Say what you want about her, but Kim rocked this Karl Lagerfeld shoot for CR Fashion Book. She stepped out of her normal comfort zone and created some very interesting masterpieces. Check out the photos below:
Source: CR Fashion Book
Source: CR Fashion Book
Source: CR Fashion Book
Source: CR Fashion Book
Source: CR Fashion Book
Within the fashion world, she’s known as influential, daring, bold and creative. She has worked with big names such as: Dawn Richard, Usher, and Stacey Dash, to name a few. Ja’Niya Walker obtained her Fashion Design degree from the Institute of Seattle where she learned to perfect her craft and pull influences to help mold her high fashion, with an edgy twist, style. This year, she’s been listed as one of LA’s “Top Most 25 Influential Fashion Stylists” and continues to create groundbreaking and breathtaking visual masterpieces. Ja’Niya was kind enough to answer some questions and share some background on her journey thus far. Check out what she has to say:
Source: janiyastylist.com
What or who are some of your biggest influences?
Some of my biggest influences come from fashion history. Every great person of influence to me is from another decade. One of my absolute favorites is Audrey Hepburn.
How did you first break into the fashion industry?
I started in the fashion industry to become a fashion designer. During fashion school, I did a little bit of modeling and through that, I discovered how much I enjoyed putting together the ensembles from various collections rather than making them piece by piece.
What is the best piece of advice you can off other fashionistas?
Follow your heart and feed your passion. You must truly learn and study your craft to find true success, there are no shortcuts. Don’t listen to people’s advice on ‘faking it till you make it’ take the time to learn, and grow – as being a person of integrity is far more important than looking like a person that has it all together and actually doesn’t know a thing about the business.
What are some of the downfalls that you’ve experienced?
As for downfall experienced, I’m not sure I would call them downfalls. However, I would definitely call them lessons. You learn how much you are willing to sacrifice, and you give a lot sometimes to get very little, sometimes that’s the nature of the business. If you are feeding your vision, and reaching your goals that’s all that matters. I don’t believe in judging a circumstance as good or bad, but rather look at it as an opportunity to grow or change some things.
You’ve worked with some big names; how did you create those opportunities for yourself?
As long as you work hard, like truly passionately hard at what you do, eventually the opportunities find you. Yes, you’ve got to put yourself out there and not be afraid to shake hands, and talk about your line of work, but you also have to have the courage to take the risks that may be necessary to brand yourself. Be brave and don’t listen to the criticisms of others, just do what you know best, push yourself to learn new skills, and exercise the ones you have and I promise, things will come together.
Where would you like to see yourself in the next few years?
I always believe the sky’s the limit. In the next few years I would love to style runway shows for New York or London Fashion Week. One of my biggest career goals is to become a contributing fashion editor for a major Conde Nast publication either here in the US or Europe. Eventually, I want to launch an international accessory brand and be a part of some kind of partnership. I’ve learned in launching my jewelry brand VII VICTORY two years ago this fall, that it truly takes a team to build a profitable fashion or jewelry line.
What keeps you driven on the hard days?
When I think about how far I’ve come, that’s the fuel that keeps the fire going. It’s important to evaluate your progress from time to time. In that, I like to reflect on my growth as a whole, and that’s the underlying inspiration that pushes me to work even harder.
What’s one funny/quirky thing people may not know about you?
I am queen at impersonations. This is something I practiced as a kid and became really great at. My sense of humor is very random. Growing up, one of my most favorite past times was watching “In Living Color (The Wayne’s)” and practicing the skits with my sister’s, to nail their voices and impersonations, I had so much fun with it, and love making people laugh, plus I got very good at it, so it’s something that stayed with me.
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To all of my fashion forward gents and gals out there, be sure to follow Ja’Niya Walker’s story. As she stresses, be persistent, follow your dreams and learn everything you can about the business. Here are some shots from Ja’Niya’s site that were some of my favorites!
