Tamu McPherson:

Thank you so much Summer for preparing this amazing brunch for us. It's been a really lovely experience. Thank you for teaching me all of the things you did in the kitchen. I feel like I'm so prepared now when I'm in a jam. And thanks for just treating your mom and I to this lovely, lovely meal.

Summer Chamblin:

So I started cooking when I was five years old. I started because, well, I used to watch my parents in the kitchen and just used to be a very fun thing we did as a family. So I got involved in it when I was about five years old. And from there, it just became something fun. And then as I got older, whenever I was stressed or had anxiety or overwhelmed, I'd go into the kitchen and I'd just experiment, make different meals, just to clear my head and, you know, feel calm. And it was my peace. It was my escape out of the real world whenever I was, when it became too much for me. So yeah, I think that it just became my version of therapy and that's why I love it so much.

Tamu McPherson:

Thank you. So, so pretty. Tell me about this meal.

Summer Chamblin:

So I have a cauliflower rice, a Mediterranean grilled chicken, a lemon orange refresher, toasted bread, a cauliflower, kale and avocado salad, lemon, roasted potatoes, and hummus with tomato and cucumber salad on top.

Tamu McPherson:

Yum. Well, let's get started looks so beautiful. Puma is a heritage brand and you are a global fashion architect. And I have to say you are the reason that many of us girls like myself, even dared to try to get into fashion, hands down. Tell us about what you were thinking when you thought about where you'd be bringing Puma into the future with this line.

June Ambrose:

I think I really wanted to marry sports and style. Well, the idea that something that was functional to be fashionable and - we were coming out of the pandemic - when the first collection launched, we were still in it, but we were dealing with a very trying time. And most of us lived in our sweats and our athleticwear and leisurewear. And it became part of our lifestyle. And I knew that once we came out on the other side of this, that we would still be in that place where we would be looking for things that served us. What gave, what made us feel like it had purpose in our lives. And if I could create something that was not only function, but fashionable, like the idea of wearing your leggings and a blazer, you know, like you're doing today, just the idea of marrying sporty and sophisticated, and also having a demographic that was very broad, be attracted to this collection was my goal. The fact that a 17 year old to a 55 year old is interested in this collection, has bought into this collection, has bought into the concept of life as a sport. I know that I'm heading down the right track.

Tamu McPherson:

So tell me about life as a sport.

June Ambrose:

When I think about my life - our lives, actually - I feel like we're running a marathon or feel like just everything we do, we do it to win. And we do it with such conviction. We do it with such purpose and passion, no matter what it is that we’re doing. You feel like an Olympian when you cross the finish line, or when you get to that place that you've worked so hard, and you've practiced and you've studied and you've been working out and trying to get to that place. And then it happens it's... It's life. 

And why not? Why not equate an athlete to what we do - whether you're in business, whether you're in fashion, whatever it is that you do, whether it's creative or corporate, it still becomes part of the school.

Tamu McPherson:

I love that because I know that we're on the journey. And I think that a lot of us are realizing now that we have to put the practice in - just to use the world of athletes - you make a mistake, then you try again, you go on this path, then you go on that path. But I never equated it to like the discipline, the input, the awareness that athletes have to put into their sport, whatever it is. And you know how they say, the best athletes practice for X hours, it's like 10,000 hours or 10,000, 10,000 hours will make you an expert in something. The fact of the matter is that is life - that's us, you know? And I think if we elevate our experience on that level, then, I mean... This just blows my mind. This is a whole way of new way of thinking of it.

June Ambrose:

And when you think about the brand itself is rooted in performance. People think about Puma. They're like, 'oh, I need to go and work out', anything that's functional in fashion. They go to the brand, that's the go-to, but I wanted to kind of start to attract that fashion consumer, for people to look at sports in a different way. And it's also about interpretation and how you articulate that. You know, when I first came on to launch from basketball for the brand,in North America we knew that globally, women's basketball wasn't necessarily as big as it was in America. But it made sense that the concept and the idea of life-as-a-sport would really play well globally. And as we've launched this collection globally, women get it. So it's not specifically about 'that female athlete is celebrating their contribution'. And we felt as a brand that that contribution wasn't being highlighted and celebrated enough - (which is) why we put such a commitment into a 24 piece collection. Certain regions bought into it differently, but it's been tremendously successful. So it says that there's an appetite, not only to celebrate women in sport, but also to celebrate a stylish woman who is 14.

