My name is Chisom Chiedu-Okoaraba and we're going to rewind back to when I was 16-years-old and in High School. I learned a technique for drawing human figures in Art Class and discovered that I can design clothes with that technique and ideas started popping up in my head after that. I started designing women's clothing and decided that I wanted to be a Fashion Designer and start my own women's clothes shop. Hip-Hop was very influential on mainstream fashion at the time with Velour Jumpsuits, Airbrushing on T-Shirts, Dresses and Jeans and my designs had more of a Hip-Hop feel because I was inspired by that. I wanted to attend the Art Institute of Seattle but my parents were not supportive. 

I put my dreams in the back burner and decided to study Sociology because I found studying society's influence on Human Behavior interesting.

I enjoyed studying Sociology because I got to learn about society's impact on people and I also enjoyed conducting research. My interest in Fashion never went away and I found myself involved in Fashion by joining the Fashion Club on campus and participating twice in the runway shows conducted by the club. 

 

I went on to study for my Master's in Human Resources Management after I decided that Law is not for me. While studying for my Master's, I was asking myself "is this what you really want to do?" I started watching Project Runway around that time because it appealed to the designer in me and then I decided to pursue my dreams after I graduated with my Master's. 

 

I've been fortunate to start my clothes shop at a time when there are resources that can be utilized for starting and operating a clothes shop. I read books about starting a clothes shop to give me insight into what I need to start a clothes shop. I was also fortunate to work with a consultant that has been working in the fashion industry and introduced me to Development and Production. 

The Makalia Clothes Shop opened up shop on March 2018 and I am now on an exciting journey of pursuing my dreams and I can tolerate the challenges because I'm doing what I enjoy.