Today we’d like to introduce you to Keisha Woods.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Keisha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started sketching clothes years ago when I was younger. The sketches use to look like stick figures LOL, but I loved creating my own looks. I will tell you a funny thing. There were a couple friends in high school I would tell I wanted to design clothes one day but outside of that; I never told anyone. Even when I attended college, I took a different career path thinking that it was probably just a hobby in my head. Although fashion design always burned in my heart and I honestly never stopped thinking about it, the desire I had for fashion came out in other ways. I would go shopping and I would go to stores with an idea in my mind of an outfit I wanted. I could never find what I was looking for because I was designing it in my head. I would also coordinate the outfits of my friends when we would go out. I laugh when I think back about how you don’t even realize how you operate in your gift before you go after it. Later, when I moved to Texas, I decided to go for my dream and went to fashion design school. Fast forward to where we are now, in 2017, I decided to not let my fear get the best of me anymore and to go after my dreams. In a year and a half, my company has began to grow. I have traveled doing multiple shows including NYFW, Austin FW & Paris and London FW. I am working to take Modish & Swank Clothing Co. to new heights in this season and show all the amazing concepts that I have.
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 has not been easy. While in design school, I met my husband and I took a break from school so I could prepare for the birth of our daughter. As I prepared to go back to school, I was told I needed to pay an additional $10,000 to return in which I could not afford. I was already working very hard to take care of my daughter. I was very discouraged for a while thinking I needed my degree to succeed in this industry but I knew I had a gift I could not let die. My husband went to prison and I have struggled financially due to losing my job and raising my daughter alone but I am very strong and have always been a fighter. I WILL NEVER GIVE UP. After a few years of working to get by, I was blessed with a great job recently and I have worked hard to provide for my daughter and invest in my business. It is not easy. It is expensive to start a business but I am up for the challenge and will be even stronger as I persevere through.
Please tell us about Modish & Swank Clothing Co.
Modish & Swank Clothing Co. specializes in custom clothing. I have a love for combining timeless vintage styles with an edgy twist. I also love the simplicity of clothing. So, we have pieces that just have that simple classic look to them. I love when women wear my pieces and you can see in their faces that they feel beautiful. I am overwhelmed to know that I am only a year and a half into my career and I have traveled to places I never thought I would go to until I was further in my career. This motivated me to work even harder and dream even bigger. I cannot wait to open a showroom here in Dallas and other major cities. The biggest dream of mine is to create a clothing line that makes custom clothing more available in other cities without you having to go into a tailoring shop or directly to a designer. I have an eye for fabrics and I design styles that I feel help set Modish & Swank apart in its own style. Stay tuned for what’s to come.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Definitely! Growing up, my family was very close. We always had gatherings and would put on fashion shows at our aunt’s houses where the gatherings were at. I come from a family of very stylish women in which they all are pivotal in my love of fashion. Outside of the fashion shows, we would play in my aunt’s closets and try on different pieces of clothing, shoes, and accessories and just dance the night away.
Contact Info:
- Website: modishandswank.com
- Phone: 4693945850
- Email: inquiry@modishandswank.com
- Instagram: modishandswank
- Facebook: Modish & Swank Clothing Co
- Twitter: Modish_N_Swank
Image Credit:
Doug Douglas
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