Laverne Terry, at 62, is living her best life. Her days are filled with chic photo shoots, modeling stylish bags, vintage hats, fishnets, hoodies, and glamorous dresses. This isn’t just about her vibrant “lust for life,” but also her deep love for her son, Travis Terry, the owner of the brand she models for.
Travis is the Founder & Creative Director of IEMBE, a Black-owned luxury brand that follows the motto “You Define Luxury.” It was launched in 2020 in his hometown Hartford, Connecticut. Laverne has been the face of the brand for many years, and it has caused the brand’s popularity to explode.
Previously, his sister posed as the brand’s model but after she became unavailable, he asked his mom to participate in the shoots, according to TODAY. That first shoot, which was inspired by rapper Cardi B, quickly circulated on social media. The shoot’s photos even attracted the attention of Cardi B herself, who reposted them on X writing, “Wow I feel so honored!” Apart from Cardi B, celebrities like Rick Ross, Fabolous, Jordyn, and Jodie Woods, rapper YK Osiris, and more were spotted bearing IEMBE’s tag.
Laverne, since then, has become a fashion sensation despite having no modeling experience in her resume, so much so that one of her shots made it to the billboard in Times Square. “It’s like the best time of my life. I’m 61 now. I’ve never been as happy in my life,” she said, and added, “Age is nothing but a number.”
After having his mom as the model, Travis noticed a significant rise in his brand sales. “That blew up overnight,” Travis explained to FOX61, “I feel like that was the best decision I could have ever made, using my mom. It also inspires women her age to know that they can be in that type of industry as far as modeling and boosting their confidence as well.”
The brand garnered further limelight as one of its bags was featured by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. The museum’s page highlights the bag as a “sustainable” product crafted with vegan leather with a luxurious robin’s egg blue color.
Urgency, however, was not the only reason that Travis chose his mother as the model. He wanted to express his love for her especially since he had lost his father right after graduation. “That was another reason why I wanted to do it because I feel like I wanted to change the narrative of honoring your parents,” he said.
Travis first conceived the idea of IEMBE when he was 23 years old and a student at Clark Atlanta University. While venturing on a trip, he realized he was short of a bag. Though he had no money to buy one, he did have a refund cheque. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind. In a short period, his dreams caught the spark, and sooner than he realized, he was designing luxury bags.
According to Travis, the name of the company IEMBE is based on the phrase “In my bag.” “When you say the name, IEMBE, you’re saying those letters, I-M-B,” the fashionista said, “And the meaning is really just trying to motivate and let other people know to be confident in themselves, get to the bag, which means get money, and just go in and grind and focus.”
Now that the brand has escalated to heights, Travis has some big goals for the future, “I want to see myself in Saks Fifth Avenue. I want to see Beyonce wearing the bag, that’s a number one goal and dream of mine,” he told FOX61. “I want to see it in Bloomingdale. I want to start a non-profit organization called IEMBE Cares, just to give back to my community. It’s only the beginning – I’m only two years in – and what I’ve done in the last year alone is going to blow people’s minds five years from now. It’s going to be a staple that’s not going anywhere anytime soon. So, everybody gets used to seeing IEMBE everywhere.”
