In The Spotlight: Rady Onabanjo, Owner & Designer of Saviwear Brands

Another spotlight for y'all today! As always, if you or your client is interested in being featured on The Spotlight, please visit our Features/Submissions page for more information! 

Today, we have Rady Onabanjo, owner and designer of Saviwear Brands! The designer always had a love of style and fashion, and would receive compliments on her outfits and color coordination. Though she was into rapping and then law for a while, her journey eventually shifted to a career in fashion.

In The Spotlight: Designer Renata Eileena

Keeping the spotlights coming! As always, if you are or represent an upcoming artist, designer,producer, etc., and would like to be featured on The Spotlight, please visit our Features/Submissions page for more information!

Today, we have designer Renata Eileena, owner of custom line Reneta Eileena, LLC. Raised in Philadelphia, Renata has always had a love of fashion. Though she noted that Philly has its own unique style, the designer admitted her own style is outside of that, finding inspiration from “literally everywhere,” pulling from art, TV shows, etc. “When you’re an artist, you can get inspired from literally looking out the window,” Renata said. She is also inspired by Christian Louboutin, Yves St Laurent, and Betsey Johnson.

In The Spotlight: Designer Joi Lanell (Owner of Yatir Clothing)

Another spotlight for you all! As always, if you are or represent an upcoming artist, designer, producer, etc., that is interested in a feature on The Spotlight, please visit our Features/Submissions page for more information.

Today, we have designer and owner of Yatir Clothing, Joi Lanell! Joi always had a true love of fashion, with her own parents even putting on fashion shows themselves when she was younger. Joi herself began drawing clothes as a kid. "It's just kind of something that I was born into, and it's something that I enjoyed also," Joi said. Though she loved fashion, she began studying film in high school and her first year of college. However, the designer eventually realized that it wasn't something that she had a true passion for, and she made her way back to fashion.

In The Spotlight: Designer Wasimah Dorn

Another spotlight for you all! If you are or represent an upcoming artist, designer, model, etc., please visit our Features/Submissions page for more information on a feature!

Today, we have Wasimah Dorn, creator of women's boutique Cledgy Customs! The designer has always had a great love of fashion, and began designing her own looks, believing that it was a unique way to truly express herself. “I feel like your outfit says a lot about who you are, what you do/like, what mood you are in that day etc.,” Wasimah said. “I've always aspired to be different from everyone else.” She began getting great compliments on her style and questions about where she got her clothes, and people would ask if she could create looks for them as well. “That’s when it all clicked for me,” Wasimah said. “It’s like ‘Okay, well maybe I should start my business and stop playing.’”

In The Spotlight: Adrena Martin

Another spotlight and more on the way! If you or your client is interested in being featured on the site, please visit our Features/Submissions page for more info. 

Today on The Spotlight, we have jewelry designer Adrena Martin! Originally from Downers Grove, IL, Adrena attended the historically black college Tuskegee University, graduating in 2012. She knew for a long time beforehand that she wanted to become an entrepreneur, though she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted her business to be at first, but found her calling. “I was always into fashion and was very creative, so I decided to start making jewelry,” Adrena stated. The designer started her custom jewelry line, CreationZ from A Dove, a month before her graduation from Tuskegee. “Initially I started off just making bracelets, since that was the only thing I knew how to make,” she admitted. “[Then] I began to teach myself other jewelry techniques and started making other products.”

In The Spotlight: Milan Rouge

Quite a few features coming for you guys! As always, if you are or represent an up and coming star in the entertainment or fashion industry, please visit our Features/Submissions page for more information on a feature!

Today on The Spotlight, we have fashion designer Milan Rouge! Milan admitted that she had a strong taste for fashion since she was a little girl. “Even when I would go to school, I would style my uniforms up so it [wouldn’t] look like the typical uniform,” the designer stated. She thought about taking fashion merchandising in college, but decided on business instead because it was a broader topic. “It was always something that I wanted to pursue,” Milan added. “I just didn’t know the avenue or the extent of what I wanted to do with it.”

In The Spotlight: Abigail Lordson-Banini

So glad to be featuring all of these great stars on the rise! As always, if you are or represent an
upcoming artist, designer, producer, etc., visit our Features/Submissions page for more information on how to be featured.

Today, we have designer Abigail Lordson-Banini! Abigail spent the first 15 years of her life in Accra, Ghana, where she watched her grandmother sew her own clothes. “I remember, when I was 11, my mom got me my very first sewing machine,” she reminisced. “Funny enough, I was only allowed to use it once.” The designer moved to the United States in February 2009, and began sketching female figures in gowns after taking an art class in high school (one of the sketches eventually became her prom dress!). Though she enjoyed sketching, at that point in time, she was determined to pursue accounting as a career. However, she soon grew frustrated with her accounting classes as well as a bad relationship, and began creating necklace and earring sets for herself and friends as a stress reliever. “The guy I was dating back then said to me, ‘Why are you pursuing accounting when you can pursue a career in fashion?’”Abigail said. “I did not take it seriously until people started asking me where I got my earrings from.”

