able to do that? >> well, of course, you know, money is always useful, and we get great support from government sources, which is quite helpful, but that doesn't -- you know, we do it.

we're very aggressive about our fundraising, and people are very generous. but we are very assertive about both seeking government funding. we have a couple of special funders. prosecutors offices are getting involved with neighborhood programs, so we've gotten great support there. but, of course, private donations, corporate funding is very useful to us, as well. >> but pal has the track record of success to make donating, funding. shouldn't be that difficult to do. >> [ laughs ] >> if you want to know where your money is going and how well it's being used, it seems like a perfect place to put it. your website is palnyc.org. so you can find out information on the website about your programming, about how you can donate. and you use volunteers? emphasis. in addition to obviously giving your treasure, we love volunteers, and they've been very useful to us. we have -- i think last year we had over 2,000 volunteers from either corporations or

individuals just wanting to help. and so if you go to our website, you can learn more about who to contact, but donating your time, donating money, and just your interest and support of us is just great. >> we'll take it. thank you so much for being here. >> thank you very much for having me. >> hopefully we are gonna hear more from you. >> i hope that you'll allow me.

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>> one way to wrap up the summer on this labor day weekend is to head over to the annual arts on third street festival in mt. vernon. to tell us a little bit more

about what's on the schedule for this year, hip-hop pioneer, the original human beatbox, doug e. fresh, who will be performing, and judy williams, the commissioner of human resources for the city of mt. vernon and one of the organizers of arts on third. thank you both for being with us this afternoon. >> thank you. >> thank you for having us. >> and, you know, i have to say, thanks for coming back, 'cause i think the last time you were here, there was breaking news. we had to blow up the whole show. happy to have you back in the studio. >> well, it's a blessing to be on your show. thank you. thank you for having me back. >> and we will have you back again. >> i appreciate that. >> you have been involved with arts on third from the beginning. >> yeah, and it has been a nice beginning, hasn't it? >> oh, yes, oh, yes. i have a little story to tell if i have time. >> would you please tell them? >> [ laughs ] arts on third is in its 14th year, and doug e. started with us since year one. does now. >> i know. he always does. >> i don't know what that is. he made an agreement with nature, i guess. i don't know.

however, so we had one retaining stage that was very shaky, and doug e. was performing his heart out, and we were all crossing our fingers that it would not fall apart. and it was shaking, and he was dancing, and we said, "oh, no, the shaking is a part of the act," but it actually wasn't, so we had that one, little retainer about 3,000 people watching, and now we have three stages and 75,000 people came out last year. >> that's right. >> so, doug e.'s been there, and he has helped us to grow. >> and it's been beautiful. it's been beautiful. to be honest with you, i mean, the work that they're doing and, you know, mayor ernie davis, he's an incredible guy. you know, and the city of mt. vernon i have a special love for. the people of mt. vernon, they are very good, real people, you know? you know what i mean? like, you just meet real people. >> good folk. >> right. you know, i was in brooklyn, and the energy was real there, and you find the energy there 'cause i just did a concert out there.

in harlem is where i stayed, but in harlem, i love harlem. but mt. vernon -- and i don't know if it was because my friend heavy d was up there, you know, and his family is there and my father is there. you know, but mt. vernon is a very special place. which reminds me to add to the lineup -- i just got off the phone with the force md's. you know, they are also yeah. >> so, talk to me a little bit more about that. who are some of the other performers on the schedule? and like what i heard is last year, it was packed, that 70,000 people. if you weren't there, you really missed something. >> oh, that was the place to be. i'll start from the end, because doug e. always wraps it up for us. and i can't say too much about this young man because no matter where he is -- and he's seldom in new york -- he flies back. and we wait on him to come, and it's just as if he was there all the time. i mean, he's great. so, this year we have coming to join doug e. on the stage is al b. sure!, and al b. is a

homeboy. he's from mt. vernon. >> that's right. and it's some more surprises. you know what i mean? it's some more surprises that are coming, i mean, from different artists. you know, there's reggae artists that come. there's an artist i did a song with named li'l vicious. he comes up there. there's people who always come, like kool herc, who is the godfather of hip-hop. you know, he comes up there, and just so many people embrace mt. vernon, because even though mt. vernon is not looked at as a big city, it's a very effective city amongst all the cities. >> and, in fact, the original intent of this festival was really to focus on some of those positives and get people into the street for a positive reason when it started. >> exactly, exactly, because mt. vernon has so many artists, performing artists, visual artists, people that are in health arts, because we have health arts, as well. and the mayor had a vision, "let's build an arts district."

