I saw the meme floating around on Instagram about a Black scientist, Jazmine Davis who designed high heels that could be worn for hours and I was immediately intrigued! First of all- yay for Black women scientists (!) and secondly I NEEDED to know more about these heels and the lady who created them.
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 Fashion Designer Nicole Welch of KoKo Mystique Q&A with Fashion Designer Nicole Welch
Nicole Welch aka "Coco/KoKo" is a fashion designer who combines custom made fleece and patent leather to create one of a kind pieces. She started sewing only four years ago after receiving a sewing machine as a birthday gift from her husband and has been grinding ever since. A dream come true, Welch has witnessed her business grow rapidly in the past two years stating, "I put together my first fashion show in November 2014, for a girlfriend's women's empowerment event and it was the scariest most exhilarating feeling I have ever experienced!" Now a pro and relaunching her fashion brand find out how this Cleveland, Ohio native turned her fun loving hobby into a fashion forward business...  Model with Jahi by Akili fashion designer Akili Cooper Q&A with Fashion Designer Akili Cooper
Meet Akili Cooper- Columbus, Ohio designer and the creator of the Jahi by Akili high fashion brand who is somewhat of a child prodigy. He has been sketching since the sixth grade, sewing since the ninth grade (under the watchful eye of his seamstress aunts) and designing for and showing in fashion shows since the age of 16. Akili has no signs of slowing down now, while choosing to focus on expanding his clientele, finishing school and naming a fragrance after his super supportive mom! Akili took the time out to answer All the Fly Questions...  Owner, personal stylist, jewelry and accessories consultant Lynsay Spratlen of Lexie Steveinson Accessories and Personal Styling Q&A with Online Jewelry Boutique Owner Lynsay Spratlen Even after starting a career in corporate America right after college, online jewelry boutique owner Lynsay Spratlen knew she wanted to start her own business. With stints in communications, IT, and project management Spratlen gained valuable experience and moved in on the fashion world working as a jewelry consultant for Nordstrom and as a personal stylist with online company Stitch Fix. The ability to balance her full time jobs while working part time to start the launch of a creative career paid off and Spratlen learned a lot about the industry while putting in four years of labor before launching Lexie Steveinson Accessories and Personal Styling "Stylish, sophisticated statement jewelry" in January 2016. Today Spratlen handles everything from inventory planning and prep, jewelry photography, merchandising and order processing. It is a thankless job, but somebody has to do it and make you look fly in the process. Lynsay took some time out to answer All the Fly Questions below... *Shop this post by clicking the photos and receive 25% off the entire site if you use the code word "FAB"  ALL THE FLY QUESTIONS WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT SO FAR? This year, I established my first consignment deals with a couple Cleveland-area boutiques. Additionally, I just threw my first successful popup shop in Tremont, OH the end of August; hosted by Sweetlime Alterations. Excited to book more events and opportunities such as these! HOW DO YOU PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS? I use a combination of sites to promote my jewelry line, such as Instagram to promote new items and shout out customers who have purchased a piece from my line. I also use my Facebook Business Page quite a bit to promote upcoming events where I'll be showing my line, as well as address incoming questions from the community regarding my business and the services I offer. WHAT'S THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF OWNING A BUSINESS? I am the sole individual that is accountable for whether I succeed or fail (and) you do not make money unless you are out here hustling and promoting your business. Starting a business can be thankless at times, but the work I do keeps me positive. I enjoy giving back by helping others to build self-confidence, enhance their wardrobes and promote self-love.
WHO IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE? My business analytics tell me women ages 25-45 years in age. However, I truly believe my line offers affordable and sophisticated jewelry and accessories that are perfect for ladies and gentlemen of all ages. I hope to extend my target audience to include men's accessories by the end of this year. WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS DIFFERENT FROM YOUR COMPETITION? I am a one-stop-shop for smart, sophisticated statement jewelry and accessories. I pair my line with a number of additional services such as, personal styling, personal shopping and image consulting. Also, I am available for special events; fashion photo shoots, runway shows and vendor fairs. Additionally, I am able to sell my items at prices that are half of what my competitors may charge for jewelry and additional services. I cater my services specifically to each and every customers' needs. WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES AND WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? I love to travel- cruises are my hobby! I also adore the arts and live entertainment. I am classically trained in Ballet and Pointe (dancing on the toes). I have been dancing for the past 26 years. I still attend dance classes weekly to perfect my craft and stay in shape.