EVENTS: Mystique: 17th Annual BSA Fashion Show (Loyola University Maryland)

On Friday, March 20, I headed back to my alma mater, Loyola University Maryland, for the 17th annual BSA Fashion Show: Mystique! Having a slew of student volunteers, models, scene assistants and directors, as well as gaining support and clothing from a variety of retail stores and local brands, it literally takes months on end to get this show together (I know because I modeled as well *wink*). It's a HUGE event for Loyola, with students, staff, alumni, and other members of the Baltimore community and beyond coming out to support!

Directed by Loyola seniors Wah-De Dennis and Tiaira Walker, the show had amazing clothes and transitions for the audience to enjoy. Clothing was provided from Gap, The Strut Truck, Party Dress, Christopher Schafer, Brooks Brothers, Tin Lizzy, Double Dutch Boutique, Francesca's and Southern Proper. Hair and makeup was also provided by Roshé Cosmetics. There was even a special part of the show that integrated fashion and spoken word, featuring designs from a current Loyola senior I modeled with before, Abigail Lordson-Banini and her own clothing brand, House of Afi! I'm hoping to feature her and her designs on the blog soon!

Definitely one of the best shows that Loyola has put on! I really enjoyed myself, and got to catch up with a few staff members, alum and students, which is always nice. Check out pictures and video from the show below!

Ashley Chin Announces Retirement From Styling, New Ventures with Vaughn Brian and twelveAM

I'm truly grateful for genuine connections and mutual support. I have that with Miami designer Ashley Chin, who I have featured several times on The Spotlight! Over the years, Ashley has branched out into the fashion world tremendously through her styling ,her own designs and now  Lux House Mob brand, as well as writing and editing for Ally The Journalist. I've been proud to watch her grow!

Ashley shared with me today that she is retiring from styling to focus solely on the business side of fashion. From prayer and talking with her mom, she bravely made the decision to turn to a new chapter in her life. "I think it was me really discovering my true niche," the designer said. "I mean, I LOVE styling but I think its run its course and now I have to aim for higher and more challenging projects in order to grow."

Official Cover Art for Lux House Mob's '4' Collection

You guys are going to be seeing A LOT about Lux House Mob from here on out! My girl Ashley Chin is doing big things as she branches out more into designing, and asked me to be one of the blogs who covers any releases for her brand. I was, of course honored to do so! 

This is the official cover art for Ashley's new collection, '4,' which will feature men and women apparel, and is set to debut this spring/summer! It's the first apparel collection under Lux House Mob, and I know that it's going to have a lot of hot items, so be on the lookout! So excited! 

In The Spotlight: Valencia Jean

Another spotlight for you all today! As always, if you or someone you know is interested in a feature on The Spotlight, please email me at BrittanyShawnte@gmail.com.

Today we have designer Valencia Jean, who I met briefly at the Made In The DMV Conference a few weeks back. Valencia is an androgynous fashion designer, creating clothes with neither a clear masculine nor feminine look. “I prefer men's clothes because I love the way men walk and feel when they feel good about themselves. But now, men are really starting to pay attention to they look, what's out, what's the trend?,” the designer said. “It allows [me] to really be creative with men’s style. But when I make women's clothes, it has a tomboy feel about it.”

VIDEO: Style Zone With AC (PREVIEW)

I’m always excited to feature people on The Spotlight, but even more so my girl Ashley Chin who is doing her thing in Miami, killing the fashion game with her styling and designing! Since our first encounter back in 2010, when I first interviewed her, we have stayed connected, and I’m so proud of her and happy for her success!

Now Ashley is heading into a new venture—a new style series entitled Style Zone with AC! “I’ve been doing fashion for so long with wardrobe styling and fashion designing, [but] I’ve always had an interest in broadcasting and was always told I have a natural ability to be on camera with confidence,” the designer stated. “I decided to create a stable foundation for myself and collaborate my two worlds.”

In The Spotlight: Nikki Billie Jean

Today we have a spotlight on designer/blogger Nikki Billie Jean, creator of Billie Jean Bowties &Designs! (As always, if you are interested in a feature, feel free to email me!)

Born and raised in Maryland, Nikki is a 2009 graduate of Archbishop Caroll High School in Washington, D.C., and a 2013 grad of Penn State. She first took interest in fashion after subscribing to Seventeen magazine in high school, but really got the chance to show off her style in college. “Every time I had an opportunity to express myself when it came to fashion, I seized that moment,” she said. In her sophomore year, she helped organized a fashion show for an event at Penn State called “Taste of Africa.” “I modeled, directed, and even helped make clothes for this show,” Nikki stated. “After this show, I knew fashion was something I really wanted to get into."

Check out more about Nikki below!

In The Spotlight: Ashley Chin (Part 2)

About three years ago, I did one of my first spotlights on an upcoming designer, Ashley Chin. At the time, both of us were kind of new at our dreams. I was 20, and had just started Spotlight  a little over a year ago back then, and Ashley was branching out into designing. Time has flown by, and all the while, I saw Ashley's continuous tweets about how her career was growing down in Miami, and was so happy for the progress she was making in reaching her goals! So when she hit me up a few weeks ago on Twitter, it was no question that we had to do a followup! Ashley and I had the chance to catch up on her newest ventures, her styling career, as well as new upcoming boutique Vane For Decades!