Celebrating Timeekah ‘Murph’ Murphy: Meet The Designer Behind This Megan Thee Stallion "Hiss" Video Look

In the spirit of Women's History Month, RareRadar is launching our 'Celebrating Her' series throughout March. To kick off this empowering journey, we are thrilled to present an exclusive interview with the visionary behind Alani Taylor - none other than the esteemed CEO and designer, Timeekah Murph Murphy.

As we explore her incredible journey, we'll uncover the intricate details of her career, embellished with achievements and milestones. With a client roster boasting names like Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, and more, Timeekah's influence in the fashion world transcends boundaries. Join us as we explore the inspiring journey of a woman who has made waves in the fashion industry and left an indelible mark on culture and creativity. Stay tuned for an enlightening conversation with a trailblazer who continues to redefine the standards of success and style.

Fashion resonates deeply with many of us—it's more than just clothing; it's an avenue for creativity, self-expression, connection, and beyond. For Murph, navigating life as a mother, a designer, a CEO, and an entrepreneur isn't new territory. She stands as a monumental figure poised to leave a lasting impact on the world. Murph's recent collaboration with designer Zerina Akers on Megan Thee Stallion's "Hiss" music video sparked widespread conversation. Today, we have the opportunity to delve into the genesis of this collaboration and glean insights from Murph herself. 

What makes you RARE?

I'm a rebel, and I don't like people telling me what to do, so I go the opposite way with everything that is in front of me when it comes to fashion. I am not your average designer. I did not grow up being into fashion design or anything like that. I also don't pay attention to other designers like I am my own inspiration when it comes to the fashion industry, just because I have caught myself in the past looking at other designers. I want to create my own path and legacy, so I don't ever want to get caught up in looking at someone else or being inspired by another person and becoming that person. 

I feel like a lot of people do that in the music industry as well. We see people who grew up with Michael Jackson and these other people. You start seeing that within that person, I want to be that person where someone is saying I'm their inspiration. Then you start seeing me through them like Basquiat. I love Basquiat, but you see a lot of people imitating. I'm not an imitator like I'm a creator.

How do you celebrate yourself while doing this? 

I don't. I guess that is what makes me a rebel. This year, I devoted myself to saying you know what, find time to celebrate the big and the small things because since I've been in the fashion industry, I have not, and it wasn't a good thing, you know, I would let all of my accomplishments pass me by because I'm like in my brain it's like yeah that was dope, but you haven't done anything, you haven’t changed the world.

And I may have, but to me, I haven't, so I'm always just like, I'm going to keep going and keep going to see what I can do to be greater than what I've just done. This year, I said, from here on out, like I'm 40 years old, I have to start taking the time to say, you know what, you did something great you did that, especially if my daughter is noticing. That's what really matters to me, so hopefully, if I talk to you again, I can say I have an answer for that.

You did work with Zerina Akers during the HISS video with Megan Thee Stallion; what specific aspects of the design and styling did each of you bring to the table and how did the collaboration enhance the overall creative process? 

Zerina and I have been working together since Beyoncé; Zerina is why we got Beyoncé. She's always been excited and intrigued by the ropes that my business partner and I did in the past, and that's pretty much what the inspiration is. In 2020, I walked away from that brand, and in October, she DM'ed me and was like hey, are you still doing the designs and everything, and I'm like no, I walked away like a minute ago, but when I did walk away, I always like to keep my relationships. So I just happened to DM Zerina in 2020, like, "Hey, I'm going to do this, and I'm going to do this and that, and you know I'm no longer with the company, but if you ever need anything, just hit me up." Four years later, she took me up on that offer.

Zerina hit me up and was like, this is the inspiration; she's amazing, so she already really has her vision for whatever project she's on, so she comes and says, "Yo, can you do this? You're the designer, and I have my trust in you." Still, she has a lot of say in how these things come out because prior to the one that was approved, I had made another one before that. She was like, no, that's not what it is. That's not what I'm looking for. This is what I want you to do, so I went back and redid it, and she was like, that's what we want right there, so it was really dope. 

