Today we’d like to introduce you to Mya Johnson.
Hi Mya, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It all started with a love for clothes that over time shifted into a passion for fashion. Since the age of 8, I loved clothes; the way it provided me a sense of self and an outlet for expression. Over time, it became deeper than just liking clothes. At 15, I started doing simple projects with clothing like painting them but it was not enough for my creative side. I wanted more out of it. I wanted to make clothing from scratch. In response, at 16 I started teaching myself how to sew but I was very inconsistent, so for a while I was not making much progress.
However, I was getting so many orders from people I went to school with to paint their clothes or sew them a pair of stacked pants, which were a trend at the time. As I was doing these small projects here and there, I started taking sewing more seriously. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and all of a sudden the world stopped…but it led to me having so much more time on my hands, especially because school went from full-time in person to a somewhat “part-time” remote setting.
Fasting forward, my last two years of high school were spent at home where I barely was doing any work and more so spending every single day sewing. Throughout this time period, I had officially decided on wanting to be a luxury fashion designer. I knew for a while before that I was interested in this specific area of fashion due to the aesthetic, marketing, exclusivity and craftsmanship, but I had not actually decided on it because I had kept trying easy routes to fulfill my fashion interests but it was just never enough for my creative drive, which led to me jumping into my true purpose. I needed a challenge and the things I were doing before was to easy and unfulfilling.
While I was in high school, I worked at American Eagle and due to the pandemic, I was furloughed. Because of the furlough, like many others, I was able to file for unemployment. As stated previously, by this point I knew I wanted to be a luxury fashion designer and do more than just make clothes randomly, so I had used most of my money from unemployment to trademark my soon-to-be brand name that I had in my head for two years, XclúJohn. Why was this the first thing I did? Because I wanted to be taken seriously and I knew XclúJohn was such a unique name…and that it would be big one day. I had not once mentioned it to anybody and there was and still is not one brand that has a name like mine. It also fits very well with my reasoning for even getting into luxury fashion, which I can explain at some point in another interview, but just know everything ties together and tells a story.
While XclúJohn was in the process of being registered as a trademark (took a year), I was getting better at my craft, still teaching myself how to sew all while finishing high school and getting my Associate Degree, as I was a dual enrollment student. I then finally graduated high school at 18 in 2021 with my Associate’s and that summer, I announced XclúJohn. This was just to get my social media accounts growing so that when I did start releasing pieces, I’d have an audience to sell to. I also did a few fashion shows, alongside other designers just so I could get my “feet wet” in how fashion shows are run but I was not actually selling anything, as I went on to get my Bachelor’s Degree & was working at a marketing agency to have funding for my business, which took up a lot of my time. However, I was still perfecting my craft and taking bespoke orders when I had time to do so.
I’ve now finished college with my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing and am now preparing my first Fall/Winter collection, which will include a menswear debut! I am hoping to have the financial ability to present the collection during an invite-only show before the release but of course quality fashion shows take a lot of money and as I stated previously, funding everything myself is a bit challenging…but where there’s a will, there’s a way! I am so happy that I went ahead to finish school. Now I can focus on my craft and put forth my utmost effort in finding myself in the fashion industry and becoming a luxury fashion designer who provides quality, hand-crafted, and exclusive garments with no interruptions. To be so young and so early in my story and have already accomplished so much, I am beyond excited and hopeful for what the world of fashion has in store for me!
Alright, 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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road due to many interruptions like school, which I no longer have to deal with, imposter syndrome, which I am still getting through and funding problems, which I run into often. I am a 20 years old young woman funding my business myself and figuring things out as I go. There is no big corporation behind me helping fund XclúJohn. No one is throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars at me to be able to purchase quality fabrics and materials. No one is giving me money to buy all the tools and machinery needed to run a fashion business. I don’t have $20,000 just sitting to the side to use whenever for marketing. I do not come from a rich family with connections to the most powerful people in the fashion industry who can just push me heavily in the media and I randomly blow up.
Everything about XclúJohn is being built from the ground up. It’s a process and sometimes I think people forget that. I am still new to this. I am still learning. It’s not easy when you’re finding yourself and also trying to figure out how you’re going make your dreams a reality at the same time. There is no blueprint for this. There is no right way to go about becoming a luxury fashion designer. I can’t say I know the “how”. I just bet on myself and have faith that all of the blood, sweat, tears, money and effort I am putting into XclúJohn, will work in my favor. And that alone is a struggle…because when reality kicks in, you realize that while it is amazing to think and dream big, actually acting on those big dreams is a huge risk.
We’ve been impressed with XclúJohn, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
XclúJohn is an emerging independent luxury fashion brand focusing on well-crafted, exclusive garments in a manner that ties art & couture together in a timeless, wearable way.
What is XclúJohn’s mission?
To tell a story through exclusive, timeless pieces, to bring forth unity & highlight equality, to embrace hand craftsmanship, to provide a lavish experience, to ignore society’s expectations, to re-establish the true meaning of luxury through a modern approach, to wear XclúJohn.
Our bottom line is to provide extremely limited, timeless handmade pieces to the modern fashionable wo(man) who values true exclusivity.
What sets XclúJohn apart from other luxury fashion brands?
1. Garments are made to order by hand in-house, in aims to be more sustainable & provide a higher quality product(s).
2. We are not a mass-production brand. We do not outsource for production. We minimize the use of auto machinery to focus on hand-craftsmanship. We will aim to stay this way, regardless of how big the brand becomes.
3. Once a product has reached its maximum sell quantity (implemented to keep items limited & exclusive), it will then be sold out and will not return. We are a brand that provides genuine exclusivity. It is not just used as a marketing tactic.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was definitely referred to as the confident, competitive, bubbly, happy and ambitious girl who could not stick to one thing. I wanted to do every sport. I wanted to be in every school program. I was very athletic and energetic. And overall, I was and still am extremely joyful, confident and ambitious. Anything I want, I work for. I try my best to stay in a positive headspace and I am always down to make a room full of people laugh.
Sports I played included swimming, softball, gymnastics and cheer, which I spent most of my time in & was amazing at it! Just like the old days I am still active, joyful, creative, ambitious and driven to accomplish all of the things I set my mind to.
Contact Info:
- Website: xclujohn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamxclujohn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xclujohn
Image Credits
Adreamvisionent
