Chicago is full of go-getters and artist. Recently I've noticed such a huge impact fashion has had on the Chicago youth. Not only has fashion intrigued us, but the entrepreneurial spirit as well. A lot of young people are becoming more inspired everyday with wanting to create their own businesses! I’ve came across so many more talented people its honestly amazing! Truly falling in love with their passion for fashion as well as following all of their creative dreams.
******Disclaimer*******
I AM NOT A FASHION EDITOR OF A MAGAZINE, I AM NOT A FASHION CRITIC, I AM NOT A KNOW-IT-ALL (fashion wise), I am only discussing what I love and posting my opinions. Therefore I am NOT here to judge any of these people I post, businesses I mention, and or designers I admire. This is to instead praise those with a great fashion sense and creativity to put pieces together to express themselves! Also giving businesses FREE PROMOTION, and post YOUNG AMBITIOUS Designers!
I AM NOT A FASHION EDITOR OF A MAGAZINE, I AM NOT A FASHION CRITIC, I AM NOT A KNOW-IT-ALL (fashion wise), I am only discussing what I love and posting my opinions. Therefore I am NOT here to judge any of these people I post, businesses I mention, and or designers I admire. This is to instead praise those with a great fashion sense and creativity to put pieces together to express themselves! Also giving businesses FREE PROMOTION, and post YOUNG AMBITIOUS Designers!
Finally, I asked 7 business owners about their brand, who they are, and how they started!
Verneccia Etienne
Designer Verneccia Etienne's passion encompasses all things style. As a child in Plano, Texas, her need to express herself through design and fashion often came at the expense of her mother’s bed linens and curtains that, to her mother’s dismay, served as the raw materials for the young Ms. Etienne’s early designs.. Feeling confined, she moved to Chicago to pursue her dreams of a career in Fashion Design and seek inspiration from the fast paced city. Her creative spark was fanned by the Windy City and produced designs that range from couture to ready to wear. . Among her accolades/accomplishments to date:
- Project Runway Cast – Semi-finalist
- Chicago Raw Artists – Director’s choice Semi-finalist
- Design featured on ACCESS HOLLYWOOD (Celebrity Stylist Lloyd Boston’s Annual Menswear Show)
- Featured Designer for Macaela Brown for her show “The Minority Report” and host of The SunTimes “On the Grid”
- Wardrobe consultant and Stylist for R&B superstar Trey Songz entourage/team
- Featured on Windy City Live TV Broadcast
- Featured on Fox News Chicago
- Featured in Trend Prive International
- F-Style Chicago Magazine
- Participant Fashion Focus Chicago (Chicago Fashion Week)
- Chicago Fashion Fest
Katya Flores
Katya Flores is from the southern suburbs of Chicago. She was interested in fashion design since the sixth grade. She earned her BFA in fashion design and business management at Columbia College.
She designs women's ready to wear clothes under an ethnic and eclectic inspired aesthetic. She wants her line to reflect myself. She wants her clothes to be fun, quirky and cool. She loves playing with vibrant colors/prints and architectural volume. Sometimes she follows trends, sometimes she doesn’t. “It's cliché to say that I get inspired by everything, but I really do.” Says Ms. Flores. She has pizza inspired beanies (that Nylon Shop carries) and she currently has an ethnic/desert inspired collection (the first line she launched on katyaflores.com ). Right now, she is currently working on a small unisex collection that will be driven by mixed prints and embellishments.
She designs women's ready to wear clothes under an ethnic and eclectic inspired aesthetic. She wants her line to reflect myself. She wants her clothes to be fun, quirky and cool. She loves playing with vibrant colors/prints and architectural volume. Sometimes she follows trends, sometimes she doesn’t. “It's cliché to say that I get inspired by everything, but I really do.” Says Ms. Flores. She has pizza inspired beanies (that Nylon Shop carries) and she currently has an ethnic/desert inspired collection (the first line she launched on katyaflores.com ). Right now, she is currently working on a small unisex collection that will be driven by mixed prints and embellishments.
Kemah Johnson
Kemah Johnson is the CEO and founder of Kay's Kloset. She started Kay's Kloset in April of 2016. Kay's Kloset is simply a mere reflection of Ms.Johnson. It reflects what she does and what she stands for, which is fashion. She doesn't look at fashion how the ordinary person would, this is her life therefore it has became a lifestyle. As long as she can remember, fashion has always been apart of her. " My mother is a fashion stylist and MY fashion mogul, so guess it kind of rubbed off on me", Giggled Kemah. She spends countless hours creating looks in her mind, putting pieces together based off items in her closet, and always looking for new and innovative ways to recreate looks from clothes she's worn over and over again. Kay's Kloset not only thrives to define elegance and creativity but most important individuality. Kay's Kloset is orchestrated around her unique style and originality and she hopes that when people wear her brand they too can find their individuality and own unique style. "I am an innovator, leader and an inspiration in the fashion world. I hope that my dreams will continue to aspire and grow so that my boutique will one day be the number one spot to shop!" says Kemah.
Makeda Evans
Makeda has been sewing and designing since 2012. She was taught the basics by her mom and decided to go back to school to enhance her gift in November 2014. Her specialty is women’s wear; especially gowns and jackets. She is currently a junior at the Illinois Institute of Art Chicago.
