Professional Pathways Q&A with Kevin scott
This Strides for Equality Equestrians: Professional Pathways interview, brought to you by Mythic Landing Enterprises, features the inspiring co-founder of Equestrian Noire, Kevin Scott.
Equestrian Noire features stunning leather bags, wallets, clutches, and fanny packs that are equal parts stylish and durable. Kevin has a lifelong love of horses thanks to his mother and an appreciation for stylish and well-made leather goods from his grandmother. His talent in creating leather goods, together with wife Jamillah’s design skills, gave them the drive to create Equestrian Noire.
Helen Casteel, a member of SEE’s Leadership Team, sat down with Kevin for the second interview of our Professional Pathways Q&A series to discuss his journey and the impact he’s making in the equestrian industry.
What is your background with horses and what led you to create Equestrian Noire?
Kevin: I grew up riding. My Mom rode Arabians saddleseat and competed, so I’ve always been around horses. My wife Jamillah has a love of art and fashion but didn’t grow up riding horses though she always loved them from afar. When Jamillah and I met and started dating, I was able to introduce her to horses and we started riding together.
A bit later on after we were married, Jamillah started working with her longtime friend, Janet Howard who is a wedding photographer and they started to collaborate on equestrian themed artistic photos. Around the end of 2022 or early 2023, I was dedicating more time to working with leather so we decided to merge our interests and create a line of bags and leather goods that are tied to the equestrian lifestyle, Equestrian Noire. It is a collaborative effort where Jamillah comes up with design ideas and gives me input on the leather work and prototypes that I create.
What is your background with horses and what led you to create Equestrian Noire?
Kevin: I grew up riding. My Mom rode Arabians saddleseat and competed, so I’ve always been around horses. My wife Jamillah has a love of art and fashion but didn’t grow up riding horses though she always loved them from afar. When Jamillah and I met and started dating, I was able to introduce her to horses and we started riding together.
A bit later on after we were married, Jamillah started working with her longtime friend, Janet Howard who is a wedding photographer and they started to collaborate on equestrian themed artistic photos. Around the end of 2022 or early 2023, I was dedicating more time to working with leather so we decided to merge our interests and create a line of bags and leather goods that are tied to the equestrian lifestyle, Equestrian Noire. It is a collaborative effort where Jamillah comes up with design ideas and gives me input on the leather work and prototypes that I create.
What attracted you to leatherwork and craftmanship?
Kevin: I always appreciated leather and leather products. When I was a child, Mom was riding and at the same time, my Grandmother was very much into fashion. I remember that she always had really nice bags from Italy and we always had a house full of quality leather bags and products. Also, with my Mom riding, I was around saddles and bridles and I remember loving the smell of the tack room at the barn.
What is a typical day like for you as a craftsman and small business owner?
Kevin: Busy. Jamillah and I are parents and we both have full time jobs. We have four horses and are active in our local Atlanta, Georgia horse community. I play polo, we’re members of the Atlanta Polo Club, and we also do a lot of trail riding. Equestrian Noire is a side business that we are trying to grow and expand. I spend a lot of time creating prototypes, marketing, checking our website and managing advertisements. We spend a lot of time together finetuning our messaging to reach our customers. It’s a long lead time for new products, 6-months from idea to new product, and there is always something that needs attention.
What are some of your short- and long-term goals, personally and for Equestrian Noire?
Kevin: We have big plans and dreams. We started by focusing primarily on larger bags and recently launched a new line of wallets, clutches, and fanny packs to help meet the need for products at a lower price point. Last year, we had exhibition space at the Kentucky Five Star in Lexington and hope to be present at more large-scale events.
I’ve partnered with businessman and fashion designer, Miguel Wilson, who sponsors polo teams in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He also sponsored the first ever polo team at Morehouse College. Last year, Miguel sponsored a polo tournament for 12-year-old kids over the summer and I helped coach them on the lead up to the event. One of our goals is to support more equestrian related programs geared toward minority youths.
In your opinion, what skills are most valuable for your career?
Kevin: I am an attorney so critical thinking skills are most important along with being able to manage frustration and overcome barriers. Also, critical reasoning, patience, and grit. All of those skills are transferrable across everything in my life, not just in my work in the legal field.
Did you take any classes to help you build your skills as a craftsman?
Kevin: It was very organic and I worked on it a lot during the pandemic. With always having horses and tack in my life, things break that need to be fixed. I learned a lot from YouTube videos, like how to make a wallet. Then my wife asked me to make her a bag. It really helped me build a skill set because each thing builds on the previous. With technology, you can learn anything online so I watched lots of videos and went through a lot of trial and error. I’ve always been artsy and interested in drawing, painting, and sculpting. Leather is another form of expression and there’s something peaceful to me in working with the product. So I decided to turn my interest into a business.
Do you have opportunities to work with other equestrian professionals that are also people of color?
Kevin: Definitely, I’ve been able to collaborate with a few Black equestrians out in California. Dale Johnson who is on United States Polo Board. We’ve participated in a couple events together. Zoie Brogdon, a talented show jumper who got her start with Compton Cowboys. I met her father and we’ve done a couple of collaborations with Equestrian Noire.
Is there anything additional that you would like to share with a person of color interested in creating a business out of their craft or passion?
Kevin: A lot of people’s passions are not necessarily things that are easily monetized, horses being a prime example. Your passion and your profession need not be the same thing. Rarely, someone can make their passion their profession and derive a comfortable life out of it, but all too often the pressure of producing a sustainable income from something you love sucks the pleasure out of that activity. Sometimes the better option is to recognize what talents give you the best combination of income and free time and then use that to support and finance your passion pursuit.
The Professional Pathways Q&A series is sponsored by Mythic Landing Enterprises, LLC (MLE).
MLE is dedicated to helping businesses thrive with expert services in communications, marketing, business management, event planning, and more. Whether you're a small startup or managing a larger organization, MLE offers the tools and support to help your business succeed.
Strides for Equality Equestrians is always open to additional opportunities for equitable inclusion within all equestrian sports. If you’d like to be involved, get in touch with SEE by emailing stridesforequality@gmail.com.
