Today we’d like to introduce you to Emina Mujkanovic.
Hi Emina, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my business about a year ago because of my love of unique fashion. I’ve always been into fashion since I was young, and as I’ve grown and come into myself, I’ve found myself wanting to stand out and have outfits/ pieces of clothing that I don’t see anyone else wearing. It was hard to find affordable pieces like this in regular stores, and thrift stores have unique pieces but it’s hard to find exactly what you want sometimes. I used to get frustrated about it and say “I should just start making my own clothes” sort of in a joking way but it was always a thought in the back of my head.
When covid hit and quarantine had just started I had a lot of free time, so I wanted to pick up a hobby. The first thing that interested me was sewing. I had spent a lot of time on TikTok and was seeing a lot of people do “thrift flips”, even making their own clothes from scratch and they were making it look easy. Thats when I decided I was gonna get a sewing machine and try to do it myself, and let me tell you, it was not easy learning to sew. I started out by doing thrift flips just to learn basic skills and I started to get better. eventually I wanted to start selling these clothes that I was making. I wanted to just sell reworked items, but I wanted something even more original and something that I created from scratch. Thats where the idea to start a business came from.
Peshi is brand that embraces individuality. That was my most important value when I started to market my brand. I made pieces that made me feel one of a kind and I wanted people to feel that same way when wearing Peshi. I also wanted my pieces to be something that any person could wear, so I don’t market my clothing as women’s clothing. It’s all inclusive, and anyone who wants to stand out and feel unique can and should wear it!
I’m still learning how to grow my business and handle everything behind the scenes on my own, but so far its been a great journey. I’m continuing to design and create pieces that I’m proud of, and I’m excited to see where and how far it can take me!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Being the only person running my business has definitely been a challenge. I’m still navigating how things are supposed to work to this day. There are times where I lose motivation or lose confidence in myself and I’m the only person in those situations that can pick myself up. I don’t have a team or a partner to pick up the slack when I’m not 100%. So, that has definitely been the hardest struggle along this whole journey, being disciplined and respecting my time and my goals. It’s to be expected when first starting out a business, so I don’t make myself feel bad for it, I just try to learn from the harder times and continue to do better.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I was raised as a first-generation American, so throughout my childhood the only career paths I was encouraged to go down were being a doctor, lawyer, or anything in the medical field really. I went to college and studied biology to go to vet school, and in my 5th year of college I decided that it wasn’t for me. I wanted to have a career where I could create things and work with other creative people. It was a really big decision for me but I’m so happy now that I did make that decision. Since I made that change in my life, I’ve had so many cool opportunities. It was pretty slow at first because I made the decision right before covid hit, but I started to pick up styling because I love fashion so much. I had a mentor named Keyanna Harris and she taught me everything I know about styling. I’ve assisted her with a few different events and shoots and I’ve also worked with celebrity stylist Ade Samuel, and she is such an inspiration. It was amazing to work alongside someone who’s worked with so many amazing people and who’s been in the industry for so long. I learned some valuable skills as well. My most recent big styling job was for Angel and Dren. I was head stylist for two of their music videos and it was an incredible experience.
Aside from styling, I also have my brand Peshi, of course, and I have another business with my best friends called Flamingo Bois. We make clothing as well, but it’s a very different vibe from Peshi. I’m the type of person that cannot just be doing one thing. I have so many interests and appreciation for so many different aesthetics. It makes me a very versatile person and I’m really proud of myself for that. I feel like it gives my life so much variety and if I ever become uninterested in one thing, I know it will never be an issue for me because I can pick up something else so quickly. It makes my life interesting and it makes it so that I meet so many new and different people and I really appreciate that.
What’s next?
I plan on just putting as much time and effort into all of my creative endeavors in hope that it will continue to grow! Peshi is my main priority right now but I have so many other things that I’m working on, on top of that! I want to still branch out and do even more things in the fashion industry. I don’t have any big changes planned for now but I’m always open to new and crazy opportunities so here’s hoping something comes my way!
Contact Info:
- Email: peshistyling@gmail.com
- Website: www.peshithelabel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilpeshi/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/peshithelabel/
