Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn C Lowe.
Carolyn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a Visual Artist, Fashion Designer, and Model. I’d say my start of this journey happened during my childhood. I’d say I was in about the fifth or sixth grade when I discovered the talents I now use in my adulthood. Of course, back then I was well unaware that those very interests during my childhood would carry me this far into my creative career. A talent scout from John Casablancas Modeling Agency came out to my middle school (Longview Middle School) in Memphis, TN did a presentation explaining what their agency could offer and the skills we could gain and benefit from if our interests fell anywhere within production, modeling, or acting. I don’t know how or why but I was interested, so I took the information provided, told my mom about it, she did her research, and signed me up. To make a long story short, I attended the agency for an extended amount of time and just three weeks shy of completing the program I quit, only because it conflicted with my summer visit at my dad’s place. So, although the expert training went out of the window my love for fashion and performing didn’t.
During the era of my life from ages ten to twelve, it really became the foundational period of discovering my gifts. I am an only child raised by my mother so I had tons of encouragement and time to discover everything about myself. I’ve always been very creative and imaginative, most importantly courageous enough to explore anything I put my mind to. Like most children, I loved to color in coloring books, draw, and paint. But looking back on my portfolio from childhood, I found that sketching my favorite cartoon characters and sketching out body forms with outfit ideas from the clothing to the accessories became a pass time for me. Had you told me at the age of eleven or twelve that once I became an adult, I’d be modeling in fashion shows, featuring my own clothing ideas in fashion shows and becoming a model featured in music videos with top charted musicians, I would’ve never believed it. I would always participate in school fashion and talent shows, I’ve always loved to dance. I was very outgoing, social, and athletic throughout my childhood. Anything I wanted to try, I did.
Staying connected to the things that made me feel good and the things I enjoyed turned into staying connected to all ways of creative expression by staying authentically expressive in the way I dressed every day simply won me the Senior Superlative of “Best Dressed” as I exited South Side High School of Memphis, TN. Participating in fashion shows, the drama club, the step team, and becoming a majorette by staying connected to music and dance. I’m not sure what they’re called in other cities. But a majorette is a dancer, a performer that executes routine styles of dance in accordance with a live band. If you remember the movie “Drumline”, just like that.
I became a majorette in the eighth grade and continued this style of dance all the way through college where I became the captain of the Satin Dolls my senior year at MVSU, where I also started participating in statewide fashion shows in Jackson, MS that began as a project for runway coaching held by “The Dream Team”, which consisted of Celebrity Photographer: Will Sterling, Celebrity Stylist: J. Bolin, and Model Mentor and Creator: Chanelle Renee. After being cast by Chanelle and walking in the most attended fashion show of the year in Jackson, MS I had the opportunity to network with the right people like Fashion Stylist and Runway Coach: K Marsh II. All of these people were individuals who took fashion and art as seriously as I did, this experience led to my brand being cast as a featured fashion brand to walk in the first annual MS FASHION WEEK FASHION SHOW. I say this was a game changer towards the leveling up of what would transition me from Model to Designer and create the new brand called COMECLOWE. All of these experiences provided me the confidence I needed for stage presence, which turned out to be a very beneficial source of energy that provided just the right amount of sass needed on and off of the runway and also yielded the confidence needed to be a great performer in front of the camera for music videos of which I’ve been cast for since 2017 to present day time.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
NO! BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR WILL NEVER BE A SMOOTH ROAD! In fact, it’s like a beautiful dance with the universe of ups and downs that never stop, you just keep learning more and more as you cross each valley and each peak. I moved to Atlanta, GA from Memphis, TN at the top of 2017, this was by far one of hardest decisions to make and one of the most fear-filled things I’ve ever done in my life. Making the decision to uproot myself and move took a blow to my womanhood as the decision to seek a better life in the area of my gifts caused me to leave my son behind at the age of two years old with my support system until I created a stable living for my son to come to. I came to Atlanta with less than two hundred dollars to my name, a car full of fabric and sewing materials, and a roommate. There were many challenges I endured during my time of transition from finding a job, finding a decent place to live and surviving it all until I could get stable. I moved into a hotel upon arriving in Atlanta and will admit to having had to sleep in my car some days just because the conditions of the hotels I could afford to live in were horrendous.
But with faith and much gratitude, I kept going for what I knew and followed what I felt. I applied for an apartment in Sandy Springs just on faith honestly not even thinking I’d get approval. I didn’t have a stable income yet that would even be able to afford my stay at the apartment complex I applied to. At the time, I was working at Wet Willies and some Warehouse job literally working hours of 7am-3pm then Wet Willies 5pm-3am, when I say burnt out I really mean tired. I would still work videos and bookings for club hostings when they would fall through as well. Long story short, got approved for the apartment I applied for and five days later landed a job with the Aviation Institute of Maintenance as an Admissions Rep, salaried income that provided my stability. I’ve had so many jobs and the only struggle I feel that got the best of me was for one, having to cultivate a long distant relationship with my son during this transition, and dealing with the stress of not loving what I did on a daily basis while working in Corporate America it drained the complete life out of me and ultimately kept my creativity stagnant. But I had to be patient with myself and my process and work those jobs to keep my living conditions stable while I also work the move of building my business, especially knowing that my end goal first priority was to get my son back with me in a happy home.
