OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA)-An Oxford woman is using her talents to lift her out of homelessness and embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe.
Timber Heard will be going to Paris Fashion Week at the end of September to present some of his fashion designs.
She now lives in Oxford, but that is one of the many places she has called home in Mississippi since she was placed in foster care at age 12.
“I’ve been everywhere from Biloxi to Clarksdale to Jackson,” Heard said. “I graduated from Jackson.”
However, his situation didn’t get much easier when he moved to the University of Mississippi. That’s where he was homeless for about three or four years.
“I remember staying on campus sometimes,” Heard said. “There was a very sweet concierge. He would let me sleep in the Union.
The only constant in her life has been designing jewelry and handbags.
“I started sewing when I was eight years old and learned to do beads when I was in foster care,” she said. “With beadwork, drawing, and sewing, you can put it all together and make things.”
Still, Heard’s life hasn’t been easy. She said that she found out that she had bipolar disorder at the age of 10.
“I have struggled with suicide. I used to be a cutter. I used to do things that are better left unsaid.”
Now, Heard wants to use her business to raise awareness about a topic she says should have been talked about a long time ago. She is specifically focusing on bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
“People hardly talk about the more difficult-to-treat mental disorders, so that’s something I try to emphasize in my work.”
Heard’s business is called Talitha Kumi Jewels. He got the idea from Mark 5:41 in the Bible.
“That’s the kind of Jesus that lifts me up,” he said.
That’s why he encourages everyone who may be struggling to “rise up.”
“It gets better. It really improves a lot,” Heard said. And for her, it really has gotten better.
“I used to watch E! news network. She would see models walking down the runway and think, ‘You know what? I don’t want to walk the catwalk, but I could. I could do what they have on. Now that I’m invited to Paris Fashion Week, I can do that.”
Heard will fly to France at the end of September. The Paris Fashion Week panel selected Heard as one of 70 designers or brands out of thousands of applicants believed to be “the ones to watch”.
She describes her designs as haute couture.
Heard said she will be the first woman from Mississippi and the second African-American to showcase her designs at Paris Fashion Week.
“I am terribly excited,” she said. “I’ve never been outside of the United States, so I’m a little nervous about traveling across the seas, but it’s going to be interesting.”
“Creativity is a gift. If God gives you a gift, I mean you just have to accept it, right?
Heard has set up GoFundMe to help cover expenses like hotel and travel. His goal is $8,000.
On his GoFundMe page, he said: “This was an unexpected blessing and I would like to thank the people who have helped me so far.”
Stay with WTVA 9 News as we follow Heard’s trip to Europe for Paris Fashion Week.
Source: www.wtva.com