"The only place that SUCCESS comes before WORK...is in the dictionary!!"
C. Yohance DeLoatch, born in 1976, graduated high school in North Carolina and went to NC A&T SU to major in Computer Science. Even though photography has always been no more than a hobby, while in college (1998), Yohance started as an event production and promotions company called SilverPoses . Launched in North Carolina in August 1998, and re-launched in New York City in January 2000 without any start-up capital, but with passion and a deep conviction that hip-hop and its surrounding culture would soon be entering a huge growth phase. His first venture was producing college calendars for HBCU Universities which featured students attending universities from Howard University in Washington D.C. to MoreHouse in Atlanta. These calendars were sold by the thousands throughout campuses, Barnes&Nobles.com and local business in the southeast region. From here, he moved forward to turn SilverPoses into a local modeling/management company. As CEO & President of SilverPoses, Yohance booked models for radio promotions and in-store events. He also began producing several fashion shows in malls throughout the east coast from North Carolina to Atlanta. After working with several modeling agencies and record companies in the Atlanta and southern region, Yohance took his chances in the Big Apple as a fashion photographer. His credits are astonishing for anyone in this industry, let alone someone that was self taught less.
Upon re-launching in The Big Apple January 2001, Yohance signed on as Director of Photography with a local online fashion website, RunwayNews.com. As DP, he immediately began his mission of making RunwayNews.com more of a household, nationwide name. His next major accomplishment was gaining access to the most prestigious fashion event in the nation, New York's 7th On Sixth Fashion Week. And for the next three years, Yohance, went on to promote and push RunwayNews.com to become one of the top ten online fashion magazines in the nation. Unfortunately, due to creative differences, Yohance felt he could grow no more with RunwayNews, and they decided to part ways. Tired of working under others who constantly stifled his creative vision, Yohance joined forces with the minds behind Miss. Harlem USA to develop the new online, all-fashion, all-the-time, website. The result... www.FashionLedge.com was created and launched May 2004. Since then, it has become one of the biggest online fashion magazines with an astonishing 3.4 million hits per month and is currently in its 9th year!!!
Yohance's next big career accomplishment came in the form of the clothes on his back...literally!! While covering Fashion Week, he was disappointed that the lines he associated himself with daily did not showcase their collection or show much brand awareness. Realizing this was mainly a financial decision, he decided to re-launch SilverPoses once again and create a more affordable way for his favorite lines to showcase their collections every season. The result... NABRU (Urban spelled backwards). NABRU was created to shed light to the urban lines that may not have the financial backing to produce their own hundred-thousand dollar showcase. When a consumer thinks of URBAN, the only lines that come to mind are the Phat Farms, Baby Phats, Enyces, Sean Johns, and Rocawears. So its NABRU's mission to bring awareness to AVIREX, Azzure, Indigo Red, and Pelle Pelle just to name a few. The event ran for five years successfully showcasing over 25 lines twice a year during NYCs Fashion Week and becoming the biggest fashion event since 7th On Sixth's Fashion Week. The event brought together every Urban Collection in the US showing major brands amongst the metro community including Avirex, Akademiks, Rocawear, GIII, Sean John, and Phat Farm. After the first season NABRU they began branching out by featuring swim and lingerie designers. These sold out shows ran until what we call "the fall of the urban brand" in 2007. NABRU attracted the world's leading magazines, newspapers, television networks, radio stations, websites, advertising agencies; as well as marketing directors and retailers in the fields of music, fashion and art. And became the leading high-end urban fashion, music, and art lifestyle production (BEFORE Rip the Runway).
Yohance started his photography career while attending college in 1999. Since his relocation to NYC, he has gone on to shot/worked exclusively with several publications such as MAXIM, PLAYBOY, Smooth, King, Black Mens, Fuego, STUFF, and many more. Hes worked with all of the major modeling agencies in NYC and covered many fashion events during NYC Fashion Week, Miami and LAs Fashion Week, Toronto and Paris Fashion Week and many more. And hes produced beautiful campaigns for such collections as AVIREX, Pelle Pelle, American Apparral, PLAYBOY swim, and numerous swimwear and lingerie collections that have graced the pages of VIBE, XXL, Seventeen, and few more. And at the young tender age of 35, he still has so much work to do...and beauty to bring to this industry....