Mine is a necklace of the Virgin Mary that I wore since childhood. A year or so back, I stopped wearing it for unknown reasons, yet it hangs delicately in my jewelry organizer in plain site. What I do remember is that the necklace brought me solace when I needed it most, to a point that I became dependent. Dependent on it so much that when removed it caused bouts of severe anxiety and feeling of incontrollable vulnerability.
Jewelry designer Monica Rich Kosann took the idea of one’s dearest obsession and chronicled sentimental belongs of some of the world’s most influential people including Judge Judy, Usher, Micaela Erlanger, and Tony Goldwyn in her book, A Possession Obsession. Covered by Today’s Tamron Hall and foreword by Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo, accompanying mini-interviews of each icon gives us a glimpse into the softer, more relatable side of people.
A Possession Confession launched in October at Bergdorf Goodman, with a followup event hosted by Musa Jackson at Red Rooster in Harlem. At Red Rooster, I got the chance to speak with both Monica and Musa to learn more about their own possession obsession.
MONICA
What compelled you to create this book?
The thing about it is we all have possessions and things that are meaningful to us. Most of the time, actually and I’m saying this and I am a jewelry designer, but most of the time there are pieces that are not necessarily about the money, the monetary value. It’s pieces that are personal and have meaning to you, something that a grandparent left you or something that reminds you of something in your life. Something you cherish, and something if you were to go on a deserted island and you could take one thing with you what would you take? I am always kind of fascinated with that because I’m very sentimental. My whole jewelry collection is very personal and sentimental. So I would always ask people when I was photographing them, “What’s your favorite possession? What do you love?”
They would inevitably start talking about, not the piece, but the story behind it. So this was, and I would get chills, like “This was my grandmother’s ring,” not about the ring but, “My grandma used to always do this and that with me.” All of a sudden you get all these stories out of people. Tony Golden, it was a Buddha, and it was his mother’s Buddha head. It wasn’t about the Buddha head, it was like, “She had it in the library where she did this and she used to entertain all the time,” and all these stories came out. I just thought it would be really cool to photograph people with these possessions; with this one object. I’ve been doing it for like, it’s been three years. It was a long project.
Was there one story that really stuck out to you, or you were taken aback by?
Well I loved Tamron’s [Hall] story actually and I think that’s part … Obviously, she’s beautiful, so she’s a great cover girl. Can’t lie about that. But also I loved her story because it was a photograph of her grandpa’s home and again, she just was talking about how many memories she had as a child going there and it just brought back … I guess to me, because I’m a photographer and photographs are so meaningful to me and they evoke so many memories. So it kind of stuck in my brain.
Why Red Rooster, it’s a staple in Harlem, but like …
Right, so Musa Jackson, who’s in the book, and his possession obsession is Harlem. So I shot him in Harlem and when the book came out he said, “I’m going to give you a party in Harlem. We got to do it at Red Rooster,” and I was kind of like, “Yeah, yeah, sure, sure,” but he did. Here I am. It was just like that.
How has the book been received?
It’s been doing really, really well. Actually, I think we were at the top books of Amazon the next day, or like second book in Lifestyle or something. I was told by my publisher, she’s like, “Well, it changes every minute.” I was like, “Oh.” But no, it’s been really amazing. I think it really speaks to a lot of different people. I got, I think, go through the book you’ll see there’s all kinds of people in there. From famous people to not-so-famous. Someone like Judge Judy.
No way, Judge Judy?
Yeah… there are all kinds of people. There are actors in it, artists, designers, and writers. Anna Quindlen’s an amazing writer. Farrah Burns is an amazing singer and a rapper. Just like a lot of really … Simon Doonan. There’s a lot of cool people. Very different. I wanted it, because everybody has memories. Everybody has possessions that they cherish, no matter who you are. You get Queen Elizabeth, the taxi driver, policeman, anything. Everybody has something.
So what is your possession?
Mine is my charm bracelet. That’s what I would take with me on my desert island.
MUSA
Can you tell us how you got involved with A Possession Obsession?
I came to the project by way of a very good friend of mine named Freddie Leiba, who is also featured in the book. He’s a Creative Director, an icon. I was a model. I knew Freddie from that world. And he gave the, a call. They wanted to do something with different personalities, and they call me the Harlem Ambassador. So, I met with Monica and she came to Harlem and that’s how I got involved.
What was your possession?
You know what’s so funny. It was done a while ago, but I’ll tell you I think my stock … It’s who I am. I’m pretty authentic. So when they ask me what I possessed or what I’m obsessed over … I have a child. I have an ex-wife. I have many things. But the one thing that just came out of my mouth was I said Harlem. And she said, “of course.” And that’s what is in the book. It’s Harlem.
Tell us about what Harlem means to you. You see documentaries about what Harlem used to be and what Harlem is now. Where’s the place that you go that you can, “This is MY Harlem?”
So Harlem to me is like my DNA. It’s truly … I can’t go anywhere in Harlem without knowing someone or feeling at home. Whether it’s East Harlem, West Harlem, Central Harlem, you know the whole thing for me means something. I travel. I love people. So I don’t think there’s an inch of it that I really don’t know. I know it all. You know what I mean. So I don’t like to say this place I like more than that place. It’s like your kids. Which one do you like more? We love them all you know.
Exactly! Let’s talk about your modeling career very quickly. So there’s so much controversy with diversity in the modeling industry. How do you feel about that? In what ways do you think that we can change that?
Here’s the thing. When I started modeling back in the early 80s, I’m 51, I was 18 years old and discovered by GQ Magazine. They were talking about changing the way, the face of the industry. It didn’t happen. But we did make strides. I was the first black male model to ever do the GAP ad.
Really?
Yeah. Which at that time was a crossover and I was one of the first in SEVENTEEN, Mademoiselle, Vogue and Ralph Lauren. I did Vogue and Ralph Lauren back in 84. I did help bring Tyson Beckford into the industry after I had 10 years in the industry. So where are we today, I think we have a lot of work to do. But I think we’ve made some progress. When I think about you know that you can see diversity. You can see … It’s not just relegated by one specific type. There are many different types. There’s an albino model that’s a supermodel. Shaun Ross I think is his name.
So my point is that those looks would have never been in the industry when I was even starting. Tyson and him would not have been considered. I had, I guess, what do you call it crossover look and so that’s how that happened. But I feel that there’s room to grow.
If you could describe your style, how would you describe it?
Classic, elegant, comfortable.