Today we’d like to introduce you to Janisha Cain.
Janisha, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always had a love for fashion. I think it really started when I was little and my mother and aunt would attend the Ebony Fashion Fair Show every year and would take me with them. I was so intrigued by the show and the outfits that came down the runway. My great grandmother was a costume jewelry collector and I would spend hours playing in it! I didn’t really know that fashion styling was a career until the mid to late 90s, the first stylist I ever saw was June Ambrose and then Rachel Zoe and thought to myself “That is an awesome job, I would love to do that! I always wanted to be in the fashion industry but I let fear take over and went to go to college, graduate, and get a good corporate job route. I kind of put my dreams aside because in my mind back then, if I wasn’t in New York or L.A. I didn’t see it happening for me. I graduated with a degree in healthcare but just wasn’t a passion of mine. It was around 2016 when I had to really sit down and say to myself, “Are you really happy with what you’re doing?” and the answer was a quick “Of course not!” I had to really shift my mindset and figure out how to follow my dreams and what steps could I take to get into a career as a stylist I would help style for photoshoots of some of my friends businesses, but I was still seeking more knowledge and ways to learn about the business. Around that time, I came upon Shun Melson’s IG page who is a celebrity stylist in Atlanta. She was the first stylist I had ever seen that was in the south and she was also holding classes for aspiring stylists. At that point, I said “Ok I have to go to this” I kept missing the class year after year due to lack of funds to go. When Shun announced at the beginning of 2019 that she would be having one in May, I prayed daily that I would be able to take the class. I was able to take it and it was the best experience ever! So I’ve been working on advancing my career forward ever since,
Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not! There have been a lot of setbacks, from 2017 until about mid-2018 I had to put my business on the backburner due to lack of money. As a stylist, it’s very important to have our finances and credit together because you’ll more than likely be doing alot of free work starting out to build your portfolio and you are responsible for bringing clothes, accessories, and shoes on set for photoshoots. Networking and building relationships is key, I struggle with that a lot, I’m a true introvert I like to be behind the scenes but I’m learning to be more open and conversational because you never know that next conversation with a random person could land you a new client, I also struggle with balance since I still work a full time 9-5 job, I can’t fully devote all my time to styling and developing a consistent client base as I’d like to.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m a fashion/personal stylist but I also do closet organization and personal shopping. People are busy with their businesses and other things going on in their life, they want to look good but don’t have time to shop or just don’t know how to put things together to create a look. That’s where I come in, I take that stress of that away by helping develop your own personal style that suits you! A lot of times we have stuff to wear but the closet is a mess so it makes it harder to put outfits together, organizing your closet gives you a better look at what you have and helps tremendously when trying to find something to wear. I would say one of the things I am best known for is my attention to detail. What sets me apart is that I don’t really like to always follow trends…I say there is no such thing as “That’s out of style” or “No one wears that anymore” if it looks good on you WEAR IT! As we can see, fashion always repeats itself, so what may not be in style anymore now will always make a comeback whether it’s next year, five years, or ten years from now.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely! I think Atlanta is one of the best places for fashion and a career as a stylist!
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@janishacain.com
- Instagram: @jcodestyle
Image Credit:
FITH Creative
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