About Craig
Craig Stokes has always had an interest in apparel and styling – a passion he attributes to his mother. “My mom used to explain colors and styles to me and was a huge advocate for using basic, classic clothing to help stretch our wardrobe”, Craig says. This idea of being both cool and classic stuck with Craig and ultimately led him to create, produce, and host Style Minute. “Fashion and the way we dress is our subconscious attempt to express how we feel and who we are at the moment. The show gives people the tools to express themselves according to their personal palette as well as their personality.”
To helps express himself better, Craig decided to create his own clothing line, Cool Classics, as an undergraduate student at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, NC. This was the first step toward becoming the go-to guy for apparel-related advice and opinions. The next apparel venture would further solidify this role.
In 2008, amidst the unprecedented race to the White House, Craig decided to create a line of apparel that would neither show support for one candidate or another but would proudly proclaim three simple words – “MY VOTE COUNTS”. The MY VOTE COUNTS line of t-shirts was extremely succesful and received international televsion expsore. The t-shirts were sold at college bookstores, worn by celebrities, billionaires, and former United States presidents. This was a perfect segue into forming Craig Stokes Productions (CSP) and Style Minute.
In addition to creating apparel lines and hosting Style Minute, Craig also hosts live events such as fashion and award shows, step shows, one-on-one interviews, and is often requested for public speaking engagements. He recently launched Style University (commonly referred to as Style U), his lifestyle fashion-based tour, for colleges and universities across the country. In 2010, Craig was asked to join the United Negro College Fund’s HBCU Empower Me Tour which is hosted by Tatyana Ali (“Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and TV One’s “Love That Girl”) and features other celebrities as Malik Yoba, Mo & Kita from VH-1′s “The T.O. Show”, and Kim Coles.
Craig Stokes is originally from West Palm Beach, Florida and grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He is the CEO of Craig Stokes Productions and Apparel & Co, a Captain in the US Air Force Reserves, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. In 2004, he graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a degree in Architectural Engineering and Aerospace Sciences and received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in May 2006 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
