I’ve always loved fashion—especially vegan fashion. Alongside good food, dancing like a fool, and a lifelong love of animals, clothes were one of my earliest passions. Every weekend Nana and my mom let me rummage through their closets to play dress-up. I’d drape myself in long dresses, slip into fancy hats and high heels, and perform a one-model-only fashion show while they watched.
My aunt Anna kept boxes of fashion magazines that I’d pore over for hours, mesmerized by colors, shapes, and textures. She also had boxes of sewing supplies—thread, fabrics, buttons, zippers—and I loved picking through them and imagining new garments.
Living in a house full of women made it easy to love fashion. Nana, who sold clothing in Philadelphia before moving to Atlanta, is the most stylish grandmother I know. She taught me how to choose the right size and evaluate quality, and she always reminded me that appearance influences how the world perceives you and the opportunities that come your way. It’s a blunt truth about the world’s shallowness, but advice I still carry with me.
With a fashion-forward family—my dad appreciates great clothes too—I learned to use clothing as a form of self-expression. I’ve cycled through many style phases: afro-centric and natural, short-skirted and bold, preppy, yoga-lazy, and periods where I simply didn’t care about fashion. These days I’m drawn to black, interesting silhouettes, and the occasional pop of color.
All of this background made it especially meaningful when Refinery29 and TJMaxx contacted me about a career and vegan fashion feature. I allowed the stylist to dress me in pieces I might never have chosen myself, and the experience was empowering. Wearing those outfits gave me the confidence to experiment more and inspired me to share my love of vegan fashion with you.
Below are some of my favorite photos from the shoot and feature. I’m grateful for the opportunity to highlight career, style, and conscious fashion in one place.
Would you like to see more vegan fashion content on Sweet Potato Soul? I’d love to hear what styles and ideas interest you.
