Today we’d like to introduce you to Sasha Woods.
Hi Sasha, 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?
“Turning Lemons into Lemonade”
My stroy intro-
Raised in a single-parent home not being able to follow the latest trends like the other kids. I would take my broken accessories and put them together, making new pieces. This started in high school. As I got older it became something I enjoyed doing for myself. 12 years ago, I decided to start my own handmade accessory brand. I had $2 left after being paid. Took it to the dollar store to get some yarn then I went to the beauty supply store and purchased a pack of dollar hoops. Went home and made me a pair of earrings. Wore them to work the next day instantly gained several orders. I started selling my earrings at vending events, fashion shows, and etc. This helped me gain attention and to get my name out more. Almost a 4 to 5 years in I realized that I wanted to do more. I wanted to tap into my full artistic potential. I’ve been upcycling my whole life. Why not take that technique and go outside the box.
My Bio:
The Ultimate Junki
Distinctive and Bold
Sasha Woods also known as Queen Junki is 35 years old. Originally from Asheboro, NC but her family moved to High Point, NC her 8th-grade year of middle school. She is a graduate of Lucy Ragsdale High School who currently resides in Greensboro NC. By day she is a Certified Nursing Assistant and Licensed Phlebotomist. By night she is a Published Accessory Designer. Whose main focus is breaking barriers and inspiring other designers like herself right here in NC to continue to follow their dreams even if they don’t make a category for your work.
The name of her brand is The Ultimate Junki. She hand makes, handcrafts, and hand paints one of a kind some to never be duplicated accessories. Sasha is known for her bazar, outrageous, over-the-top editorial accessories.
Sasha has won Greensboro Goodwill Rock the Runway accessory edition competition, making a clutch with matching earrings out of a 100% newspaper in 2016. Sasha also won ISAFARI Fashion Week (ISFW) designer competition in 2016 showcasing her work for the first time on the runway. She later went on to showcasing her work at Winston Salem Fashion Week (WSFW) as the 1st accessory designer to have her own lineup on the runway. In 2017 she also showcase her work in Fashion Spark in Raleigh, NC with a full lineup. Three years in a row she showcase her work at the Big Hair Ball Charity Fundraiser event put on by Guilford County Family Services annually. She has also showcased in children’s fashion shows and more throughout the years. In 2022, Sasha won 1st place at Fashion is Art Exhibit by Winston Salem Fashion Week.
Sasha’s work has also been displayed in News and Records newspaper, several fashion magazines, and more.
In 2017 after being told by many fashion shows in the area that she wasn’t a designer and had no place in their fashion show all because she didn’t make clothes. She built her own fashion show that is surrounded by her accessories and that event is put on annually. This event is called Junki Accessory Freak Show, it’s the 1st full-fledged outside-the-box accessory fashion show in Greensboro, NC.
In October of 2022, Sasha created a group called Get In The Mix Fashion Meetup on her current platform. This group is for ages 16+ individuals who are a part of the fashion community. This includes fashion designers, models, muas, hairstylists, and photographers. The group is to network, collaborate, vibe, and showcase the art of fashion. The group is FREE to fashion creators. To get involved in fashion events, community, out-of-state opportunities, and so much more. To gain access, look up group on Facebook.
Sasha Woods is a self-taught, legally blind in one eye, handmade accessory designer who aspires to keep breaking barriers and inspiring others to follow their dreams.
As seen in New York Fashion Week, Moevir Magazine (Paris), Ellements Magazine (NYC), Mad Magz (Central Virginia), Selin Magazine (Netherlands), Bawse Mag (Virginia), Pump Magazine (Los Angeles, California), VA Bride Magazine (Virginia), Fashion Shows from near and far.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. For starters, I’m legally blind in my right eye. I also suffer with alot of pain in that eye. I do not allow my disability to define me so I never make excuses no matter how I feel. In my city, I have been denied the opportunity to Participate in other fashion shows. Because I’m not considered a designer because I don’t make clothes I make accessories. I’ve also been told that there’s no place for me in the fashion world. I’ve been taken advantage of and scammed out of registration fees for fashion shows.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My brand name is The Ultimate Junki. I specialize in handmaking one of a kind outside the box bazaar accessories. I’m known for literally taking anything and upcycling it into wearable art. What I’m most proud of is knowing who I am and never changing it to fit in with nobody. What sets me apart is I’m not afraid to break barriers in the fashion world even if it means standing alone.
Fashion Artist
Wearable Art
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
No, I’m self-taught.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theultimatejunki.com
- Instagram: Linktr.ee/theultimatejunki
- Facebook: Linktr.ee/theultimatejunki
Image Credits
Katrena Wize Artography Suzanne Snuggs photography Vince Artz Photography Sweet Enigma Photography