WHO OR WHAT HAS INSPIRED YOU? There are a number of other jewelry designers and stylists I admire and follow their work closely; Sollis Jewellery, jewelry designer 'Nspyrd by Nay' and local fashion stylist Marchele Davis of 'Elements of Style' to name a few. WHAT DOES “FLY” MEAN TO YOU? "Fly" is the epitome of all things cool, chic and trendy. To be "fly" one must be fashion forward; choosing colors, patterns, or materials that are bold, edgy and new. Also, its not always what you wear that makes you "fly", but it is the way you carry yourself. Presentation is every thing to me when I think of my definition of "fly". WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNERS? A few of my favorite fashion houses and designers include Chanel, Gucci, Betsy Johnson and fashion icon Iris Apfel.  DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE? I consider my personal style to be bohemian-gaudy-chic meets corporate America...different, I know! I absolutely love bold colors and I will try almost any pattern. I wear structured garments that give the illusion of height through creating long lines or accentuating my curves. IS THERE A TV SHOW, MOVIE OR VIDEO THAT YOU REALLY LOVE THE FASHION? I recently started watching the HBO show by Issa Rae, "Insecure". I love all the outfits Issa wears; definitely has a gaudy-chic feel with all those bold patterns and tribal prints. I also love her best friend, Molly's look too! Tailored, feminine perfection! WHAT WAS YOUR FAVE OUTFIT GROWING UP? My favorite outfit was this vintage, Marilyn Monroe inspired, empire waist dress. It was crimson red and had a matching bolero jacket. I found it when I was 13 years old, at a vintage clothing store in Cleveland Heights. Sadly, I wore it to pieces.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE STARTING OFF IN YOUR INDUSTRY? Starting a business is not always glamorous and can be incredibly difficult for an entrepreneur. When you first start your business it can feel isolating--there will be countless late nights and early mornings of research, planning, and preparation. So, it is extremely important to find support groups of other people who are looking to do the same thing as you. I would also suggest seeking out mentors, locally if you can. You should target people at different career stages, because there are valuable insights to learn from anyone who has been in the game longer than you. WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU? In the next six months, I would like to attend more vendor fairs and local events to promote my line. I would also like to collaborate with more store owners to host popup shops. Additionally, I am planning my annual Lexie Steveinson Jewelry and Fashion Show. Lastly, I hope to launch my men's accessory line the end of this year. WHERE CAN WE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WORK? Email: | Lynsay@LexieSteveinson.com Website: www.lexiesteveinson.com Facebook: LexieSteveinsonAccessories Instagram: LexieSteveinson
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 Columbus, Ohio fashion designer and wardrobe consultant Elyse Jones Q&A with Fashion Designer Elyse Jones I started following fashion designer Elyse Jones on Instagram because of her outfit choices- I loved the way she made use of color, prints, and silhouettes and seeing how she pieced together thrifted looks with her wardrobe to make an outfit completely hers. It wasn't until later that I found out that Jones was a stylist and it all made sense. Her personal style is eclectic and edgy with a touch of ladylike glam and her choice of style icons reflect that- Solange, Janelle Monae, Soko, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. The fashion designer, seamstress and wardrobe consultant was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and has been styling for two years and designing for close to a year. Jones started out as a consultant, but got into fashion design at the request of her clients. After trying it and loving it, she hasn't looked back since. Read on to find out more about Elyse as she answers All the Fly Questions ...
ALL THE FLY QUESTIONS: WHO, IF ANYBODY, HAS REALLY HELPED YOU ALONG THE WAY? My mommy and my best friend, anything I have ever needed across the board they have been there. They (both) saw things in me that I didn't see in myself. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? What inspires me the most is being able to give woman the look that they never thought they could achieve. WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO STYLE? I would love to style and design for Janelle Monae, Queen Latifah, Jill Scott
WHAT DOES “FLY” MEAN TO YOU? Fly: unique, cool, amazing, awesome FAVE DESIGNER? Betsy Johnson, CoCo Chanel, Daphne Guinness and Louis Vuitton WHOSE CLOSET WOULD YOU LIKE TO RAID? Michelle Obama
WHERE DO YOU SHOP? I design my own stuff of course lol, but everywhere that sells plus size clothes- Curvaceous Boutique, Ashley Stewart, Lane Bryant and consignment shops. WHAT ARE YOUR GO TO PIECES? Leggings and a t-shirt lol WHAT WAS YOUR FAVE OUTFIT GROWING UP? A black and white plaid Mickey Mouse jumper with (my) pigtails.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE STARTING OFF IN YOUR INDUSTRY?
