We’re looking forward to introducing you to Avnah Long. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Avnah, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day always begin with prayer, thankfulness of a new day, watering my garden and reading my Bible. I feel it sets the tone of my day and makes my day flow smoothly when I have a few moments with God before I speak to anyone else.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Avnah Long, and I am the CEO, Head fashion designer behind the clothing brand AVNAH and the CEO of AVNAH Organics, a hair and skin care line available online at Walmart. With a diverse background as a costume designer and seamstress for film and television, I bring creativity and craftsmanship to every project I undertake.
In addition to my work in fashion and beauty, I am a Master Cosmetologist, published Author, and Chief Executive Officer of AVNAH Fashion Exhibition Inc., a newly founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
AVNAH Fashion Exhibition Inc. was established to bridge the gap for youth and underserved communities through education, trade skill awareness, art, and fashion. We accomplish this through immersive fashion exhibitions, educational programming, creative workshops, and trade skill development.
Our mission is to empower aspiring designers, underserved youth, and marginalized communities by fostering artistic expression, providing access to industry resources, and cultivating the next generation of creative talent in the fashion industry. I am excited to merge fashion with the youth and community to make an impactful difference and develop future leaders. For more information on our non profit you can visit www.avnahfashionexhibit.com
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
God saw me clearly before I could see myself… I know it sounds strange but it is so true. As a child and teenager I struggled a lot with things that were happening to me, around me and internally about who I really was but I always knew and had a relationship with God. Part of knowing Him was going to church and attending a private school in Ohio called Walkings Christian Academy. Thats when I became really close to God and I never let him go. Throughout my life and growing up, I had many failures. I had many things happen to me and around me by adults I trusted or depended on. I became a teenage Mom, I struggled in school and my life was just uncertain to me to the point I didn’t think I was good enough, I didn’t think much about myself at all. I tried to do the best I could in the environment I was in. As a child we don’t make a lot of decisions for ourselves and I promised myself when I was old enough to make changes for myself I would. Even though I was going through so much in my youth God would always sent me downloads and visuals of myself that I didn’t understand because they were in this light that I never saw myself. He would show me doing this, doing that, becoming a better version on myself, and I would just be blown away because I never thought I could ever obtain the visions He was showing me. As I got older and more secure I started trusting Him more. Stepping out on faith, being obedient to His word, Trying harder, pushing myself more, stying the course and keeping God the head of my life and the visions He gave me began to come to fruition. Everything He showed me began to happen for me once I truly surrendered my life to Christ and acting on the visions he showed me. So I can definitely say God saw who I was despite the pain, the uncertainty, the trauma…. God saw me clearly before I could see myself.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I have definitely felt the feeling of giving up before but I always remember that I fought so hard to be where I am and I’ve worked so hard to establish everything that I have, so that it’s not an option. To me giving up tells my adult children to give up, it tells my grand children to give up and it shows those that look up to me to throw in the towel as well. It also would be disappointing to so many people that have poured into me and helped develop my path throughout my career. It would just affect a lot of people to give up. However I do know I can’t do this forever and when that time comes, I will have someone in place to continue what I’ve built.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say my family, my peace and relationship God is what really matters to me. It’s really the little things that bring me joy like the sound of my grandkids playing, walks in the park, the sounds of the beach waves, wind blowing against my skin… the smell of rain. The little things are what truly matter to me.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people will say she was resilient. That she overcame everything that could have destroyed her and she did it beautifully with God by her side.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.avnah.com www.avnahfashionexhibit.com
- Instagram: @avnah
- Twitter: @avnah
- Facebook: @avnahcollection
Image Credits
Photographer: Kristopher Long
Models: Mikayla Mraz and Aneesah Hanan.
