Today we’d like to introduce you to Bianca Crosby.
Hi Bianca, 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?
Hey, my name is Bianca Crosby. I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, and I am 20 years old. I had a normal growing up childhood but I always knew I was different from the rest of my peers because, at a young age, I was very creative. My family have a lot of creatives, as far as Artists, hairstylists, Tattoo artist, musicians, and even Fashion designers. What made me want to become a Fashion designer is that I like that I can make anything I want and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Fashion is a way to express how you feel. Especially the type of fashion I am in, which is streetwear luxury fashion. My grandma (my mom, mom) used to be a fashion designer. So I pretty much grew up watching her make church clothes for the church and home essentials as far as curtains, rugs, towels, etc. When I was a little girl, I used to sketch a lot. I started actually sketching when I was in 7th-8th grade. I used to have books and folders of designs. I always knew I wanted to be a Fashion designer; I just didn’t know when and how.
When I got in high school, I gained a certain type of popularity because I became a social media influencer at an early age. I want to say like around 15 years old when I first got signed to a modeling agency named KMT modeling Agency. Also, around the time of 2015-2016, social media was just becoming a big deal, so it was easy for me to expand at that time. And especially because Chicago so big but so small, it was only at the time a few of us that modeled for real that was signed that was also local. Even today, I still have a lot of fan pages, and if you google me “Bianca Crosby,” I am going to pop up all over google. lol. With that power, I started WAV$ when I was 16 years old. It was the year of 2017 in October. I don’t remember the specific date, so please pardon me. The name “WAV$” came up because I knew I wanted my brand to mean something that lasted forever. So I came up with a clever idea of a wave in the ocean. It never ends and it always repeats itself. So I liked that idea, and I took off the “E” AND added the “$.” It was something I thought at the time was so cool, and it just stuck to my brand.
I used to make my own clothes and wear them to high school. I used to do a lot of “patchwork” and cut and sew before I knew about how to make the clothes on the machines. I used to go to thrift stores and get old pants, jackets, or t-shirts and cut them up and recreate them. People used to love them, and that’s what made me want to really push my fashion career. It helped motivate me to believe that some people love my vision and creative vision as far as fashion concern. My brand grew in high school, and it gained me more popularity but in the fashion world. At the time in Chicago, there weren’t many designers. especially young designers like myself. I was the youngest female designer, and that how I meet Kash, which is Malik. We were around before it became popular to have a clothing brand. My clothes got picked up by rappers and very powerful influencers in our today’s world. So Around my senior year of high school, I stopped modeling to continue my fashion career.
Once I graduated high school, I attended Dominican college for only two semesters. I felt like school was not for me as far as the arts. I didn’t like that I couldn’t design the way I wanted to, and I had to learn to design a certain way. And fashion is done in many different ways. There’s not a certain way to create because everyone’s Vision is different. I used to skip class and sit on the library floor and sew my hoodies I was selling at the time. I was failing so terribly, lol. My teacher found me in the library one day and asked me, “is this something I really wanted to do.” And, I remembered telling him “yes,” and he told me to do it and I never went back to school after that. I was planning on leaving anyway because I remember I made 1,000 that week because instead of me doing my work and homework, I used o create hoodies for people. As time went on, I have been sold a lot of false dreams over the past years, and I have even had people steal plenty of my designs, but I never let that bother as much no more because I am always creating. I never stop creating. my mind is always going. So in some ways, I just feel like I can never run out of ideas.
As my brand expanded, I started to help other local designers in my city start they own clothing brand. My brand means everything to me. I quit everything for my brand. It’s something I eat, sleep, and work on every day. I build my own content and take my own pictures most of the time if my photographer, Kid or Don isn’t. I created my own website and do my own videos. I’m like a one-man-band. But I love it because I love being very hands-on with my brand. In order for me to design, I have to be in an element where I’m either alone or in a creative space. I must have my Sativa weed to help my mind race, and I must have some music on. I really work best under pressure as well. My best collection I have created, I created when I was in a really bad space and depressed time. My brand is streetwear fashion, so I always feel like I have to stay in my lane as far as toning out what’s around me and what’s already out. Streetwear fashion is something you encounter every day. So I always feel like I have to bring something to the table every time I drop a design because that specific market is very huge. But that’s me and WAV$ and I hoped you guys continue to watch my process because I am only going to grow.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Being a fashion designer is never an easy thing if you in it for validation. I had to learn that as I got older. I struggled with trying to make clothes that I love, but also that may get me where I need to be, and I end up hating it. Many people have come in my life on the business side and have told me what they think I should do in order to get the exposure I want. My biggest struggle is just understanding that sometimes I might just be way ahead of my time and my designs are actually valid.
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 am a full-time fashion Designer and Influencer. My field is more streetwear design and I’m known for my graphic designs, especially on my hoodies. Some people would say quality is another thing that my brand is known for because I always try to provide perfect quality for my customers. For about four years, I used to design my own clothes on my machines. I used to own an embroidery machine, sewing machine, and heat press machine. I used to do everything myself because I didn’t have the money to get everything manufactured. That’s also the reason why it’s “Hood Designer”. Because no, it’s not Gucci or Luis Vuitton, but I consider my clothes streetwear luxury because I try my best to provide that kinda service and quality. So it may not be your designer, but it’s my “Hood designer.” It ain’t “Designer,” but it cost. But!
As I start saving and got older, I eventually could afford to manufacture my clothes and better the quality even more to earn that level of respect. I think what set me apart from others is you can take everything away from me. But you can’t take away my creativity. I honestly feel like if you take away everything from me and I never gain nothing from this, I will never just stop creating. I am always going to design. Whenever I come out With a design for my brand, I never repeat that same design or bring it back out. I just guess my mind is always going for something new, that I don’t have time to bring something back out. It was a point of time. I used to drop 3-4 new hoodie designs every week. I think that something I am very proud of as well. Just to have that gift.
Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can help me by supporting me and motivating me to continue to create. I really don’t do collaboration right now, but I am always supporting the next designer. It all about putting back into your hood at the end of the day.
Contact Info:
- Email: wavsmechandsie@gmail.com
- Website: wavsmerch.com
- Instagram: @wavs1017
- Facebook: Bianca Crosby
- Twitter: yungbe__
Image Credits
Bianca Crosby
