Today we’d like to introduce you to Zyah Randle.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Zyah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My love for fashion and art related activities began when I was probably about only three years old. At the time, I never had a name for what it was that I wanted to do, but I knew for sure I loved playing dress up and loved drawing as well. I remember dressing myself in the most fantastical outfits and in my eyes I looked ready for the runway but thinking back I’m sure I looked hideously tacky.
I’m still a strong believer in creative self-expression to this day and fashion is a forever changing industry and so I’ve learned tacky isn’t too bad after all. It had to be in 6th grade that I realized “Hey I know my calling, I am destined to be a world-renowned fashion designer… I don’t know how I’m getting there… BUT I WILL DO IT!” It’s a dream come true to be a celebrity designer and have my own fashion house, designing couture gowns, my own line of streetwear, swimwear, intimates, just to name a few. I know the fashion industry is pretty male-dominated, specifically white male dominated and I’ll be bringing tons of inclusivity, inspiration, and trends on my way up.
Right now I am in school pursuing fashion design at Houston Community College. I am always creating fashion illustrations and thinking of new ways that I could set trends in the future. And of course, I have an account with Instagram dedicated to showing off my fashion sense. I don’t have a professional photographer yet so in the meantime I use my iPhone or have someone else take the pics on their phones and I edit them myself. The thing about fashion is there’s multiple things to do that’s fashion related. It doesn’t just end at clothing, I’ve found myself becoming a mini fashion photographer, creating many fashion collages with the help of PicsArt for my Instagram blog and even making my own jewelry so stay tuned for that as well.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m not going to lie fashion is very challenging and my biggest challenge so far has been sewing. There’s been a lot of days where I just want to throw wig across the room or rip my edges out, but I think the struggle is worth it because the best things in life don’t come easy. So with that being said I’ll master sewing someday, that’s what school is for. I don’t have a “plan b” because I know for a fact fashion is my path no matter the obstacle. I always wonder how I’ll go about marketing my business considering I have no knowledge and expertise on the business side of fashion. I know we live in a social media age but there’s a science to becoming a millionaire off of the fashion industry. One more thing I’d say is a struggle is the math side of fashion. God, I hate it! I’ve never been a math fan and thought I’d be able to escape it in my adult life, but nope it comes with the territory. I’ll just learn to live with it and I won’t be in on it alone. I’m sure whoever my professor is will guide me through the math and science of fashion because I’m determined to design clothes that make my clients look and feel good.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am most proud of the time I sketched prom dresses out for my friends and I in high school and I looked forward to every fitting because I couldn’t believe that I was actually able to follow through with my dreams. So that was a HUGE proud moment for me because it was only a glimpse into what my future holds. I took pride in it and it really warmed my heart to see my friends beyond elated to rock my designs and support me. For now I’m a student, a fashion illustrator, stylist, but most importantly an up and coming fashion designer. The goal is to turn my fashion sketches into a reality. What makes my brand unique is I’m pretty out of touch with what other designers are doing, which may sound crazy because it’s like, “Well, where does she get her inspiration from if she isn’t watching the latest episode of Project Runway?” I’m really just in my own head and if not that, I find inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram, I don’t have a favorite designer in mind.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Believe it or not, school has been the proudest moment in my career because I’m getting hands-on knowledge about my career. Being in the company of other creatives just gives me great energy and it keeps me on toes. Keeps me thinking and inspired, keep my creative juices flowing. I wake up with purpose excited for the next class and lesson. It keeps me daydreaming of me being the new it girl in the fashion industry.
Contact Info:
- Email: zyahrandle05@gmail.com
- Instagram: @wildimaginationn
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