Recently, I had the opportunity to speak on the phone with Parris Harris, fashionista extraordinaire who informed me that he had teamed up with Sebastian of the renown fashion house, Yoga Army (www.yogaarmy.com) to create their winning Ford Fiesta video.

When I contacted Parris to get his story he explained to me how this all came about. This is what he had to say: "I had been looking for someone to make this video with, and I thought, who better than but Yoga Army! I briefly mentioned the Ford Fiesta contest to Sebastian, however at that time he and his company Yoga Army were busy with the Project Trade show as well as many magazines and photo shoots." Meanwhile what Parris didn't know was that Sebastian had already heard about the contest and had checked into it online. When I called to speak to Sebastian on the phone, to get his side of the story, he mentioned to me, "At first impression, I was taken aback by many of the videos as people seemed to be begging for a free car. I thought with the status of the Ford Motor Company and the current economic situation, there had to be more to this than a free giveaway; it then hit me."

Parris Harris then contacted Sebastian on his birthday telling him he had a surprise and simply mentioned “Ford Fiesta - you'll love it Sebastian, plus you’ll drive a Ford.” Sebastian replied, “Really? Well, I’ve got a surprise for you too!” It was all very spontaneous.

Parris dragged Sebastian to an empty downtown Los Angeles parking lot and began to film their winning video. Unscripted, they made their video right there on the spot. Although both Parris and Sebastian made their video for the Ford Fiesta contest, they both felt there is a much deeper message than simply winning the contest. Here is what they believe:

“We care about Ford and we care about America. It’s about an American tradition. Ford put Americans on the road. It’s about loyalty, change, hope, nationalism. It’s about getting connected to your “inner vehicle” … that driving force deep inside you, the one that drives us to survive, the one that put man on the moon, the one that pulled us out of the great depression, the one that brought about the American Industrial Revolution (of which Ford was a major part.) We look at America and see all the problems surrounding us: our failing economy, declining stock market, international issues, the housing market, rising interest rates and we say, “hold on, time out! It’s time to think about what each of us can do to make this situation better.”

“The answer as we see it, is to get connected to our inner vehicle, the driving force to move us forward, to help us create new ideas and bring about a new industrial revolution. Most of all, to generate a new mindset in how we think and feel so that we, as a united nation, can take charge to make effective changes for a more peaceful world …one millimeter, one inch, or one mile at a time. Ford Motor Company put us in the car, they represent movement, they represent change.”

With Parris’ funny style and Sebastian's film background they rocked the video; the finished product speaks for itself: ParrisHarris & Yoga Army Video, (Ford Fiesta movement page)

On Tuesday March 31st at 12:35pm, while Sebastian was brushing his teeth, FORD left a voice message on his phone congratulating both him and Parris. When Sebastian heard the voice mail, he nearly fell off his chair. He immediately called Parris hundreds of times while simultaneously texting him but to no avail, he couldn't get in touch with Parris. When Sebastian finally made contact with Parris and told him the good news, Parris screamed so loud. National P.H.ashion-Yoga Army day was declared!