Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Crayton
Hi Alicia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I believe I was born to create. I’m the youngest child in my family and there’s a pretty wide age gap between my siblings and I. I spent a lot of time by myself, really in my own world, and I began to just explore and create things. I was always making something. I fell in love with fashion pretty early on in my childhood. I started sketching and designing outfits in the second grade. I remember drawing out a floor plan for my own department store and everything. I was obsessed with That’s So Raven and how she made her own outfits. I believe that’s what planted the seed for me. I learned how to hand sew first then a family friend taught me how to sew on a machine by the time I was in fifth or sixth grade. I just continued to sew and design more over time after that throughout school. I even made my own prom dresses in high school. I graduated a year early which allowed me the time to explore other avenues. I was really deep into beauty at the time so I attended cosmetology school and became licensed.
I experimented a lot. I really enjoy beauty and the cosmetic industry. I taught myself photography and a little videography. I loved creating content and even launched my own YouTube channel. I wanted to be able to do it all. I kept collecting skills like infinity stones. I attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, but I realized early on that it wouldn’t work out school wise. During my final semester at U of A, I started planning a collection to launch my brand, Exclusive the Label (at the time, it was Exclusive Company). In the same semester, I entered a design competition hosted by a local boutique and made it to the final round. The competition was in June of 2018. I didn’t win but it really boosted my confidence. The following month, I launched my brand. Through networking at the competition, I landed a spot in Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week during their fall shows in September. I think because I really just hit the ground running, everything just started lining up for me.
I moved to the DFW area for a couple of years to finish college. In that time, I grew a lot as a designer and it really strengthened me. I relocated back home post grad and used my experiences to power my collections. Through networking and pure alignment, I’ve been able to connect and grow within the fashion community in Memphis. I’m finally at a place where I truly know who I am as a person, a designer, and a creative. I have a lot of work left to do to get to where I want to be but I’m enjoying the journey.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Ha! No. It has probably been the furthest thing from smooth. I have a lot of interests and goals. It can be very overwhelming at times to focus on one thing. I’m always multitasking either physically or mentally. I think my life kind of reflects that too. I didn’t have the struggle of trying to find what I wanted to do in life. It has always been a matter of prioritizing when and how. I’m a fashion designer and it is a very artsy, creative based career. However, finding the balance between art and business is difficult. As a business owner, the goal is for it to be profitable. You want to see money coming in regularly so you have to have things readily available. However, I realized that I need time to produce quality pieces. I need time to experience things and get inspired. It is a very therapeutic process for me. There was a point in time where I just released whatever I made instantly or made things back to back just to have it out. I was focusing on pleasing the customers and keeping business going. It became really draining. I felt a lot of pressure. I don’t regret it because I needed to experience it. I value time now. I enjoy the process. I allow myself the space and time to present my best work to the world and not focus on the monetary side of it all.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Exclusive the Label is a fashion brand that was established in 2018. It is a hybrid of streetwear and formal wear that balances being bold with subtle simplicity. I created Exclusive to amplify self expression and confidence through fashion and style. All of the designs are created by hand to ensure that everything is literally exclusive to the brand. Outside of the exclusivity, I like to focus on the duality aspect of my brand. I create pieces that can be worn in multiple ways and by multiple people. I don’t have a dedicated men’s section in my brand. Everything is either women’s or unisex. I feel like that is one of the qualities that separates us from the crowd. I want people to come to Exclusive and know that they can wear what they want, how they want. I like to push the limits. I’m really proud of the journey with Exclusive the Label. It has grown up with me and has experienced highs and lows. I’m the most proud of the collection I’m working on right now. It’s called Foundation. I previewed it at the Category Fashion Show last December. I took a little break from working on it to figure some things out but it’s releasing really soon. It’s my best work and I believe that it really sets the tone for where Exclusive is going. I’m really excited about it!
Any big plans?
Community has been a big focus for me this year, I want to find ways to be more involved to connect and give back. I plan to have a sewing class or some kind of program to teach people especially young kids how to sew and about fashion. My goal has always been to open the door for others like me. They need to see that it can be done and you don’t have to be from a big city to do it. I plan to do more fashion shows, of course! A big goal of mine is to do NYFW. I aim to cross that off the list next year. Outside of my new collection for Exclusive, I plan to launch a blog and to move soon. I’m enjoying life right now but I am really excited to see what the future holds!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aliciacrayton.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liciaellena
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiciaEllena
- Other: https://exclusiveco.org
