Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Arnold.
Hi Tiffany, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Where to start, I began college at 17 attending AIU Buckhead when it was still here after a year the school was on the verge of losing their accreditation so I decided to apply to Art schools in California and made the move to Los Angeles to go to FIDM which at the time was one of the best fashion schools in the region. It was a great experience, and learned a lot, to this day I still have the pattern blocks and slopers created there which I still use.
After graduation, I needed to look for a job granted it’s pretty hard to break into the fashion industry right out of college but somehow luck was on my side and I landed a costume design job with Disney! I was so excited and it was great but what I wasn’t prepared for is something called hiatus. After almost a year of working there, I was told ‘ok the project is over thanks for your time!’ I was back in the same position needing a job to survive out there. I noticed there are plenty of opportunities in LA but none that I found long lasting.
I bounced around the entertainment industry designing costumes, worked in maternity bridal, and a few more design odd jobs where I knew they wouldn’t last just something for the time being. I eventually landed a job as a textile designer for Radix Textiles a really great family-owned company, I really loved it and loved all my co-workers and the owners it was like we were all family but no one prepares you for the wear and tear/ side effects that come with being a textile designer and staring at a computer screen all day. Unfortunately, I knew I couldn’t keep it up anymore I had to move on to something else. I decided I was going to move to Vegas and work as a costume designer for the shows, it seemed like a great idea. I was wrong. I had visit Vegas many times it’s so close I thought I’d do fine living there but visiting and living are completely different I found myself back in LA with no job once again.
I did pick up a costume design job for retail Halloween and holidays but I was losing my will to work for others, the industry wears you down. I was done as far as I was concerned with the industry. I started taking promo model gigs and designing was put on the back burner. You know somehow no matter how old you get your parents always know best. By this point I was struggling, practically living in my car with a dog and cat in LA. I would rent hotel rooms for a few days then sleep in my car to save some money and try again. The only thing that connected me to designing was a studio space in DTLA that you could pay for monthly and was open 24/7 where I would spend a few hours a night sewing a new concept I had of leg warmers that were designed instead of manufactured, to me it was all I had left. I started with a few pairs for myself and seemed like a great idea but I wasn’t selling them they were just occupying my time. At this point, my mom basically said ‘ok that’s it I’m bringing you back to Atlanta’ of course I fought it as much as possible but when it was all said and done I was in Atlanta willingly or not.
I was depressed for some time, but I needed to suck it up and start fresh. Living at home with my parents I was able to save money, I wasn’t paying rent just saving, I decided to take my first trip out the country, maybe I’ll be inspired. I went to Dubai all by myself I was really proud. I stayed for three weeks, by the way, if anyone is thinking of going, I highly recommend it. I wanted to live like the people do there, which is very reasonable if you want it to be! I fell in love with the country the lifestyle, how beautiful it was, the clothing, fabrics, the culture the respect for each other. I rode the buses went to the souks I submerged myself in the whole experience. I came back with a new outlook on women’s fashion, I was basically in awe with everything I experienced. The women there dress as royalty even just going to the grocery store. I was revived. I felt like we need this! I need this! I knew I was going to revert to Islam I had already been thinking of it but it was definite now, the representation in America was so misunderstood.
I started designing modest wear with a new appreciation for what fashion could be. I was also still going back and forth from Atl to LA a few times a month but with all that was going on in my life, I slowly stopped to focus on what I had going on here. Finally, I created my first collection from scratch my own, not for someone else, another brand or another company but something that was made by me, made in my own creative vision. Now that I had my own collection what next? It’s great I completed it but if no one can witness it, how do I Succeed? Just so happens I had a distant cousin in Houston that started a modeling agency and needed designers for their show, so what do you know, my mom and I took off to Houston to show my very first collection and I even incorporated those leg warmers I was working on into the show! It was a great experience people loved it! Shockingly to me, I received a standing ovation! But that was Houston, back in Atlanta I’m still unknown. It was ok, you always have to start somewhere and that’s what I did.
Over the past few years of working on my line sticking to my aesthetics slowly but surely it’s coming together. I now have hoodies made with elaborate brocade designs in rich colors, abaya dresses that you just can’t buy in stores, cover-ups and Legwear handmade with locally sourced fabrics. I currently have 2 websites and an Etsy store where you can purchase items that I have inventory of, Legwear or request custom orders. Of course, being a designer and working for yourself does take time to be dependent on sales, so I also work as a contract designer and am open to all opportunities as you never know what will come your way but one day, I do hope to be solely dependent on my own brand and inspire others to follow their heart.
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?
Its definitely not smooth at all but it works itself out, you know c’est La vie. Sometimes you have to go through things to come out better for yourself. Fashion design and the whole design industry is so competitive and ‘every man for themselves’. I’m sure there are great companies out there but you really have to know someone or get lucky for the best opportunities.
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 believe I’m most known for inclusive women’s wear. I would say modest but people have a vague understanding of what modest wear is. Modest wear doesn’t mean that it lacks style or creativity, modest to me means that you can dress respectively and still be impressive and turn heads. What sets me apart the most is the Legwear I design, I must say it’s hard to find anything else like it.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The characteristic I feel is most important would be perseverance or tenacity. I can be very relentless in the things I want in life my father always says ‘you won’t be happy until you get what you really want’ and it’s more tongue n cheek but in reality it’s true. For everyone in life, yes you can be content, but until you accomplish something you set your mind to you won’t know how that feels.
Pricing:
- For clothing, it’s pretty reasonable between $40-$100
- Legwear can range from $50-$200 as they are handmade and one of a kind
- Custom designs are always accepted and tbd on the piece
- Collection pieces are also one of a kind and range from $150+
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Vanitylegwear.com
- Instagram: Theclothieratelier
- Other: Www.Theclothieratelier.com
