Today we’d like to introduce you to Asia Shari Rivera.
Hi Asia Shari, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am the lead designer and Founder of B.L.O.W By Shari (Beauty Lies Only Within). I have been designing clothes personally for 10 years, I began designing while attending Wilberforce University, making trips to my hometown of New York City to select fabrics that touched my spirit and would provide inspiration for my up-and-coming lines. Along with Vintage Fabrics passed along to me from my Mother and Grandmother. Growing up learning how to sew was essential in my household. I initially started professionally designing with my cousin, Tiffany Rhodes, at Butch Diva, where she is the owner and lead designer. That’s when my designer creativity really began to take off. Throughout the years I have been professionally modeling in New York, Atlanta, and Miami, which only fine-tuned my attention to detail and I was able to learn new techniques in design.
Soon after, I created my vision, *BLOW* (Beauty Lies Only Within) and began to tackle the clothing industry. My inspiration for BLOW came from the fashion industry being rooted in superficiality and being about mainly exterior beauty versus interior. Through this fashion line, I hope to be an advocate and stand for inner beauty, education and community service for myself, my peers, and the youth we hope to positively impact. I came up with the name BLOW sitting in my cousin’s bedroom, she had a drawing of a dandelion and the petals were being blown and that was it!! I knew that was the name, that’s when I thought about what it could mean. Then contemplating over different meanings, I finally decided on Beauty Lies Only Within because I truly feel that way. I didn’t have a plan; I just went for it. I cut out my first collection and drove around with it in pieces for months because I didn’t have enough confidence in myself. Until my then-boyfriend encouraged me to go for it and decided to participate in my first fashion show. Since then BLOW has grown and we continue to grow daily. I am now a mother of 3 children who continue to be my inspiration. Overcoming postpartum depression has been a struggle and a daily goal to overcome.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a very rocky road. Being an independent designer has its struggles, from marketing alone and just the entire creative process. Building a business alone can be very exhausting, but finding my team and partner has been the greatest plus. COVID definitely hit my business hard, as we were gaining notary by doing NYFW and then the pandemic kind of hit us hard. Including my struggles with postpartum depression. Which I am an advocate for and trying to bring more awareness. I’ve had to fight my hardest battlers with myself.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a clothing designer. I consider my clothing line to be luxury ready to wear. I handcraft each design and sew them myself. Some things I’m most proud of would be showcasing my work in NYFW 2times, being invited to showcase in Paris, Oxford and Milan Fashion weeks. I haven’t gone yet but to know my brand is getting recognition worldwide is amazing! I’m also truly proud of overcoming postpartum depression and continuing to pursue my brand despite the setbacks. This March I will be showcasing in LA Fashion week. I’m very excited about the growth of my brand.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that part out about life…. As I get older different things to give me happiness. But as of today, the things that bring me the most joy are my children. They are my reason for living and continuing to push myself daily. They push me to be great, to push myself to be better for them.
Pricing:
- I strive to make luxury accessible. I have products from 25$ and up
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Blow_byshari
Image Credits
Cloud 9 visuals
