Today we’d like to introduce you to Jahkyah Harris.
Hi Jahkyah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Jahkyah, pronounced Jah•Ky•Yah, I am 21 years old, attending the University of West Georgia. I will be graduating in May with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology. College, particularly this school, has given me the opportunity to express myself. In an environment with new people and different opportunities, school has been my outlet of creativity. At a young age, I’ve always tried things that would differentiate me from other people. In middle school, I would add bowties, suspenders, sweaters, or socks to spice up just wearing a white button-up shirt with khaki bottoms. The same pattern rolled over to high school, but this time earned me the superlative of “Best Dressed”. Ever since I knew fashion would open many doors and opportunities for me. Moving to Atlanta from New Jersey was a huge cultural difference, especially with fashion. Atlanta is a predominantly black city, where culture was born and black opulence is an everyday thing. Seeing people who look like me in luxury gives me a boost of confidence and comfort.
I gained the confidence to create a social platform and share my growth with people. Being people’s inspiration and influencing their aspirations makes me want to become a better version of myself.
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?
No road in life is a smooth one; but it still gets us to where we’re going. One of my biggest struggles was maintaining my mental health. During my teen years, I faced a crisis of self-identity. I didn’t want to be like anyone, but I wanted to impress everyone. I was too busy trying to be someone I wasn’t; I forgot how to be myself. I was entering my twenties with no concept of self-love.
At the age of 21, you’re at the legal age of being an adult. Everyone expects you to have your entire life planned out. You’re supposed to be independent and on your feet. As I got older, I definitely felt pressure from the world. There was a point in my life where I questioned everything I do and I would often compare my life to people.
Having unstable mental health created anxiety, where everything about social media made me anxious. In order to overcome this, I had to detach myself and expose myself to reality. Social media can be real, but you choose what parts are real.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One of my favorite things about fashion is that everyone may follow trends, but people make it in their own style. Fashion is an area I specialize in and dedicate my life to because it’s not about the clothes; it’s about how the individual styles it, which is why one of my aspirations is originality. I am known to be someone’s aspiration rather than inspiration with the help of fashion. I want to help them become comfortable and familiar with themselves. I am proud of creating a safe space for people to be satisfied with not knowing themselves yet. Because no one is the same, I think it’s important to normalize illustrating growth in individuality.
I am known for creating fashion styles based off of music. Besides people, music and fashion are the most diverse things to exist. My name on my platforms is Reinberrie. The name originates from a song by one of my favorite artists, Zayn ‘Rainberry”. And I chose this because I knew music influences my style the most. I use music to be creative and to develop a fashion style. When I create reels, I would choose the song that compliments my outfit or I would put a caption from a song that matches the best. Using music to influence my fashion introduced me to many music genres and bought me idealistic opportunities. After being introduced to new musical genres, fashion became a passion. When it came to music, fashion, and media, I was introduced to different cultures.
Atlanta is a cultural place to live, known for its thriving hip-hop culture, fashion here is really influenced by the music. So when you are able to expand your musical horizons, you become able to develop an unexplored creative love for fashion.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My life is what matters the most to me. My mother always told me “anything tangible is replaceable, but you cannot replace your life.” Life is a gift and an opportunity. I believe that we are brought to this world to make a difference; we are here to change something about someone. As long as I am living, I am able to be that change. Even though there are some people who are not given opportunities, they never take life for granted. One day you can wake up and lose everything you’ve worked for, but as long as you’re living, you have that power to do something about it. 8 billion people experienced yesterday differently, but we look forward to a better tomorrow.
My mother gave me the name Jahkyah, which means “God’s beautiful girl”, but a lot of people call me Kyah; which simply means beautiful being and good life. My name is my virtue and I want to live up to the meaning of my name by living a good life with beautiful spirits.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reinberrie/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahkyah-harris-7726a6211/