She is part owner of Dramatik and is currently starting her own brand. She designs for all occasions; birthday, weddings, proms, etc
She is part owner of Dramatik and is currently starting her own brand. She designs for all occasions; birthday, weddings, proms, etc
Joey White
Joey is a designer from the land of Chicago. He designs clothing; with graphic tees being the heart and soul of my creative agenda. He is not branding his clothing at the moment, He’s really just having fun doing what he wants, and creating what he likes. His energy is something like the local bootleg dvd/cd guy just trying to get it out the mud. He wants to provide a unique experience for his audience that’s steady evolving as the vision evolves. In time it will eventually snowball into a brand of some sort. He grew up on streetwear culture, and it is his biggest influence for his personal style as well as his creative vision. Streetwear brands that influenced him early on ranged from Girbaud Jeans to Enyce as well as 10 Deep and Alife; but classic brands such as Ralph Lauren and Donna Karen also played a great deal in molding him as a designer. Other than that, he gets inspired by everyday life, pop culture, and the internet is key; information travels so quickly today you have to stay ahead of the curve. That’s with current events in order to utilize concepts and ideas before other designers do and to take advantage of time windows when shit just makes sense. All creatives, including himself, get inspired by other creatives, it's a fact. the idea is to instill the vision without compromising originality.
Maya Hood
Maya Marie Hood is the founder and CEO of The House of Marie online clothing boutique. Her brand is built upon the celebration of women, their bodies and confidence. Each piece on House of Marie is a manifestation of all of those things. She is a 20-year-old college student from the south side of Chicago. What brought her to create and launch House of Marie has a lot to do with her obsession of online shopping. She’s always been a fan evening clothes, gowns and dresses that promoted getting cute, going out and having a good time. She believes that’s why she focuses more so on different evening styles versus everyday wear. So she started with familiarizing herself with timeless pieces and pieces she could envision a woman putting on feeling like a better, more confident woman.
Ameerah Floyd
“A few years ago I stepped inside a small boutique that I usually pass by in the Chicago Gold Coast neighborhood. I always stop and stare into the windows because I love the displays. On this day I decided to step inside. There was a magnificent pink dress in the window that I instantly adored. I tried on the pink dress in the window and to my surprise it was too big! The dress was a size 00. Slightly saddened I slipped out of the pink dress and continues to browse the store. I spotted a pair of Joshua Sanders sneakers. When I asked the associate what the smallest size was she told me size seven. I have always been a size five. After leaving the boutique I realized I was tired of feeling 'left out' and 'un-serviceable'.” Says MS.PETITE herself…
She has been 4'11" since the eighth grade. PETITE is a brand she created for shorter women, like herself. The idea originally was a concept for a store front. She decided to go further by making clothes around that concept. Everything she designs is for women 5'6" and under dress sizes 00-6. Her designs are what she likes to call 'calmy feminine' with a sporty edge. She will be releasing her first collection for ss17. The collection consists of a range of oversized graphic shirts and hoodies, track pants, and made to order cut and sew pieces. She will be releasing a special capsule before she releases her full collection. This capsule will be called 'SUGAR'. She plans to release visuals for both campaigns early April '17.
She has been 4'11" since the eighth grade. PETITE is a brand she created for shorter women, like herself. The idea originally was a concept for a store front. She decided to go further by making clothes around that concept. Everything she designs is for women 5'6" and under dress sizes 00-6. Her designs are what she likes to call 'calmy feminine' with a sporty edge. She will be releasing her first collection for ss17. The collection consists of a range of oversized graphic shirts and hoodies, track pants, and made to order cut and sew pieces. She will be releasing a special capsule before she releases her full collection. This capsule will be called 'SUGAR'. She plans to release visuals for both campaigns early April '17.
LOVE THESE ARTIST?
Below I've listed all their information.
Verneccia Etienne
vernecciaetienne.com
[email protected]
@vernecciaetenne
Katya Flores
Katyaflores.com
@shopkatyaflores
@itsabouttime
Kemah Johnson ( Kays Kloset )
shopkayskloset.net
@shopkayskloset
[email protected]
@stylemekay
Makeda Evans ( Dramatik )
@dramatikiam
Facebook: Makeda Evans
Inquiries?: TEXT (312)806-1481
Joey White ( MyPelleInTheCleaners )
@goodjobjoey
[email protected]
goodjobjoey.tumblr.com
mypelleinthecleaners.bigcartel.com
Maya Hood (House of Marie)
[email protected]
thehouseofmarie.com
@houseofmarie_
@l3fteye
Ameerah Floyd ( PETITE )
@ameerahvania
[email protected]
PETITE
Verneccia Etienne
vernecciaetienne.com
[email protected]
@vernecciaetenne
Katya Flores
Katyaflores.com
@shopkatyaflores
@itsabouttime
Kemah Johnson ( Kays Kloset )
shopkayskloset.net
@shopkayskloset
[email protected]
@stylemekay
Makeda Evans ( Dramatik )
@dramatikiam
Facebook: Makeda Evans
Inquiries?: TEXT (312)806-1481
Joey White ( MyPelleInTheCleaners )
@goodjobjoey
[email protected]
goodjobjoey.tumblr.com
mypelleinthecleaners.bigcartel.com
Maya Hood (House of Marie)
[email protected]
thehouseofmarie.com
@houseofmarie_
@l3fteye
Ameerah Floyd ( PETITE )
@ameerahvania
[email protected]
PETITE
SUPPORT THESE LOCAL BUISNESSES!
It's so important to support local businesses, designers, artists, musicians, etc. WHY? Because everyone has dreams and it doesn't hurt to help them achieve their goals and aspirations. Network with these artist, reach out, and most of all.. Continue C R E A T I N G .