Source: janiyastylist.com
Source: janiyastylist.com
Source: janiyastylist.com
Source: janiyastylist.com
Source: janiyastylist.com
Source: janiyastylist.com
Source: janiyastylist.com
Source: Notoriouss Clothing
19 year old T’yanna Wallace is making some big moves in the fashion world with the launch of Notoriouss Clothing. She’s reviving her late father’s, Brooklyn Mint, clothing line which hasn’t been a talking piece since the rapper’s death in 1997. T’yanna is currently a freshman at Penn State University with the hopes of focusing on fashion. Kudos to her!
Source: Notoriouss Clothing
As Kenya would say, “I’m gone with the wind faaaaabulous!” I was invited to be one of the curvy models for Curvy Doll Boutique in Baltimore, MD and it was such an exciting opportunity to take on. One of my goals has always been to work towards my portfolio because, let’s face it, you never know who’s watching and I always want to be prepared. The shoot was done by Broady from Nocturnal Charm Media and he was so cool to work with! Check out some of my pics!!!
Hello Dreamers!
I’ve been getting requests to give an update about my dreams and what I’m accomplishing and what’s going on in my world. Well, in addition to turning 30, I’ve been making some moves! I was asked to do a photo shoot for an awesome boutique in Baltimore, Curvy Doll. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity. I got glammed up with make-up, jewelry, clothes, the works! The photos haven’t been released yet, but below is a short behind the scenes video of the photo shoot. Enjoy!
Source: L’Officiel and Urban Islandz
Source: L’Officiel and Urban Islandz
Source: L’Officiel and Urban Islandz
Source: L’Officiel and Urban Islandz
For all of my actor friends and family out there, what ARE you going to wear when you attend the Oscars? Here are some of my favorites from the 2013 Oscars! Who were your favorites?
*Images are courtesy of Huffington Post and Google Images
I keep trying to tell everyone that my cousin has the best boutique(s) in Philly! He is known as the “jean guru” and I love every purchase that I have made. He’s been featured many times for being the “Best in Philly” and here is the latest article from Philly.com. Check out the article below by Michael Hinkelman and if you are in the Philly area, be sure to stop and shop at “Charlie’s Jeans”:
Source: Philly.com
SEBASTIAN McCALL, 39, of Northern Liberties, owns Charlie’s Jeans, on Market Street near 2nd in Old City. He also has a smaller store on Chestnut Street near 17th in Center City. In May 2010, McCall launched his own designer denim brand, which retails for $165 and up, and comes in a variety of cuts, sizes and colors.
Q: Tell me about your shop and your own denim brand.
A: We opened in Northern Liberties 15 years ago and moved to Old City. Denim is the best place to be, because you interact more with the customer. It’s a different challenge to make jeans fit properly. I wanted my own jean. I didn’t know where to begin, but I really knew the fit. One of my vendors allowed us to do a fit, and after that I got the bug.
Q: Tell me about that.A: We went to California, set up shop there and started manufacturing our own jeans.Q: Why California?
A: Every brand we carry is made there. If your seamstress is sick, you can find another. Our denim manufacturer is in North Carolina. We brought them in, sampled 100 fabrics, model after model. I wanted jeans that would satisfy all our customers.
Q: Who are your customers?
A: They’re probably 80 percent women, ages 22 to 55. They’re professionals, judges, lawyers, doctors, people in the pharmaceutical industry. Our customer comes from all over – New York, California, D.C. and Boston
Q: Why is your brand special?
A: We go from size 00 to 18. I wanted a brand that women could easily fit into. So if she says, “I want to feel sexy, slim, I want my jeans to fit perfectly and I want made-in-the-USA quality,” we have that.
Q: I hear you’re called the Jeans Whisperer.
A: I guess it comes with making shopping easy. I grew up in a hair salon and my mother always said, “It’s not how she looks when she walks in the door, watch the smile on her face as she leaves.”
Q: So how many pairs of your brand have you sold?
A: We’ve sold 16,000 pairs of Sebastian McCall jeans, and that doesn’t include 2013. That’s over $2 million in sales since I launched. About 75 percent of my jean sales are my own brand.
Danithedreamgirl 