“I’m the Flag Boy. I love the position. I embrace it a lot. It is just like a whole character. It’s a spirit that takes over you on Mardi Gras Day.”

Marwan Pleasant was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he grew up masking as a Mardi Gras Indian in the Golden Eagles tribe. Pleasant learned to bead and embroider from his grandfather, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, creating elaborate outfits for Mardi Gras each year. And he has used those skills to create his own successful fashion brand, Marlence. Natalie Chanin and Olivia Ware Terenzio spoke with Pleasant while he was in Paris, learning new skills to bring back to New Orleans. This conversation has been condensed and edited for publication.