Kayla Marie

WHEN DID YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH FASHION?

Truthfully, I want to say I was born into fashion . It was just always something that was around me . My mother is from New York so she would always stay on top of trends and taught me how to put together pieces from a very young age. It was that one thing I never felt like I had a challenge with, it just came to me easily. I guess what made the love grow deeper was the glitz and glam around it , from watching shows with my mom like Sex and the City and having magazines like Vogue,  Elle and Harper’s Bazzar always laying around the house it was just always in the works for me to fall in love with fashion.

WHO INSPIRES YOU IN THE WORLD OF FASHION?

I have a lot of inspiration when it comes to who I admire in this field, but if I had to pick two people it would be Rihanna and Anna Wintour. Rihanna has always been a trend setter, someone who wears what they want unapologetically and just sets the bar high every time. As I continue to grow , that’s what I’m aiming for. Now for Anna Wintour, I admire her work ethic. She is Vogue and Vogue is her; there is no other way to put it. You can tell that she has put in the work to dominate the magazine the way that she does and that’s powerful.

WHAT ARE YOUR AMBITIONS IN THE WORLD OF FASHION?

My ambitions in fashion have actually changed a lot. I think I owe a lot of that to my time at Pace University. I started college wanting to be a Fashion journalist, but there was a moment when I began to lose my passion for writing. It was no longer fun and felt more like a chore than anything; so over time it just fizzled out. In the process of trying to decide what I actually wanted to do with my career , I thought about possibly becoming a designer but I can’t draw. Then I wanted to be an Editor in Chief of a fashion magazine after watching The Devil Wears Prada, but I don’t think I have the personality for that . It wasn’t until people asked me to help them put together looks for parties and events that I realized I wanted to work as a stylist. Now after having two successful internships and styling people for photo shoots, I think I have finally found my niche. I love helping people come out of their comfort zone and find pieces that make them feel beautiful or look cool . It’s been a lot of trial and error , but it’s been really fun in the process. Who knew that styling people and directing photo shoots could help me become a Creative Director for a cool brand like 22Disciple. It's been a really exciting and scary journey, but it’s been helping me learn so much about fashion and for that I’m grateful.

WHAT DOES CHASING YOUR DREAMS MEAN TO YOU?

To me chasing your dreams means giving up everything to get what you want. It means leaving a place where you are comfortable and starting in a brand new place without anything. It means eating , breathing, and living for your passion. Taking any opportunity that will get you closer to living your dream. It means you are changing your entire lifestyle and mindset to get to your goal.