Tamu McPherson:

Summer is a teenager. Now, like I remember the first time seeing her in New York at Lincoln Center. And she still is an extremely beautiful person. But I remember she was very strong-willed from that time. And I remember your patience and I remember your guidance, because you were guiding her in a way that you were allowing her to express herself. Yeah. But you were still being the parent. And now that she's grown into such a wonderful girl, looking back, how has her growth and her evolution as a person influenced the way you see the world?

June Ambrose:

Wow. In so many ways, I mean, both my kids have been just such a huge part of the evolution of who I am as a person. First of all, they've taught me patience in so many ways and it happened really naturally. And, and as creative, it's hard to be focused too, because you're kind of like all over the place. And they've helped me to kind of focus when I'm in the moment, be in the moment and that's something that we don't get to always do. We take it for granted until we miss so much, so many important parts I didn't want to miss a time when she would need me the most. Right? And it's like, as a teenager, when there's so many outside influences, I feel even more compelled to keep her close. And she feels also compelled to be close to me, which is such a treat, because this is when they find their independence and their own voice and they want to... Then they're adults, they're young adults, but I think there's something to be said about always making them know and feel like they have a point of view that's valid and that I, what I am not there to overproduce them. I'm only there to kind of create a situation where they're allowed to grow and be themselves. I think that's the best gift my mother ever gave me was to kind of just let me be me. You know, she didn't - as long as I wasn't hurting myself or someone else - she really allowed me to be expressive and creative and she didn't change, or she didn't silence me. And I I look at my children as like: I was the vessel that bought them into the world, but I don't own them. And you know, because of that, I, the universe owns them in a sense. And I have to allow them to become who they naturally are and I saw them from the first day I laid my eyes on them - Summer, specifically - it was something always about her. She started out very kind of shy and intimate and to really see her come into her own, it makes me feel accomplished. It makes me feel, I gave her the space to do that, but also made her feel safe. And doing it with her father, I can't take all the credit. And also having a really strong man in her life, I think it’s also been a huge part of that process. But I think a mother and daughter bond and having her see how you build a career, how you fight the adversities, how you just deal with disappointments and how you continue to move forward after one and how you make a stumble a part of the dance is super important, and she is the editor-at-large of her life. She's the CEO of her life. And I think that's the best gift that you can give a child. It's a sense of independence and strength and just the idea that they have so much power and remind them of that, and help them to navigate their way through that.

Tamu McPherson:

Oh my God. That's awesome. My son is 14 and we are entering that phase in his life where he will come into himself. So thank you for that. It's a trying time.

June Ambrose:

They will speak up. And at first it's like.... But it's a different generation, too. Because, I would say, 'oh, I would never say that to my mother', but I realize it's such a different time. It's been, it's been quite a balancing act and picking your battles and finding ways to navigate through conflict. And it's natural.

Tamu McPherson:

You have a really close relationship with the women in your life, you have your sister and you had you - talking about bond - your angel mother. You guys were so, so close. What do you think Summer's generation wants our generation and their grandmothers to know about them, to understand about the way they're living? It's a trying time. They have withstood an unprecedented moment with this pandemic and the social unrest occurring globally. What do you think they want us to understand about them? What insight do we need to help them find themselves in this digital world, in this world where social media is so important and integral to their lives? What should we paying attention to in order to help them further?

June Ambrose:

I always say, 'I'm my ancestors' biggest dreams, wildest dreams'. And I'm like: do you understand what that means? It's not just to say it. Understand the power of words. So, when we talk about the power of words, you have to give context. And in context, you have to put action towards that too. So to be intentional is super key. 

And I instill that in them. It's like, it's not just enough to say something, knowing that your words have power, but then also knowing that your action is how things begin to really kind of shift. To be intentional in everything that you do and know that it has - it will have - repercussions, whether it's good or bad, right? And sometimes you don't know if it's bad or not, because things aren't always received on the other side the way you've perceived it. But when there's confusion, you say right away, 'it was never my intention, don't blame it on my heart, maybe blame it on my brain for that moment'. 