so this festival was a precursor to the arts district, and a lot of people said, "well, an arts district?" so his philosophy was, "go to the worst side of town, because if you don't build up that side and you build up the side that's good, you still haven't built your city up." so he went to what was called the worst side of town, and he put an arts festival there, and it just blossomed and blossomed. and it's become a venue. it's so creative. and he's an architect by trade, so he says, "let's build something for the artists." >> so it's three stages. >> it's three stages. >> and it runs how many days? >> it's a one-day, the largest single event in westchester. three stages, and we have a health pavilion, which last year had over 1,000 people that came out for screening. we have an area for children with pony rides, with free gifts, with food, and also an area just for visual artists, as well. >> and the music is free. >> and everything is free. >> yeah.

>> but not the food and the drinks. >> not the food and the drinks. >> you got to be clear. >> you have to selective, be selective, be selective. free. i'll put it like that. >> and there's a little something for everybody. >> it is, it is. >> so if people want to find out a little bit more about arts on third, who's performing when, what stage, that kind of thing, they can go to artsonthird.com. >> yes. artsonthird.com. or they can call. we still have a few vendor spaces that are open. the vendors do so well. it's their one day to really make a whole lot of money. they always say, "one more hour, i make $1,000." they can call 914-840-4008. >> and it all gets started at >> 1:00. from 1:00 to -- from 1:00 to whenever doug e. comes. [ laughter ] >> okay. >> but we won't keep them out too late. >> yeah. while we have you here, we really wanted to talk to you about another project that's really near and dear to your heart. i know that you are sort of the spokesman for hip hop public health. >> right.

>> which is headquartered in the city. tell us a little bit about what that is and why this is something that's really important to you. >> well, hip hop public health was founded by me and a doctor named olajide williams. we call him hip hop doc. he's the first with that. and we basically came together. he runs the neurology department in columbia hospital. he is the guy who -- he's an incredible doctor, incredible guy. we came together, and we wanted to combine hip hop with understanding different ways and different things that occur in regards to health. so what we did is we got together, we sat down, and we put together some songs, and we put together some songs that kids would learn it. like, so if their family -- if there was somebody in the family that might have a stroke or have the symptoms of a stroke or these things that you see, we would come up with different

catch lines that will make them remember what to do and how to handle it. like, for example, we'll use a word like "fast." so we'll say "f" is for the face 'cause you'll see the droopiness in the face. "a" is for the arm, if they feel something in their arm. "s" is for the speech, which their speech starts to slur. and then "t" is for the time, and then it says "time to do what?" and they say "call 911." >> mm-hmm. >> so, this has happened, and kids have saved their parents' lives. >> so it's really focused on health literacy for young people. >> yes. >> and one of the things i love, it says, "pester power," the power of young people to pester their parents or older adults in their life to focus on their health. >> right, but using hip hop as a positive tool to motivate. >> yeah, to get them connected. >> right. and it's so powerful because we have dealt with probably like close to 100,000-something kids within the city. you know, there's a guy from a group called the cold crush

brothers named a.d. who goes out and another person named artie, and we go around the city and help to educate kids on childhood obesity and how to eat right and exercise. i love this project. >> it is a great program. and you guys have coming up on september 17th, you've got a big fundraiser, the health in key gala. you're gonna be hosting that event. >> right. >> so, you know, best of luck to you on this. >> thank you. >> i think it's a great idea, and it's almost -- considering where you come from, it's almost a no-brainer. what better way than use the music than to get that message across to children. >> thank you. thank you so much. >> and hey, i think arts on third is gonna be as wonderful this year as it's been in years past. >> i think that september 6th will be a wonderful day for us. >> i mean, i see it coming. >> thank you both very much. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> up next on "here and now," a look at new york fashion week with a designer who got his start in newark.

stay with us. in brooklyn in 1907, four courageous ladies saw the despair of the poor, old, and sick and founded what would become mjhs. today mjhs provides quality home care, rehabilitation and skilled nursing, and advanced hospice and palliative care for adults and children, but the values of the brooklyn ladies still guide us. mjhs. caring every minute, every day.

