Meet Zayden of AVANT OPPIDAN in Downtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zayden.

Zayden, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started designing at a very early age. I want to say in high school. I always had an interest in fashion design and fashion illustration. In high school, I used to design my high school marching band Drill team uniforms and then I started designing prom dresses for seniors in high school. After high school, I decided to go to Alcorn State University where I received my bachelors of science degree in business administration. After doing a lot of soul searching, I wanted to take a different direction and fashion was it. So, I applied to Scad and got an Academic scholarship. Originally, my major was luxury fashion management. What made me switch to fashion design was that I took an elective which was fashion illustration. A lot of the students looked at me crazy because I was a business student taking a creative fashion class. But when I’ve produced pretty good work, my Professor Aeran Parks saw a lot of potentials in me and suggested that I switched my major to fashion design. I honestly have to say that was the best decision I ever made thanks to her.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was a very difficult road. As an African-American designer, sometimes I felt like I was overlooked or wasn’t as creative. Some of my struggles were making my voice heard. Standing my ground to prove that I did have what it took to be an amazing fashion designer.

AVANT OPPIDAN – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The name of my business is AVANT OPPIDAN. I specialize in men and women’s wear. I’m pretty much known for my bold prints, attention to detail, cohesive looks and my aesthetic of merging avant-garde and streetwear. I’m proud to be able to accomplish an impactful collection called “The Perception of us,” the misrepresentation of black designers in the fashion. And receiving my masters of fine arts degree in fashion design from SCAD. What sets me apart from others is that I believe when I create beauty, I think about how it would impact our society and what difference I can make in it.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success with hard work and putting in the work. Success to me is when you’re able to make a difference and make people open up their eyes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brandonzaydenskipp.wixsite.com/avant-oppidan
• Phone: 4044476244
• Email: brandonzaydenskipper@gmail.com
• Instagram: Zaydenthedesigner@instragram

Image Credit:
Designer: Zayden, Photogragher: Wynton Harvey, Models: Paris Ugbesia, Garmai Kolubah, Simone Denise Cutler, Asha Simpson, La Zyrick Middlebrook, Anami Hanyes, Derriyon Winn’s, Justin Benford, Sponsor: Swarovski

Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.