- Jules
Sweet Souldies
Edward "E-Dub" Rios
Oldies have been a part of my life. Growing up on the West side, Venice, CA to be exact, (before it was hipster) it never failed to see a car pass by bumping Smokey, Al Green or listening to Art Laboe Sunday dedications. Oldies isn't just a sound, it's a feeling, it's embedded into my DNA.
The idea of Sweet Souldies resonated when my partner, Edward "E-Dub" Rios (@ppldub) and I were brainstorming for EP titles for our talent. You see, we produce music, a wide range of genres. Even though Joyas Musciales (my label under the Silent Giant Umbrella @JoyasMusic) is focused on Spanish regional Mexican, oldies is comfort food, a feeling and sound I'm familiar with that makes me feel at home.
As soon as I heard "sweet souldies" I thought, "That's it!" It summarized our style, culture and vibes in just a couple words. That's when we came up with the logo and shirt designs. This is my baby, not just a clothing line, but a culture, a part of my soul that I'm sharing with you through our designs. Just a little Chicanita from LA with a dream.
It came at the perfect time too! Going through some deep heartaches, life lessons and forced changes in my life, (which I will definitely talk about in future blogs) it was God's way to bring fun, laughter and purpose back into my life. I knew exactly the vision I wanted for the first images of the line, but who'd model?.... That's when we decided I would. Yes, I've been on reality TV (I love Jenni) and I've taken photos here and there, but NEVER my own photoshoot, I've always been behind the camera and fixing someone else's flyaways. This time it was ME! I've never felt pretty or confident enough to ever think of being in front of camera, so I was extra nervous and scared... If you don't know me, I'm geeky AF and I come off as that on camera. Thank God, I had an amazing team who took the time to take care of me (and my flyaways), made extra comfortable. When I saw the pictures I couldn't believe it was me! I was so happy and excited, it was EXACTLY what I envisioned. Oldie with a modern twist, it was me, it was what I felt, it was Sweet Souldies.
With that! I present to you, one of my babies! Sweet Souldies. A work in progress, but made with a lot of love.