And I think that people have to have a little bit more mercy on everyone. My mother was always so gracious. And what I learned so much from her is to just to think a little bit before you judge, and have a little mercy, because you never know what someone may be going through. 

Both my kids graduated over the pandemic. I was super sympathetic to the fact that here are these budding young adults that now have to experience graduation, prom, all these like really milestone moments through a computer, but then it was also the social unrest. It was also like a time where they could use their voices to create change and how they were gonna participate in that and how we were gonna be - whether informed or not complacent, how are we gonna be? 

Everyone has to make the conscious decision of how they're gonna contribute to what they feel is and is not right. 

The new generation, they don't see America or the world the way 20 years ago sees it. They really, they have no idea of some of the emotional places that we've all been through. They stand in our shelters. We've been through that for them, but they still have a responsibility. So also reminding them that when you see something, you say something. Maybe you take some time to think about how you are gonna navigate around your contribution to this change.

But it's the little things. If you see someone who's on the streets and they may be hungry and you have 10 cents in your pocket, you give them that. If you see someone who's struggling, socially, someone who's being bullied, you say something, you do something. I mean, those little things are a big part of contributing to society. And at the end of your life, you look back and you know that you made a significant difference in someone's life. It's why I've done the work that I've done over the years. Not just because I love clothes. But I know that my contribution in the music industry was bigger than me and bigger than any tangible fashion moment. 

It was how we were gonna shift the narrative and change the culture and the perception of how people saw people of color in music. And that to me, is why we're able to run the streets of Milan, run the streets of Paris, run the streets of London and celebrate launches and collections and collaborations and creative direction, moments, and design moments that we were able to produce and create and give to a consumer.

Tamu McPherson:

If that isn't the truth. The other day I read, in one of the biggest newspapers, that essentially hip hop is the lingua franca of the globe. Yeah. And you were there at the forefront, creating the imagery. Yeah. That laid the foundation for what this generation is doing, and solidified the artists that came up in our generation. Like when we think about this past Super Bowl, this past Super Bowl was a moment.

June Ambrose:

The first time hip hop artists ever performed at the Super Bowl, it was a moment as a headline. Next year marks 50 years of hip hop! I mean, it's gonna be a very impactful, memorable year, at least it should be very celebratory for the contributions of those poets. And those musicians and those artists who have contributed to the storytelling and shaping the narrative of just culture in general, their culture, shifting moments that happen. I feel so proud to have been part of that, you know? 

I know earlier in my career I was always afraid of being kind of put into a box, but I realized that I can build this box as big as I want. And don't put a lid on it. That's where you can kind of jump in and out of it as you will. And that box is so huge. That it was able to influence so many other types of music and culture. And that part makes me feel extremely successful.

Tamu McPherson:

That goes back to the point of having patience and perseverance. And I think that you have demonstrated that throughout your career. Did you ever dream that what you were contributing to would be so immense?

June Ambrose:

So there was no social media to influence your creativity or distract you or compare yourself to someone else. We literally were in the moment and it was just like… we were having fun. And it was just as creative as what would go on into creating a collection. Like everything felt like a collection for the season. Every music video in my head, I felt like everything that I curated and designed for a specific project felt like it was a runway moment, and it was the same kind of enthusiasm. You got a strike card and you got a strike. Outside, people are watching, and that job was gonna lead you to the next job, to the next job. And it was gonna open doors and opportunities and start to influence the consumer and start to influence and change the narrative.

And I think those seeds that we planted in the late nineties, early two thousands were so that what you're seeing now, when you see all of these artists sitting front row, and you see all of these artists with these collaborative deals at these sportswear brands… these are things that we planted the seeds for years and years ago. 

And this is not my first time as a creative director with a brand in this capacity. And when years go by, you kind of forget someone's contribution if they're doing other things. And sometimes I like to just kind of pull out receipts when I can, and just say, ‘it's because of this, I really feel that I'm able to do this’. I didn't have to ask for permission to do this because I had experienced it before. And I knew that I could. 

