Today we’d like to introduce you to Aliyah Jones.
Hi Aliyah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was always into fashion since I was a little girl! I would cut up my dad’s clothes (sorry dad, lol) and create outfits for myself and I attended a fashion show with my mom and older sister which grew a more fonder love of fashion over the years. I was always into painting and drawing and I would always drew fashion illustrations growing up while I sat and watched America’s Next Top Model imagining that one day models would wear my clothes. I worked really hard in school in order to get into my dream college Parson The New School of Design; one of the top fashion colleges in the world (alumnis include; Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, etc.). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go due to how high the tuition was and I would’ve been in 100,000+ debt for the rest of my life! I was devastated to say the least and I felt like all my hard work didn’t pay off like I thought it would and sadly, I went into a deep depression because of that. I was watching and seeing the peers that I was supposed to go to school with prosper in NYC and creating their platform in the city of my dreams and I was very sad that I wasn’t a part of that college experience that I worked hard for. I attended community college for about a month then dropped out because my heart wasn’t in it and my life was spiraling because of my depression. I created my clothing line during my college application for Parsons actually back in 2015-2016 and I had to curate a digital portfolio of a future fashion collection and I took it very serious. I figured out the name of my brand ARMINO which means WARRIOR and SOLDIER in Teutonic origin and thought the name was very unique and different. I connected with the name immensely because I went through a lot of racial stuff in the predominantly white schools that I attended that traumatized me growing up which affected me a lot as a young girl. I am a warrior because of those situations that I had been in during those adolescents time periods and I definitely became super connected with my brand name after I was victim of domestic violence from the beginning of my adulthood. Not many people know this; only a few but now I’m sharing this with the world to connect with other individuals that have been in my shoes. I am a warrior because I didn’t allow my life to slip away after that incident. I lost myself in the process but luckily my ambition, drive and creativity kept me alive. It’s interesting that whenever I felt like I didn’t have a purpose in this world; I always turned to my craft of fashion through the pain that I was feeling which helped a lot.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would be lying if I said this road of being a fashion designer has been smooth but to be honest, it was bumpy from the beginning due to what was going on in my personal life but now since I’ve been attending therapy and focusing on my mental health my company has slowly but surely been growing into the brand that I had envision back in 2015-2016 BUT better! I think the only struggle that I have encountered is finding the right investors and grants that believe in my vision but luckily good things have been happening in that area thanks to the mentors and people that I am aligned with now.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a fashion designer that creates Luxury Streetwear Designs. ARMINO WU was created to bring you the latest in streetwear clothing that has a twang of luxury to each and every item. Our goal is to become the largest retail store that caters to individuals that love to intertwine Luxury+Streetwear into their everyday wardrobe. I am super proud that I’ve been able to be consistent with my brand and with all the hard work that I’ve been putting in a lot of great things are coming back to me in ten folds! What sets me and my company apart from other companies is that; there is a deep-rooted meaning behind the name of my brand and the things that I want to do with it within my community. ARMINO means warrior and everyone is a warrior in my eyes regarding any hardships that you may have dealt with and things that you may have overcame or are currently overcoming. I want everyone to wear ARMINO with pride just like me! Everyone has a story to tell and no one is perfect at all-including me. With my company, I want to continue to share my personal story and also give the opportunity for others to share their own warrior story through the ARMINO platform. I want to be able to use the revenue from company to create a jobs for young creatives within my company and to give back to the community by doing clothing drives and etc.!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I want everyone to continue to follow your dreams and try to live life without any regrets! Life is too short to not do the things that you love just because other people/peers aren’t doing it. Follow @ARMINOWU on Instagram for more fashion content and I will be announcing upcoming fashion shows that I will be participating in to showcase my work! Shop now at www.arminowu.com!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arminowu.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arminowu/
