Meet Fabienne Ami | Wardrobe Style Expert & Health Policy Analyst

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fabienne Ami and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fabienne, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think of risk as an opportunity. All too often, so many of us view risk with a negative connotation. It’s highly associated with fear and places you in a state of ‘what ifs’ when you could just do the thing. I think it’s natural to feel apprehensive, cautious, and aware of a risk, but to have so many examples in my life where I took risks and always learned something, leads me to believe that the other side of risk is success, confidence, and gratitude at the core. Risk has allowed me to see the other side, recognize, and remind myself of my gifts. It’s pushed me into situations that proved to be some of the most life-learning spaces. I’ve been reminded of my bravery, humor, optimism, and so much more. I’ve also learned the effects of stubbornness, worry, and anxiety when a risk is not taken. In my personal life and career, whenever I feel like a risk is leaning more toward worry than excitement, I reach into my faith and regain focus that my steps are already planned, and there’s nothing I cannot do when I’m reminded who I am and from whom I came.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

I’m a Wardrobe Style Expert, specializing in helping emerging brand entrepreneurs shift their business mindset energy into activating their signature style. Fashion brought music faves like Janet Jackson and Prince into my life and served as an inspiration because of their unique style! Growing up, they motivated me to find the things that made my special light glisten amongst other stars. When I started my business, it was challenging to find my voice. I began my journey in the Fashion industry as a Wardrobe Dresser, working backstage dressing models for high-profile designers. I then moved into styling musicians for music videos and red-carpet affairs. Once the pandemic hit, I realized I needed to make the transition to a more intimate role – Personal Styling. From there, I attended the Style Coach Academy, and learned how to create my niche audience through the teachings of Nikki Venus, a Georgia native! Narrowing down my niche was the hardest part of creating my business, as I am naturally an empath who always wants to help everyone! I decided to work with Emerging Brand Entrepreneurs because I resonated most with this audience. I was speaking to myself! Although I already was tapped into my personal style, I noticed so many entrepreneurs pitching their businesses, showing up on Instagram Lives, and Zooms, not comfortable with their wardrobe choices. Once I zeroed in on this audience, I knew I had an avenue. Going into entrepreneurship, you aren’t always taught the ins and outs of financial wellness in business, so I would have to say this area of entrepreneurship should NOT warrant that lone wolf mentality. A major lesson I learned along the way is to grab as many resources as you can, network, and find out what others are doing to maintain best practices, THEN do what works for you.

My brand and my story have taken many shapes, which means that your brand story will NEVER be linear. I want the world to know that I’m a Multi-Hyphenate. I believe that we as humans should never just do one thing. I’m not only a Wardrobe Style Expert, I’m also a Healthcare Policy Advocate and Analyst. Public Health is also close to my heart. I realized about 10 years ago that I needed to explore the creative side of my soul, not just the analytical side. So, I quit my healthcare job at that time, packed up, and moved to NYC to explore Fashion Design at Parsons, the New School. I quickly realized I was NOT a Fashion Designer, but I still wanted to be heavily involved in the industry, and that is where my journey got into the woods. Your entrepreneurial journey is yours and yours alone. No one can steer you left or right, and it’s important to trust yourself and trust that you are being guided to experience the things that will make you stronger, more resilient, confident, and charged with your gifts. My brand story is unique in that I can exist in the Healthcare and Fashion space, without sacrificing my integrity, creativity, or approach to my purpose. Helping other Emerging Brand Entrepreneurs along their style journey constantly reminds me that we all start from somewhere, and being able to watch a past client soar beyond their wildest style dreams makes the past 10+ years worth it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Day One – First, it would be Black History Month, but every month is Black History Month! So I’d be so excited to share the DMV with my bestie! On Day One – We’d visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC for a few hours. Afterward, we’d trek to Chinatown to grab Dim Sum at one of my favorite places, Tony Cheng’s. Shopping in the area is pretty accessible, so if we’re feeling up to it, we’d take a quick stroll to City Center DC for shopping and a quick photoshoot, because why not? On the way back to Baltimore, it’s time for dinner at the newly opened, The Urban Oyster in Hampden.

Day Two – Breakfast at my house curated by yours truly, accompanied by Morning Mimosas. Once we’re ready to hit the streets, we’ll visit a few local thrift shops and boutiques like Official Haute Mess to pick up some one-of-a-kind, must-have pieces. We’ll grab lunch at Neopol’s for THE BEST smoked salmon sandwiches and smoked mussels. Later that night, we’ll have cocktails at the Bluebird Cocktail Room and make new friends at the bar.

Day 3 – The day of theatre darling! After having a brunch cookoff with a few extra friends at my house, we’ll give ourselves facials, meditate for a bit, and cheers to a wonderful lowkey day that will end in a lovely night at the theatre! “Crumbles from the Table of Joy” starts promptly at 8 pm. After the show wraps, we’ll grab a late-night dinner with the cast, and end the night with karaoke at The Avenue.

Day 4 – As fellow entrepreneurs, the week wouldn’t be complete without a coworking day! We spend the morning to mid-afternoon at Teavolve Cafe in Harborplace Downtown. We head back to my place for a scheduled Afrofuturism-themed Tarot card reading from a good friend of mine in LA, dip back out, and head to the Sagamore Spirit Distillery for a tour of Whiskey Tasting, followed by a Speakeasy crawl to visit W.C. Harlan and The Elk Room!

Day 5 – It’s the grand finale! Before my bestie leaves me in tears to hop on her flight, we’ll enjoy a home-cooked in-house breakfast, curated by Urban Farmed goodies from Baltimore’s very own Farm Alliance of Baltimore to pay homage to African American Farmers growing the best of the best to the city. I HAVE to equip her with some sweet baked treats from Crust by Mack and Charm City Chocolate so she’ll never forget where can only get the best Chesapeake Crunch Bark and Old Bay Chocolate Chip Cookies! A quick grab of Blueberry Basil Tea from Swill will set her right before her departure, then it’s off she goes – Mission Accomplished!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a major shoutout to my parents, my top-tier cheerleaders! There’s something to be said for being a parent, watching your child do and explore things you never planned for their lives (because let’s face it, there’s always a plan), and still loving unconditionally, guiding, and teaching them all you can. Growing up they always let me try something new at least once. If I liked it, I could do it a few times, but they knew they were raising a Sagittarius who gets bored easily. When Fashion stuck, they were a bit hesitant to believe it wasn’t just a hobby, but we were thrilled when saw me shine in Healthcare. Revisiting Fashion at a later time would help them see me as a multifaceted human being, one they knew they could be proud of for at least, trying. So, shoutout to them for pushing me, sharing their pride in my ancestors, and using that positive influence to propel me to be my most creative and full self, like many in my family who thrived in the art world. My friends, past and present – Thank you for pushing me, motivating and affirming me, your calls, texts, and emails, SOS’s have always been an amazing anchor in my journey, and for that I am grateful!

Website: http://www.fabiami.com

Instagram: @iamfabiami

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/fabienne-ami-054b2618b

Image Credits
The pictures with the Black and Green indoors are from Yaw Ankrah (@yawankrah). The outdoor pictures are from Shakirah Abdul-Rashid (dream_lensphotography).