How did your unique talents contribute to the audience's appreciation of that fashion piece? 

It comes from when I was with Deviant. I had a red dress before and showed it to her, but she said it wasn't the one. That was something that was started between me and the other person. And obviously, when I learned a new trait in the fashion industry, it stuck to me. That's one of the things that I can say from the question you asked me earlier, what makes me different or unique.

As a fashion designer, when I say I'm going to take this seriously, I taught myself every genre of fashion. I learned in the fashion industry, the designers, once they fall in love with a certain aesthetic, that's what they know. I am not in love with any aesthetic. So, I taught myself all aesthetics so that I could combine, mix, and match them whenever I wanted to. So, I can do everything from avant-garde to streetwear to high fashion to wedding dresses. So I guess you could say that plays a big part in me just being able to be versatile in the fashion industry within the aesthetics of what that even entails. So pretty much from that. And again, with Zerina's guidance on what she wanted, there's nothing that I can't do in fashion.

Can you share any specific experiences where you've been able to mentor or support other talents? And then, what did you hope that your success would do in the fashion world? 

I'm glad you asked that because I'm doing it right now. My goal in fashion was when I moved; I got out of the military in 2016, I moved to LA in 2018, and in 2018, as I was packing my house up, I had a little prayer box, which is sitting right over there and a little pink heart prayer box. In there, I wrote all of the people I was going to design for once I made it to LA, and Beyonce was one of them. Lena Waithe was another; I think it was Tiffany Haddish. I got to LA in my first year of coming there. I got to be able to design for all those people within 365 days.

So, in my career right now, I have a long way to go as to what I want to accomplish in the long run, but I've already surpassed the goals I set for myself. So I'm just having fun in fashion under Alani Taylor. But my passion and my calling on earth is to be a leader. So, I opened up my company, The Lab. I opened up my clothing manufacturing, which comes with so many different things. I have a retail store. I have my own clothing manufacturing company. I have a school. So within that, I use that building to cater to the next generation, build platforms, provide my clientele, and provide all those to these kids who would take years to get to.

We have one kid, his name is Jackson. He has a clothing line called Born Other. I don't know when he would have been able to, but I was within the first six months of meeting him, and I got his clothes on the baby because the baby is one of my clients. So I use whatever I have in the palm of my hand, and I hand it to the next person. You know, so The Lab is like my pride and joy right now because it is the platform and the foundation for any and everybody that's in the fashion industry to walk through the doors and be able to be who they want to be and walk out those doors and be better than how they came in.

That's how I'm giving back to the community in the fashion industry, all of those different things. Last week, we just had two elementary or middle schools come through for field trips, and they cater to the schools for autism, dyslexia, etc. And so to see those kids come in. And. We feed them instead of feeding their disability, and they walk out feeling like superheroes like that's all I'm here for now, man. 

Being a black woman excelling in the fashion industry, can you discuss some obstacles you have encountered and overcome in your journey?

You just said it being a black woman, being a black woman, being masculine, female, being in the LGBT community. Being 40 years old, looking like I'm 20,  a lot of people that don't know me or like me having to walk in different business meetings and things like that, it takes more for me to prove who I am than I should need to, if that makes sense. You know, even with all my accolades, I still get the side looks. I mean, I have tattoos all over my body, so people still, in 2024, judge a book by its cover. And until they understand my background and that I served 12 years in the military, that's when their face is straightened up, you know, but even going through everything that I've gone through and just saying, you know what, I don't like the word no from anybody when I see what I'm capable of.

So, I created my own table and brought my team to sit down and eat with me, but I still have to meet other people to expand and elevate what I'm doing. It's just a harder task. But again, I was in the army for 12 years. So if I could do five deployments, like no civilian, it would impact me, but you tell me yes or no. But yeah, those are three strikes right there. Black. Female and LGBT. I should have been struck out, but I'm still here. So that's all that matters.

The piece you created for the HISS music video is very iconic. Can you take us through the creative process behind the design and styling of this particular item? 

