She’s young, fly and conscious. Meet Traci Blanco, the visionary behind the hot new, vintage glamour Habitually Fly clothing brand, “birthed to celebrate and introduce our children to beauties, entertainers, and icons that look like us but with a modern twist,” she explains. Below she answers a few questions about what inspired this growing business that has gotten the attention of hip hop and activist David Banner.

What inspired Habitually Fly?

Habitually Fly was inspired by a lack of Black women being portrayed in the apparel industry. Even Black owned businesses were using Marilyn Monroe as a beauty standard. I felt our women needed to be honored in the same way Marilyn and Audrey were, I wanted to see someone that looked like me. I did a search and found nothing initially, which sparked the idea of developing one my own line. The idea was sparked, but I didn’t act right away but it nagged at me until I put it into action..The Vintage Glamour Collection was born.

How long have you been in business?

Habitually Fly has been in business a little over a year, with things really taking off in September of 2014.

You have celebrities like David Banner wearing your Tee. How inspiring is that?

As a small bootstrapped business you are always wondering if what your doing is viable. David Banner was the first celebrity to wear and like our line. Once he wore it the response was overwhelming causing the “Be Conscious” shirt to go viral on social media several times in the last few months. It definitely inspired me to keep moving forward with my vision.

What was the first design? Which Black icon did you choose and why?

My first design was “Gangsta” that featured the incompatible Grace Jones. She was chosen because I’ve always loved the fearlessness and power she exuded. There is no denying her presence when in front of the camera.

What inspired the #MarilynWho? campaign?

The Marilyn Who movement is inspired by all of our beauties and visionaries that have gotten overlooked for so many years.

On February 1st the Marilyn Who movement will be launching to include everyday women. The goal being to inspire all melanated women on a globally level to actively redefine the traditional standard of beauty. While including all shapes, sizes, hair textures, and skin colors Having women post an image on social media and state something that makes them beautiful while wearing the t-shirt and using the hastag #marilynwho .

It’s important that we instill self acceptance and knowledge of our ancestors into our children at a young age so child sizes will also be available. With plans to expand this into a program for school aged girls in the works.

To guarantee access to everyone the tees are priced at only $15 and will extend to 4XL.



Explain the intersection between fashion, Black history, activism and self-pride that your fashion conveys.

I believe my line reflects and convey those things that are uniquely me and some of the things I’m passionate about. I believe people have this misconception that “conscious” people need to look a certain way. We’re here to prove you can be fly and conscious.

Who was Joyce Bryant?

Before a few months ago I had never heard of her. I came across a beautiful photograph on a social media site and was immediately intrigued. I had to know who she was, I quickly did a search that reveled she was a silver haired, bold, skin tight mermaid dress wearing, four octave voiced beauty. She had become very popular in the in the late 40’s and early 50’s, only to leave at the height of her career to devote herself to her faith. It’s the little known stories like this we need to know, that our children need to know.

Get more information at HabituallyFly.com.