>> new york fashion week is getting underway, so what better time to shine a spotlight on some home-grown talent? newark born designer tamil robinson, known for his trendy sportswear, including the creation of nfl pro bowl all-star uniforms, is showing off a few pieces from his new amiat collection. thank you so much, tamil, for being here with us this afternoon. this is a big deal. >> thank you. thank you for having me. >> you've got really -- you are really, really talented. you have been interested in design -- what? -- since you were a teenager? >> yes. probably before that. >> mm-hmm. >> i was born artistically with the talent. >> and how did you get started in this end of the business? >> well, i got started actually doing airbrushing. so i've been a master airbrush artist for about 30 years. this is my 30th anniversary for airbrushing. from that, i had interior design background, as well, doing interiors, which got my love into fabrications and doing

different fabrics. and i have also some artistic background to create different patterns and shapes, so basically i came into that airbrushing, from there on to denim and then creating my own textiles. >> okay, so all of these things are a natural fit. >> it was a natural fit. >> and, in fact, the fact that you create your own textiles, the designs, that's one of the things that really sets you apart from a lot of other designers. definitely. wasn't easy. that took me about 10 years in itself to create those different patterns. and uniquely, you know, it was derived from the logo, from the amiat logo. >> and interestingly enough, you so wanted to get this right that you lived in china for two years. >> yeah, just about two years. >> and what was it you were able to learn, to pick up in china that you don't think you may not have been able to get somewhere else? >> well, the hands-on of it, being inside the textile labs, you know, creating a different color way for my color

background from art school, right, and working with all the textile mills, 'cause you have different ones, so you have cottons and you have different silk manufacturers, so all different labs. so, i had to be there to be hands-on 'cause i felt that i didn't get it staying home, you know, to get the raw essence of how that was done. you know, you get a fabrication and you don't know what it is or you don't know the breakdown of the, you know, of the yarn of it. i wanted to use natural fibers, so that's why i had to go there and really learn the business of the textile making. >> how to cut the fabric, how to use it, how it's gonna, you know, lie when you put it on your body, those kinds of things. >> yes. yes. and having a mentor, you know, for a long time, he really instilled in me -- >> who was your mentor? >> his name was glenn singer. unfortunately, he passed away in 2005, so i felt like i kind of lost, you know, half my force, but at the same time, he instilled in me a lot coming

from, like, wanting to expand my artistic abilities other than just doing sports and, you know, streetwear fashion because we were, like, stuck in a box, you know, and i think that was his legacy that he left for me. >> so you're being proactive and learning your craft, honing it, and really focusing on those things that are important and special and where you know you truly shine. >> of course, of course. >> so, we want to take a look at some of your designs. >> sure. >> so, we are gonna start off dress. and again, one of the things that's so amazing to me about your work is that this -- just the pattern and the color, but sleeve dress. tell us a little bit about that. >> that dress is basically one of my watercolor days patterns, but if you really look at it, it has the amiat logo to the tilt, and it has all the different shades of blues in it, like with brush strokes. >> yeah, it's really beautiful.