Keep pushing, don't let what you see on social media or what people say to you or about you deter you from your dream. WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU? IDK... every time I make a "plan" for what I feel should be the next phase of my life, God does something completely different. His plan always supersedes what I had in mind... WHERE CAN WE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WORK? Facebook: Cutting EDJ Instagram: cuttingedjstylist Online boutique: Cutting EDJ LLC  Fashion blogger Lady Silk Liebster Award nominee I've Been Nominated for the Liebster Blog Award! I have been blogging for about three years now, but I'm honestly just now starting to do it "correctly", so I am honored and excited to have been nominated for this award by fellow blogger Queen C of Lavender Luvah! I can't lie, I had to read up on the Liebster Award to see what it was about because I had no clue. I discovered that it is an internet only award given to bloggers by other bloggers. It's sort of like a chain letter that acts as a way to recognize, highlight, promote and discover new blogs. Some people accept it, some don't, but it opens up your blog to new audiences and allows people to find out a little more about you and your blog so why not? The nominee answers questions asked by the person that nominated them and then includes 10 random facts about themselves. Once that is done, the nominee then nominates another group of bloggers and so on and so on. Q&A from Queen C: Why did you start blogging? I started blogging for a few reasons:
What is your goal as a blogger? My goal as a blogger is to inform and educate my reader on All the Fly Things. I want to solidify myself as a fashion expert and a style leader and I try to do so through my blog posts by giving fashion and style tips, writing fun fashion features, attending and reporting on local fashion events, discussing fashion industry news, interviewing cool people, and my own FlyGirl Chronicles adventures in fashion. Is blogging your hobby or a job? Nah, I work way too hard for this to be a hobby! How do you promote your blog? I mainly use social media, I am a part of lots of blogger and fashion and style groups on Facebook and I use word of mouth while I am out and about. I have a few other tactics that I use including traditional marketing strategies: business cards, postcards, events. Do you make money off your blog ? If yes how do you do it? Yes, by collaborating with independent brands and businesses and hopefully off of affiliate marketing really soon. I also host an account for models through my Model Portal. It's for models who are looking for a professional online portfolio to store their photos, booking information, stats, etc. without having to do any extra work. Have you ever won other blog awards? I never even knew that they had blog awards! What is your advice for new and upcoming bloggers?
Do you blog on YouTube ? If yes,how many subscribers do you have? No I don't, but I micro-blog on Instagram and I have a personal blog: The FlyGirl Chronicles where I talk about things that don't involve fashion and style. I started it a few months ago and enjoy the freedom that comes with not being inside just one niche. I can write about other things that move me: my weird favorite movies, my favorite street lit books and old school southern rappers I love and other random things.  These are a few of my favorite things! *in my Julie Andrews voice 10 Random Facts About Me:
*Below are my nominees and questions for them: Tavkay Beauty AriesGallery TheLibraryRadio Curvy, Confident & Nervous as Hell The Fashion Wordsmith Forever Young, Black and Married Mascara, Martinis and Motherhood Courtney Covers Cleveland Awesome Fat Girl Rules One Hot Mom Queen Thrifty Diary of a Broke Fashionista Enanny Link Yeah I'm Famous FoodLoveTog The I is Never Silent Sportz Street Heat News Official Haute Food Adore Color Darkerberrie.com Q&A 1. How long have you been blogging? 2. Why did you start your blog? 3. How often do you post to your blog? 4. How do you promote your blog? 5. Do you monetize your blog? If so how? 6. What has been the hardest thing about blogging? 7. What has been the most rewarding thing about blogging? 8. What is your advice for up and coming bloggers? 9. What apps or plugins do you use to enhance your blog? 10. How did you choose your domain and hosting site and are you happy with them? To my readers- what other blogs do you follow? Leave a link to their blogs in the comments below! |
About the BlogThe main goal of this blog is to connect my readers to everything dope, fresh and stylish- All the Fly Things. Archives
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