After yelling my lungs away when she called and said it was for Megan because when I tell you, Megan was the only person that I wanted after Beyonce. Like, I love Megan Thee Stallion. I love everything about her, her music career and everything. After that, it was the thing that I never really did those designs all the way through. Like I had to, I was the finisher regarding the creativity behind those things. Yes, we came up with designs together, but I was the sewer, the machine operator, and things like that. So when I had to make it from scratch, I had to learn shibari all over again. I had to go to a class on YouTube, just like I learned how to sew on YouTube. I went to a class for 24 to 48 hours. I learned how to do the knots and more. 

And on my mannequin at the crib or if I was in a lab, I would create, create, create until I'm like, OK, I get the start of it, I get the finishing. I'm the finisher. So I got that part. But how do you start this thing? And so I really had to study that for 24 hours to make what I wanted, because no matter what time it was, I was never going to fail. If I say yes, I'm going to do it. I'm going to get it. I'm going to get that joint done. Like, and that's what I had to do. So, like I said, the first piece that I sent her because I was just learning, I sent her to me, which was very simple. And I feel like she could tell, like, you ain't really put your all into this one. So after that, I was like, dang, I got to go a little more detail. So I took another one of his classes where it was like more of I did the beginners. And then I had to go straight from intermediate to expert literally. And so I took the expert class where he showed me different knots and things like that.

And within a day or two, well, two days by that time, I had finished the piece. So I learned that day. Oh, wow. That is, that's talent right there, though, especially because you went on, and you even, like, went on YouTube to learn. That shows dedication; you were serious about this project. And I love that. I wasn't losing that one. You said Megan Thee Stallion. Megan, I'm not losing that. I didn't care what it was; I didn't want to lose it so badly that my ex-partner and I hadn't spoken for a long time. I called her on Instagram and asked if she wanted to do this project for Megan. Because I wanted Megan so badly, I was willing to put aside whatever issues we had and say, let's do this real quick. By the grace of God,  he gave me the gift of watching something one time and learning it like drumline, like how Nick Cannon was like, OK, I got you. That's how my brain works now when it comes to learning something.

Were there any specific moments where the creative differences were unforeseen and obstacles emerged? And then, if they were, how did you navigate that to overcome and achieve the final look? 

No, I was solo dolo; I did not have to get anyone's approval but Zarina. It was a pretty easy process for me. Easy, fun, and exciting all at the same time. 

But to add to that, when she asked me for that piece, I remember Megan dropped a song before HISS, and I saw her wearing all red; I was like, dang, maybe I didn't do it like I thought I did. Maybe they tried to put it on, and it fell apart; maybe it didn't fit; maybe the boobs weren't where they were supposed to be.  So it just went out of my mind. I was like, that's probably my first failed project. That was what my thought process was because the video had come out. Zerina had told me the time it was needed, and I was thinking, yo, this is for something else? So when that video came out, I thought maybe next time. Then, as I'm going outside, I get on my phone, and it says, "Zarina tagged you in something." So I immediately just stopped, it's on camera and everything, I'm like, holy crap. So then you put it with the most iconic, controversial video ever. So when I saw that it actually worked out, that day made me feel like a superhero. I was like, yo, it's nothing that I cannot do because I learned that shit in 24 hours is nothing that I cannot do. So, yeah, it was inspirational to me at that point because, like I said, I had thought I had failed.

As we embark on this journey through Women's History Month with our 'Celebrating Her' series, it's an honor to kick it off with the remarkable story of Murph, the visionary behind Alani Taylor. Her interview offers a glimpse into the unparalleled dedication and innovation defining her career.

As we continue spotlighting trailblazing women like Timeekah, we celebrate their resilience, creativity, and unwavering commitment to excellence. Stay tuned for more empowering stories throughout the month as we amplify the voices and achievements of women who defy expectations and redefine success.

More information on Timeekah "Murph" Murphy and her brand can be found on her website: https://www.alanitaylor.com/.