September 18, 2019

Meet Heiress Queeen of Gallery Royals (formerly known as Royal Vanity Customs) in Arlington

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heiress Queeen.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Heiress . So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Im, heiress, born Kadijah Doucette, from Detroit, Mi. I have always had a fascination with creation, anything that allows expression. I have always been a crafty person and enjoy making things that embody my uniqueness. Ive always been into fashion, starting sketching at age 7, and indulging in fashion magazines like Marie Curie, Cosmo, and Vogue. I started out like most designers as a child making clothing from old clothes for my dolls and such. Fast forward 16 years and here we are lol.

Great, 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?
The road to sucess is never a smooth one. Tryimg to anything worth while takes alot of passion, dedication, hardwork, losses, gains, and perseverance. Honestly my biggest challenge, as for most African American business owners, i wasnt taught basic business education, finances, or any skills that in school that would accredit me to working for myself. I think alot of time was used trying to figure things out as i go along. We always have the talent but the education for foundation is what we often lack. So there was alot of revamping, and going back to the drawing boards when trying to figure out the stable business side of my industry.

Please tell us about Gallery Royals (formerly known as Royal Vanity Customs).
I like to call our concept fashion gallery. Intially we were called Royal Vanity Customs, and we were know for exoricwear, festivalwear, and swimwear. We are recongnized by our hand made crowns and head pieces that accents every model, in every show and shoot we do. I feel I am a fashion Artist, whonloves to have creative control, so i began to feel endowed into the consumerism aspect and begin to loose intrest in my passion. Recently with our permanent relaunch, we have decided to take back our craft and the art of fashion, and focus on the original vision i had, of a fashion Gallery. This would embody the art and uniqueness for each piece is one of a kind and often made from upcycled garments and discontinued fabrics, making sure each piece is unique and cannot be replicated.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memories would have to be mh mom playing dress up with my little sisters and I.

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