Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandria Hollowell “Lavish”.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Jacksonville, Florida aka “Duval County,” the glorious “904,” and I moved to Florida in middle school. Which was a huge culture shock coming from Houston. I stuck out like a sore thumb, and I was very soft-spoken, tall, quirky, had a country twang and overall, was that awkward black girl that knew everyone, but never really had a tribe that I could relate to. I was also light years ahead of my generation or an “old soul,” and skipped up a grade in elementary, placed in gifted programs, AP classes and even graduated college with Cum Laude Honors. So, I was also quite nerdy but athletically, vocally and artistically inclined. I was widely known to be a very liberal kid, went against the grain and a bit misunderstood at times.
During my high school years, at the age of 15, I managed several jerk dancers locally and nationally who landed spots on America’s Best Dance Crew and who played dance extras in movies like Step Up 3. At that time, my dancers branded me with the nickname “Lavish.” According to them, I did all things lavishly, whether it was helping or pushing them, how I dressed and how I carried myself. Which later played a huge role in naming my business ventures that followed.
I also went on to gain international exposure when I moved to Japan in 2010 and pursued modeling and a vocal career. Shortly after, I moved back to the states and attended the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where I was a brand ambassador and NACA Block Booking Agent, chosen to hire celebrity acts to perform on the campus. Which was an eye-opening experience. However, in 2014, I decided to drop out of college, get engaged and wanted to pursue things that made me happy creatively. I developed a clothing line called Loko Doh, my very first LLC, that was set to take over the graphic tee industry. I was devoted to this compaby as if it were my child and designed a breathtaking website, contracted models, developed employee handbooks, decided on a five-year projection plan and already had customers with pre-orders. The only thing I was missing was consistent capital and shortly after opening Loko Doh, I decided to dissolve it. As you can imagine, I was beginning to regret dropping out but had a strong support system in my partner and he encouraged me to continue pursuing my artsy side while he worked full-time.
I put the LLC on hold and decided to go back to college but this time at a college where I felt I could leave a footprint and identify with peers. I decided on The University of Houston, home to the #Coogs and the best school for Communications. When I made this decision to go back to school, I also decided to dive back into the Houston culture. I began to advertise my hair skills and the first connection I made in 2017, led me to becoming a published hairstylist on my very first set.
I am now one of Houston’s notable celebrity hairstylists and have since been published several other times in various magazines. Meanwhile, catching the eye of several photographers on various sets, who kept encouraging me to model again. When I finally picked modeling back up, I was published in The ANUMI Magazine, Valentine’s Day Edition of 2018 and have also had several iconic Instagram photos go viral. I have an acting role in an Argentina Documentary coming out next year and was recently published in The Houston 2019 top-female calendar.
Outside of the public eye, I am big on community outreach and volunteer as a motivational speaker with HISD. I speak primarily to seniors about my experience and provide them with positive preparation for college and beyond. All this experience collectively, has created Lavish Endeavors™, my current company. I developed this company to give my fan-base an all-inclusive, e-commerce platform on all things “Lavish.” The e-commerce site showcases a wide range of my entertainment industry activities like: model and hairstylist publications, The Lavish Endeavors Radio Show, TV host gigs, acting, interviews, video vixen music videos, on-site meet and greet events and an NSFW section for paid subscribers.
Show your support by subscribing to the monthly newsletter which updates you on my current events. Visit my website to gain access to my work history, publishing’s, interviews, measurements, merch, services, vlog, blogs, you name it. Lavish Endeavors is a premiere global brand. Lavish Endeavors will be bigger than me, it is on its way to being an unstoppable empire.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all. But I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I am who I am because of my struggles. As an adult in the fashion industry, I have experienced weight discrimination (not being skinny enough or too curvy), color discrimination (not being light enough) which actually drove me to consider skin bleaching at one point. Being diagnosed with major depressive disorder has also been an ongoing battle and general jealousy in the industry, It is not for the weak-hearted.
Please tell us about Lavish Endeavors.
I am a model, motivational speaker, hairstylist, vlogger and blogger with subscription services offered nationally, based out of Houston. I specialize in performing arts and broadcast communications. I’m known for going viral as a model on Instagram. I’m most proud of the organization of my company and our ability to uniquely establish several different channels of entertainment under one name. What sets this company apart is it isn’t your typical find, it’s an all-in-one experience, one-stop-shop of the adored idol, “Lavish,’ and the site is continuously growing with new finds and new ways to capture the hearts of my fans.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Nothing, I live life with no regrets. What I lived through I can educate the next generation to avoid some of the obstacles and guide them to be greater.
Pricing:
- Site Subscription- FREE
- Autographed Magazine- $35
- NSFW subscription-$15/ month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LavishEndeavors.com
- Phone: (512) 785-9933
- Email: Bookings@LavishEndeavors.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavishendeavors/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LavishEndeavors/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LavEndeavors
Image Credit:
Kenny Downing, Chris Holmes, Rudy Mui
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
