Greedmont Park

Greedmont Park Presents: “the style feature” – Teff, the Don

Friday, June 22, 2012 by Isabelle Ofume | No Comments | Category: Culture, Fashion, Uncategorized

Name: Stephanie Nnamani aka Teff, the Don.
Blog: Dank & Dapper

“Assess a book in the order it is written; skipping a couple of pages to arrive at the goodness of it is where we tend to fail at most.”

Isabelle O. – Tell us a little about yourself.
Teff, the Don. – Hello! For those who do not know me, my name is Stephanie Nnamani, but I prefer Teff Fonzarelli or teff, the don. I’m infamous for spelling my first name with two Fs, as opposed to the usual “PH”. Hence, Teff. I am a student of psychology, as well as a photographer, blogger, free-form writer and rookie stylist.

Isabelle O. – Describe your style.
Teff, the Don. – The only words I can think of that best suits my style is: blatantly eclectic. I am mostly governed by mood, so my style is usually reflective of how I am feeling.

Isabelle O. - How does your style reflect who you are?
Teff, the Don. - Like I stated, I am governed by mood, so my style is representative of the dynamics of my character. I don’t see my style as falling into one category like retro, vintage and so on, hence, my use of the word “eclectic”. My style tends to embody different categories all at once. It depends. I love bright colors, not loud colors, but bright colors. I enjoy subtlety.

Isabelle O. – What inspired you to create a blog? What are you online must-reads?
Teff, the Don. – After I turned 17, I fell back into my love for writing. I had some rough years preceding that turning point in my life that I felt needed to expressed and my only escape was writing. My main goal was to get back into the habit of writing and challenging certain aspects of my artistic prowess, as well as my insecurities. In addition to feeding my desire to grow as a writer, I wanted to see growth in self-comfort. One way I could think to achieve that was to harvest my interest in/love for photography; blogging was the perfect way to integrate the two. Though I now find myself returning to the intimacy of writing with pen and paper. My online reads? Hm. I usually research the works of old authors ranging from Edgar Allan Poe to Voltaire to Emily Dickinson. I delight in the works of old authors. Or new authors who possess an old style of writing; the older, the better. I love checking up on some of my favorite personal blogs, look up editorials, etc as well.

Isabelle O. – Who does your photography? Do you do it yourself?
Teff, the Don. – I do my photography. Most photographs that has been seen of me, were taken by me.

Isabelle O. – Do you think you will be taking your photography, any further in the near future?
Teff, the Don. – Yes, I definitely will. I have to. To create is to have reason to live. I live, therefore, I must create. My relationship with art, of any form, is synonymous to a dictatorship. Art possesses me and forces me to do its bidding. Plus, I recently just landed a freelance gig with Essence magazine over the summer.

Isabelle O. – Working on any new projects, you would like to share?
Teff, the Don. – I have a lot in-store. First I have to take care of the political and business aspect. Ya know, copyrighting and all. I think my portfolio for the Autumn season will constitute some of my best work. I am beyond excited.

Isabelle O. – What are the top 3 pieces you can’t live without?
Teff, the Don – Pieces? Is this a fashion question? Hm. I can’t say. Well, lately, I got into the habit of wearing hats and I am especially drawn to my recently purchased black fedora.

Isabelle O. – What’s your ultimate greed?
Teff, the Don. – Love. I can never be filled or surrounded with enough of it.

Isabelle O. – What songs are you currently obsessed with?
Teff, the Don. – I have had The Weeknd’s Thursday mixtape on constant replay. His music is so mood-commanding and gives off so much solace. I love it. He could be singing detailed plans of killing me and I would still delight in it. Yeah, my love for his vocals is that immense.

[Editor note: This interview took place sometime last year.]