Today we’d like to introduce you to Jelinda Smith.
Jelinda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Better known as @shesafashionlover on my social sites! I am a fashion blogger and stylist from Decatur, IL! Growing up in a small town can make you either comfortable with small cities or eager to get to a big one! I have been itching to get to a big city my entire life! I started blogging and building a social presence around 2013. It took me a few years to find my focus. I wanted my brand to represent me but also represent things I care about.
After Sandra Bland was killed in 2015, I knew I had to find a way to CAREFULLY and FASHIONABLY spread a message that people would understand. I came up with the idea to create a purses with the names of people affected by police brutality. My goal is NOT to have a new fashion piece! My goal is to START A CONVERSATION. These bags are more than just names to me, they are voices that are no longer heard! I see now that these bags spread knowledge and awareness of their unfair situations. Often times, I find myself educating people while shopping or even getting gas! Until now, not ALL stories were heard!
The facts are, countless black people are losing their lives FOR NO REASON. I cannot watch from the sidelines and hope for better days. It is time for me to use my voice! Even with the upcoming election, we need to use our voices! I’ve created a few pieces to encourage people to get out and vote!
I decided to make a political yet fashionable statement through my art! I started to think…who will we be remembering next? Who will be the next hashtag? This is my way of spreading a message! There is so much further we need to go, but first I plan on SPARKING the conversation!
As time went on, I started to gain momentum and a following of people that support my work! Though COVID has been extremely unfortunate, it gave me time to unlock new creativity inside myself. I’m most known for my bright colors and unique perspectives on style! Some of my recent work was featured on Fashion Bomb Daily, as well as the August Edition of Essence Magazine!
I’m just grateful to find my footing here in the fashion industry, though there is SO MUCH MORE I need to accomplish!
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?
Accomplishing my goal as an influencer has not been easy in any way. This generation moves QUICKLY. I feel like it is so much pressure to own your own business, have an awesome car, dope apartment, basically flex on EVERYBOD! It seems like a lot of people are rushing to complete goals to keep up with the next. I’m trying to keep my head grounded and realize success is not a race. Even though I wish I could get there, like tomorrow…RIHANNA WAS NOT A FASHION MOGUL IN A DAY!
I stated earlier that I’ve been blogging since 2013. At the time, I was in college. I had no idea that I needed a legit camera or even a photographer at the time….so I pulled out my blue iPhone 5 and used my timer app! I would set my phone on a chair or the steps in my apartment and make magic in 5…4…3…2….1!
From 2013-2018, I started to build a following that loved my looks! One day I logged on my gram and saw that I send like 150 messages to people about losing weight! I’m like……now wait a minute…I know I didn’t send these! I tried changing my password, but it was already too late. Somebody hacked my page. I later found out they got into my email as well. My following of 10,000 followers was NO MORE! It really took a toll on me for about a year. I couldn’t imagine starting from scratch. I thought people wouldn’t take me seriously if I didn’t have a certain amount of followers. Little did I know, losing my account was the best thing that could’ve happened to me! Once I started over, I gained for genuine followers that interact and support me! I realized that I didn’t want to be so perfect or serious on my social media pages. I wanted to post food that I ate, post selfies with my makeup not slayed to the Gods, just let my guard down more!
One of my roughest obstacles has been moving to New York City! Growing up in a small town, you can start to doubt yourself. You wonder, can I make it in a big city? And the answer is, you’ll never know if you don’t take that leap! I have always had the dream of living in the Big Apple! New York has been the fashion capital of the US for SOOOO LONG! I’ve been planning and saving for so many years. This year I planned on moving around April, but after COVID-19 hit, I’ve decided to take a few steps back and plan to move at a later date.
I would say I’ve learned that sometimes even a loss can be flipped into a win! I’ve taken the money I was going to use to move and invested it into my business aspirations!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My brand, Shesafashionlover is an inspirational hub for creatives. So many times in my life, I’ve heard, “You can’t do more than one thing” or ‘You can’t have your hand in too many pots.” I COMPLETELY DISAGREE! In today’s time, my goal is to obtain multiple streams of income. You can focus on one career path if you like, but if you choose to have multiple passions, you can accomplish them all! Shesafashionlover is for all fashion lovers around the world!
Right now, I am my business. I am a walking, talking billboard for myself! I create custom pieces and sell them on my website. I style, model, and photograph my own fashion shoots, as well as others. I design and create content for Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram, and a variety of other social media platforms. Right now, I am working on collaborating with brands on creating and marketing custom campaigns.
My goal is to represent for the creative person that has many talents!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I have always been obsessed with fashion! Seriously, my mother was shopping when her water broke with me! My elementary school wore uniforms. So from kindergarten-sixth grade, I learned how to make small statements! I used to ask myself, “What can I do to make a light blue polo and navy blue pants stand out?” I came up with matching my shoes, shoe strings, to my belt, to my hair bows/clips, and earrings! I quickly became known as the fashion girl! The only problem was when I got to middle school…I had no idea how to dress! I got so comfortable wearing a uniform everyday that I forgot what it meant to wear jeans to school! I ended up just throwing things together that probably shouldn’t go together and that’s how my quirky style was developed!
As I mentioned earlier, my mother’s water broke while shopping! She was a fashion model in my hometown for many years of her life. My mother was very serious about our family-style! She would usually match the entire family on Sundays! (Mom, dad, older sister, and I) She would say, “Whenever you step out the house, you should look presentable.” That stuck with me. As years went on, I became the one that started styling the family in certain colors or patterns. We will still pull out a matching look till this day!
When you get to know me, you will learn that I am extremely goofy. I am very outgoing, creative, and friendly! Growing up, all of my friends would say I was going to eventually be a fashion designer or a comedian! I’m still receptive to both options!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sheisafashionlover.weebly.com/
- Phone: (217) 530-7998
- Email: jelinda_smith@yahoo.com
- Instagram: shesafashionlover
- Facebook: Jelinda Smith
- Twitter: linda_bruhh
- Other: Youtube: Shesafashionlover
Image Credit:
Lyric Newbern
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