Tameka Foster Raymond (born January 1, 1971) is known for her work as an American Fashion stylist. Tameka has worked as a personal stylist for Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, Usher, Toni Braxton, Ciara, Patti LaBelle, Nas, and more.

Personal life

Tameka Foster was born in Oakland, California to Lorene and John Foster. She is the mother to five sons named, Darrin, Ryan, Kile, Usher and Naviyd.

Tameka currently enjoys spending time giving back to communities and completing philanthropic work. She is well-known for her work as a designer and creative in the entertainment industry.

Tameka gained an interest in fashion at the tender age of 8 while working at her Aunt Sadies, boutique, Eureka High Quality Pre-Owned Clothiers on Park Blvd in Oakland, California with her cousins.

While working there, Tameka learned about various fabrics, how to differentiate designer vs ready to wear clothing, and gained a vast knowledge of both the retail business and clothing design.

In June of 1990, Tameka gave birth to her first son, Darrin. She then moved to Los Angeles and in 1993 attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, CA as a Merchandise Marketing major.

After two years, Tameka's talents exceeded what any classroom could teach and she began her full-time career as a fashion stylist. Tameka quickly became a sought after stylist in the entertainment industry after being recognized for her style aesthetic.

Career

Her professional career started with her employment as a sales associate and evolved to management positions. During her attendance at FIDM, Raymond worked as a dresser at the Giorgio Armani fashion shows, and since then, she has styled numerous celebrities, including Jay-Z, Ciara, Nas, and Mary J. Blige.

Raymond's work as a stylist gained the attention of several television networks including, MTV, E! and Access Hollywood. She has also been featured in InStyle, People, Glamour, Vibe, Upscale and Essence Magazines.

Philanthropy

Tameka is one of the Co-Founders of the 'Oakland Natives Giveback' nonprofit organization founded in 2007. Dr. Nyeisha DeWitt, Dee Dee Abdur-Rahim, and Tameka Raymond, all had a vision for their city and Oakland Natives Give Back (ONGB) was created.

Driven by their passion to serve, their dream was to give back to the children in the community in which they were reared. The first ONGB initiative was the annual Attend and Achieve Back to School Rally at Oakland City Hall.

The event was a fun-filled expo of sorts that created excitement and enthusiasm for the start of the school year, where children received fully loaded backpacks, public transportation vouchers, shoes, and school supplies at no cost.

The success of the Back to School Rally deepened their desire to expand the reach and impact of ONGB. Raymond is credited as the founder of charity organization, The Lost Ones Foundation, founded in 2009.

The Lost Ones Foundation is a non-profit organization that lends a helping hand to adolescent girls from the ages of 12-18 who are in at risk environments.

Tameka's philanthropic work continued and in March of 2013 on what was to be her late son Kile's 12th birthday, she honored him by launching the 501c(3) nonprofit organization Kile's World Foundation.

The Foundations mission is, "Gifting children with endless possibilities of creative endeavor through applied, fine and performing arts“ and intends to offer comprehensive art education to children ranging from ages 10‐17.

On August 18, 2014, Foster Raymond joined the cast of VH1 spinoff Atlanta Exes. Raymond starred alongside Christina Johnson, Torrei Hart, Sheree Buchanan and Monyetta Shaw.

In August of 2019, Tameka Foster Raymond with the help of her sons launched a 3-D animated series entitled, The Odd Life of Kile Lyles.

The series began development in 2013 and is the story of a quirky 11-year-old boy experiencing the classic middle child syndrome.

His day-to-day life of creating various gadgets that decorate his room and tree-house, changes drastically after a trip to an antique toy museum.

The Odd Life of Kile Lyles picks up the baton and carries on the legacy of not only Kile, but Black animation. The lack of positive African-American representation in the animated world is one of the main reasons Tameka, decided to pursue 3-D animation for the series.