And I always tell people, just trust your ability and know that you've probably experienced something that prepares you for another job or the next chapter of your life. And you don't even realize it. So just go back and collect and kind of really reflect back on what your contribution was. So that when you have that conversation for the things that you want to do, you can say, ‘well, this is what I've done’.

Tamu McPherson:

I've read that when you started to partner with these high luxury brands, a lot of the times their response was ‘no’, because they did not value the contribution of hip hop and R&B artists. And you became the ultimate creative director, problem solver, fixer in creating looks for your artists, for creating accessories, creating anything they needed, style-wise, to be able to enhance and illustrate the music and whatever other art they were producing. And you bring all of that today into your work and into this role. And can you just talk a little bit about that?

June Ambrose:

When I started out fashion hadn't even met music yet in that way. Designers, especially in Europe, weren't looking at musicians to be part of their campaign, sit front row at shows. It was all about the editors and buyers. It was a different time. And so when you call and say, ‘could I borrow something from your showroom or from your collection’ - and we didn't have runway and the .com to go to, we had to wait for the collection in magazines! We had to wait for the television shows to show you what was going on in Europe. So it wasn't easily accessible, but we knew that it was out there. We see them in the retail store, knowing that we didn't have the budgets to purchase them right away.

And until we could build up that financial discipline and tolerance, I knew we had to figure out a way to partner with these brands. And it was initially… of course it was ‘no’. So when I got the ‘no’, it didn't stop me from continuing to work on that storytelling aspect. And I started to create and design costumes for these music videos. If it was Jay Z who needed a suit, and Armani wasn't prepared to partner with us, that was fine. I built his first suit that he wore in his music videos: a yellow line suit that was very kind of relaxed, Italian kind of easy suit. 

I work on people's personas and personalities and I character-develop from there.

So it's so much more than just like a styling and design moment. You're really kind of tapping into a character development conversation, and  I've also applied this discipline in my role at Puma now, as a creative director there. 

I'm thinking about it from a design perspective, from a merchandise perspective, so not only is it company-facing, but is consumer-facing as it's being worked on by design. So that consumer starts to feel that the experience of the person that created this for them thought about every little aspect of what their needs are as a consumer and why they need to purchase this. How can it serve them? I'm always like, ‘how does this serve me?’ When you buy a luxury piece… and people don't think about sportswear and luxury, but now they are with streetwear being so big, it’s becoming a luxury streetwear.

I'm like, why can't I have a kind of luxury mentality? Like how do I want to luxuriate in my leggings or my fit of my sports bra and how does it fit into all of my other aspirational pieces? I've always thought about that in the world of hip hop. How do I marry high fashion couture with urban music. That's what you're seeing today in all these fashion houses, this natural swag and street style and energy infused into the pieces. Designers are doing exactly the characters developing within the garment, the jigs position of the fit alone. The oversized SA is attitude, it’s energy is swag. And they're designing the look to have swag.

Tamu McPherson:

Yes!

June Ambrose:

I had so much time over the pandemic to think about - not only was I working on this first collection for Puma, but I have time to really think about - what is it that I did? Then it was so special.

And it was my unique point of view, and how can I contribute that same ideology to this space? How do I strike hard and make my mark in this space? It was probably the most liberating, reinventing time of the pandemic for me. I was able to focus. I was listening. I am aware that was the silver lining in the pandemic.

Tamu McPherson:

Thank you so much for taking time out of your crazy schedule here in Milan, and coming over, and coming over with Summer! I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful to the universe because this is the first time we're seeing each other (after so long). We used to have our girls dinner, pre-pandemic, in New York during fashion week. And we haven't been able to do that because you also did a tour in the meantime. 

But if there is one piece of advice that you could give to our women here at All the Pretty Birds, what would it be? 

June Ambrose:

Trust your gut, your voice and that butterfly that I think we, as women, tells us that we're living out loud in our authentic lives. And that we're enough. Just continuously tap into that feeling of being inquisitive and being infinitely curious. I think that that will make all your dreams come true.

Tamu McPherson:

Oh, that's a word!