At BET, we are privileged to celebrate our Blackness every day. In honor of Black History Month, we are pulling out extra confetti as we profile some of the most influential Black people in the fashion and beauty industries—especially if their accomplishments and contributions are overlooked by mainstream society. Cheers to our icons!

Patientce Foster has purposefully aligned herself with women who are trailblazing not only in the entertainment industry, but also in their personal lives. 

An advocate for shifting your mindset to win in your overall life, the former publicist of Cardi B has successfully leveraged her ability to build strong relationships to create a fruitful public relations business, along with a flourishing clothing line that specializes in fashion for curvy women. 

While chatting with the owner of Suite Sixteen (SuiteXVI) about her recent entry into the fashion industry, we found it hard not to be uplifted by her passion for creating a legacy. 

“Outside of what I want for myself, I want my son to be able to have the opportunity to utilize the business that was left behind for him,” Foster shares with BET Style exclusively. “I think we have an obligation to the people we bring in this world to leave them with something other than memories.”

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We couldn’t agree more. For those who may not know, the passionate entrepreneur recently launched her body-inclusive clothing collection that has been met with rave reviews. 

“I’ve always loved getting dressed up and expressing myself through fashion. That’s what really drove me to create Suite Sixteen,” the CEO of Cream Labs LLC tells us. “After working in the collaborative format with Cardi B on her first Fashion Nova collection, I really felt that passion for creating something from nothing and building out a story through fashion.”

Using herself as a muse, Foster found it imperative to use certain fabrics, silhouettes, and patterns to create looks that complement and flatter the body of women with curves—especially since her followers often approached her for clothing inspiration and advice. 

Leveraging her social media influence and personal shopping experience, Foster curated her first line of clothing that has been met with loads of celebration.  

“I’m not naive that it is my personal platform that drives the majority of our consumers to purchase from Suite Sixteen. To appeal to them, I can’t post a face they have never seen before,” she shares about her choice to model her own brand. “If I wear my collection and style it a certain way, I know people are going to ask if it's Suite Sixteen.”

She continues, “People are buying into authenticity and originality.”

Dropping a few of her personal business gems, Foster offers the following advice to her fellow Black entrepreneurs—with emphasis on women. “We live in a society where there are so many outlets to promote and build a platform. How big your platform gets solely depends on how much work you put in. This is no longer the time to wait or to sit on an idea.” 

A strong believer in women working together to build their wealth, she adds, “There isn’t a better time than now to become a millionaire. To achieve wealth together, we have to make sure that our mindsets are aligned. We genuinely have to want other women to win.”

“In numbers, we can do what we can’t do alone,” she insists, pointing out that some may be the face of a movement, while others may hold the important role behind-the-scenes. “After that mindset, you align with other women who share the same visions.”

When asked what she learned from working so closely with Cardi, she responded, “Never get too comfortable. Never think that you are so hot that you can’t go cold.” 

Working with the WAP rapper, Foster admits Cardi’s drive is unmatched. She personally observed that Cardi does not “live in her wins.”

She explains, “[Cardi] learned to take her wins and to know that the other ones are still up for grabs. And if she wants them, she has to go get them. That kind of energy is contagious, and for the many years that I have been with her, I think that the reason why we’ve been able to go so hard. We never got comfortable, and we still are not comfortable.” 

To learn more about Suite Sixteen, including details about the upcoming Spring collection, visit: suitexvi.com.

**This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.