Meet Shay Jackson of Sort of Wild in Smyrna

Shay, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started developing a major love for fashion trends in college. I always had a love for it but wasn’t able to express it as much in my youth. I initially started as an architecture student at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, GA. Well, that didn’t work so much. I didn’t enjoy the restriction of creativity. I left that program and joined the school of Apparel and Textiles and absolutely LOVED it.

In 2010, my mother and father realized my potential in fashion and bought my very first sewing machine. That’s where it all began. I started making smaller things here and there and students around campus wanted to purchase my designs. That’s when I realized I have a lot of potential. I soon noticed that girls on campus always complimented my head wraps that I wore almost everyday. I didn’t think anything about it because I was a lazy college student that didn’t want to do my hair just to go to class for 50 minutes.  I then started purchasing fabrics and creating them on my own and selling them. That was going well for a few years and I also kept making other pieces to match. After going back and forth with myself on how I can make my brand reflect my personality, I developed a passion for tie dyeing. It is one of the only ways I felt like I can get exactly what I wanted with color, pattern, and style.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road. In 2017, I thought I met the perfect partner for Sort of Wild. It started off so well, but then she decided she did not want to work as hard as me to maintain progression. Sometimes teaching yourself to sew can be very frustrating as well. I still have a normal 9 to 5 job and I work on my craft afterward, so my days are extremely long.

Sort of Wild – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company is a fashion brand that incorporates art and fashion. I believe in being an individual in fashion; make peoples’ heads turn. My art is being told mostly through a special type of tie dye that I created. No art of work is the same and I push that type of feel through my brand. I treat natural textiles that start off all white and I add the color to it. Any time you purchase a piece from Sort of Wild, it cannot be duplicated, even if it is the same color as another client’s. All of my pieces are originals. I’m known for crazy, wacky tie dye – not the original kind from the 70’s. Its amazing to see that tie dye has become a major part of fashion and that I’ve been working on recreating the look since about 2014. At the same time, it makes it even harder because the major stream of fashion has taken it on, but hey, I love the challenge! I am so proud to say that my customers feel unique and original wearing my product. I’m still amazed at when I create new patterns; it never gets old!