Today we’d like to introduce you to Bakir Howard.
Bakir, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, I watched in admiration my aunt dress up on all occasions in feminine pieces and beautiful jewels and she consistently dressed me in fluffy skirts, ruffle socks and put big ribbons in my ponytails. As a teen, I always flipped through that gigantic JC Penny catalog and circled EVERYTHING I wanted, I knew the trends before they even hit the scene but never spoke of them or attempted to rock them because I thought I’d be made fun of. It wasn’t until my senior year in high school that I realized how creative In fashion I was, my friends always told me how dope something I put together was. I never
imagined that I could live a life in a professional career in the fashion industry so I went to college at Texas Southern University in Houston and majored in communications (radio/tv).
After I completed undergrad, little did I know, I would actually be moving to NYC a year later to attend fashion school at Katharine Gibbs School-NY. There I learned how to sew and construct garments, illustrate figures, create patterns, and put together press packets. I was voted the president of the fashion committee which allowed me along with a team to put together a fashion show every quarter. My first year in school, I met a really dope photographer who was doing a shoot for Essence magazine and I had the pleasure of assisting him on his photo shoot. I worked at retail stores like Banana Republic, Pookie and Sebastian, Macy’s(Times Square) and Saks Fifth Ave. Upon graduation, I landed an intern with an apparel company and was then put in contact to assist a celebrity wardrobe stylist who now has a major clientele such as Serena Williams and James Harden to name a few. In my time of working as an assistant stylist, I then developed my niche for creating looks around accessories and that’s when the idea of LACE ARMOR was only thought of. I felt like I was good at what I did but I was afraid of my ability to perform at my greatest and to step of my comfort zone so my dream of becoming who I wanted to be in the fashion industry didn’t happen… at least not at that moment in my life.
Fast forward to ten years later and I still had a dream and a vision and I no longer wanted to let the fear of failing stop me from creating what I always dreamed of. LACE ARMOR was birthed from a place of love and passion and it was created from strength, courage, and sacrifice.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This has not been a smooth ride but well worth it, there are moments when I’m overwhelmed to where I want to give up and sometimes don’t know what to do next. I’ve made some financial mistakes and I’m still learning the business of an entrepreneur. As a newbie in the entrepreneurial world, we don’t see the grunt work and the messy behind the scenes so most people think it’s easy and I’m raising my hand letting you know it isn’t. If I could give any advice to women and particularly young women, I’d say do as much research as possible because mostly everything is accessible to us nowadays. Keep persevering and be consistent and don’t be afraid to mess up.
We’d love to hear more about LACE ARMOR fashion accessories.
LACE ARMOR is an online based fashion accessories brand. We are known for our bold statement pieces. On www.lacearmor.com, you will find bold, edgy and glamorous necklaces, chokers, and earrings. What sets us apart is that we love making people smile through fashion, being comfortable in their own skin, and stepping out of their comfort zones of feeling like they have to be limited to what they can or can’t wear. We have something just for you, for the bold, for the modest, or for the glamour girl. We pride ourselves on connecting with our customers so customer service is our gateway to creating a space for you to get great service while shopping for some dope pieces.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Being a newbie in the industry of entrepreneurship definitely has its ups and downs and if I can be frank, it’s not always nice, but don’t give up. It takes time to find and create genuine connections. Don’t be afraid to get out there to events and show off your brand, slide into people’s DM’s tactfully and email those that you would like to connect with; make people see you. Being consistent in networking is just as important as being consistent on your social sites. I’m still learning every day and trying new ways to connect. I’m naturally an introvert so this was/is an area that I have to continue to get stronger at. It’s important to be relatable so when finding a
mentor, it’s important to also know who you are and how you can relate to who you’re interested in working or connecting with.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lacearmor.com
- Email: armor.lacearmor@gmail.com
- Instagram: @shoplacearmor
- Facebook: @shoplacearmor
Image Credit:
www.lacearmor.com
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