and that's silk fabric, right? >> and then you see the pleating on the shoulders and almost like across the yoke in the back. >> and that beautiful back. >> yes, it dips down into the lower shape. you can see we use that shape in the aesthetic of the collection, as well. >> and you can really see how, you know, the sheen of the fabric is beautiful, but also the way that it lies on her. i think anything would lie well [ both laugh ] >> silk does that to you. >> yeah, it really is a beautiful dress. and you design for men, as well. >> oh, of course. yes. >> our next model here, a young man, the piece is a little bit more structured. it's a blazer, and it's denim. denim pants and a plaid textile pattern. again, one of your patterns, right? >> yes. well, that's actually our hounds-tooth check plaid. >> okay. >> yes, and you can see -- >> the amiat hounds-tooth. >> there it is. >> so it's sort of your twist on a classic. >> that's what it is. and we wanted to twist a lot of traditional textile patterns in our own vision, so this way we

stand out amongst, you know, other designers or collections. we wanted to have our own staple, whole staple of collections of different textile patterns. >> and that color, the color is definitely nontraditional. it's really great. it's wonderful. and the cut of the jacket is beautiful. >> thank you. even on the lapels, you can see the cut of the amiat logo and in the pocket flaps, as well. >> and this bag is amazing. you're calling it your male weekend bag, but i pointed out too. >> oh, definitely. that weekend bag is really, really nice. it's a wool with the hounds-tooth check plaid, as well, and alligator trimmings and the piping. >> really nice. and our last look here is a leather wrap dress. so talk to me about this one. the color blocking on it makes it really unusual, really beautiful. >> yes. i wanted to take a spin on, you know, coming from the sports licensing days when we created different color blocking on

uniform. i wanted to bring that into, like, the whole fashion. and especially with women's wrap dresses, because of this simple work piece wrap, but i wanted to do a lot of intricate things with the logo and really aesthetically cut it in, and you can see the panels there. >> and again, that's your design, that fabric. that's a combination of silk and leather. >> yes. silk, satin, and leather with the amiat floral pattern on that one. but we actually have a floral that we put into different color ways and shapes, as well, you know, sizes. >> and one of the things you said is great about this dress is that there are lots of shapes and sizes that will could work the wrap dress. it's very flattering. >> yes. yes. we have it in other fabrications, too, that really hug the body. you know, and any shape will look great. >> and this luggage -- also amiat. >> yes. >> amazing. >> thank you. >> it really is wonderful -- is that that hounds-tooth pattern again? >> that's the staple hounds-tooth pattern. >> in a different color way? >> yes.

and the staple hounds-tooth pattern is gonna transcend, you [ laughs ] >> yeah. >> and that's what's something -- you know, once you hone in on something like that and it can transcend generations, you really have something. >> it's classic. all of these pieces are really wonderful, and i think they showcase the things that you talked about -- working with natural fabrics, beautiful colors, and really, you know, know how best to use a fabric, the body. point. what's the price range? >> well, they range from different things, you know. silks, of course, much higher price. i mean, those can range from $350 up to 1,400 bucks, 1,500 bucks, depending on what i do with it -- pleating. we have our own sequins that's, you know, dye-cut into our logo, so a lot of that customization into our different designs, you know, can work up the cost. but then we have some things that are regular, too, you know, like our shirts. >> yeah. >> shirts, you know, rather

inexpensive. >> so, before we go -- 'cause you know tv, we're running out of time -- we want to tell folks that your show is september 12th. >> yes. >> and it's at the affinity. >> affinia. >> affinia. affinia. near madison square garden. >> right across the street. >> right across the street. that's this saturday, as a matter of fact. >> september 12th. >> mm-hmm. and then you are gonna have an e-commerce site up and running by october, by the end of fashion week. >> yes, close of fashion week. we'll have it up and ready, and you can purchase from all of the different brands that we have under the tamil robinson group. >> okay. >> you know, we have the amiat collection, we have rconic collection, we have tca. you know, it's like our activewear collection. and we're gonna build the brands up. you know, we want to do this whole berry gordy motown. >> and i got a feeling you are going to be successful at it. and if you want to find out more about some of your other collections and a little bit more about tamil robinson, you can go to tamilrobinsongroup.us. >> yes. >> all right. thank you so much. >> thank you for having me. >> and best of luck to you.

>> thank you. >> sandra bookman and "here and now" will be right back. join the millions who have already switched. we switched. and now, we're streaming netflix. who knew time warner cable's internet was so fast! mom switched. and now,

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