The best advice I can give any young woman that is looking to become an entrepreneur, model or fashion designer is to invest in yourself first on a spiritual level, learn yourself, focus on you every day, every day try to become a better version of yourself.
Create a strategy of discipline and a schedule that can help you align in becoming discipline at the development of your brand or skill you wish to possess. Get completely committed to yourself and the outcome or goal. Don’t get attached to the outcome nor worry about the “how” in between which it will all come together but become the team you want to experience and work with. Learn every role of your business, learn to play all the roles of which you’ll need. One thing that helped me a great deal is modeling and getting comfortable in front of the camera for my YouTube Channel, filming myself and self-shooting for photographs of my work once a sewing project was done was very beneficial for me. Becoming the muse for my own brand has forced me to learn and pick up other skills from styling wardrobe, doing makeup, styling hair, sewing garments, shipping products, modeling, videography, photography, mass email writing, website building, graphic design, sketching looks for presentation to manufacturers, fabric sourcing, etc. You will not be able to run a one-woman show forever, but it’s important to know all roles because it makes you well versed in the industry you’re in. Finding a mentor is also a great way to start but aren’t always dependable or find someone who you can trust that knows the business you’re getting into can help you avoid a few struggles and challenges along the way.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am All Things Creatively Expressive. I’m most known for Fashion Design and Modeling, but I specialize in everything visually creative that contributes to Fashion and Beauty.
BEAUTY: I am a content creator for lifestyle and beauty reviews via my Youtube Channel |COMECLOWE. I’d like to consider myself alive, fulfilled, loving, witty personality which continues to get me to cast for videos and roles where personality is key factors. I specialize in sewing weave extensions by braid downs, sew-ins, or custom wig creating. SUGARDITCHGIRLS.COM is a hair extension brand I started back in 2014 and has kept a consistent flow of supporters who love beautiful hair extensions that yield natural beauty of hair textures with long-lasting quality.
FASHION: I am the CEO and Muse for my clothing company COMECLOWE.CO that is soon to re-launch with new exclusively handmade garments that are one of a kind and can’t be sourced anywhere else in the world. For now, we still have select styles from our last season release. Looking to Host a “GIVEAWAY” really soon, so stay tuned for that!
LIFESTLYE: I am a lightworker and energy healer. You can also find proof of this via Instagram and my Youtube Channel both: COMECLOWE. I make it my business to always post things that reference self-help as no one’s journey through this physical experience will be a cake walk but staying motivated and encouraged along the way while loving yourself, and being your own loudest cheerleader on your way to the top, shamelessly promoting yourself never hurt anyone it only helped. So, I try my best to always be a point of love and light and inspiration to everyone I meet and every opportunity I get to release energy out into the world.
FINANCE: C. LOWE’S TAX SERVICE
I also own a tax business that provides tax preparation services for business owners as well as W2 filers.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
My Mother. She’s been a fueling force of inspiration since my childhood. I watched a very creative, loving, and passionate being go from walking and running to being crippled to the point of being confined to a wheelchair. Throughout the process, over the years as I watched my mother fight with Rheumatoid Arthritis she has never given up. I mean she is literally unstoppable and every opportunity she’s given to help someone in need especially if all it will cost is her time she has always made herself available. That one particular trait, I believe has gotten me further in my success than anything else. Just being a helping hand and understanding that as I help others I am helping myself. Never feeling sorry for myself, allowing everything I experience to be a stepping stone and understand that it is all working in my favor even on the days the process is painful, it’s sharpening my iron and preparing me for the next phase I will conquer.
Pricing:
- CUSTOM GARMENT/COSTUME DESIGNS $150 & UP
- HAIR EXTENSIONS $250 & UP OR FREE SEW IN OFFERED WITH PURCHASE
- MODEL BOOKINGS $75/HR
Contact Info:
- Website: COMECLOWE.CO SUGARDITCHGIRLS.COM
- Email: styledbyclowe@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/comeclowe
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA7W91Mw5exabkaMPPjPmuQ?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Carolyn C. Lowe: @comeclowe, Berlin Metaphorik: @berlin_bureau.black, Jasmyn Reneé Photography: @jasmyn_renee, Jookie Sanchez: @jookiesanchez, Lamarcus & Ebony: @differentworldimages
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
