Meet Deanna Cotton | Creator

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

Hi Deanna, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I had always wanted to own my clothing label, I just didn’t know what my idea or label would be, but once I started going through the motions in life it just came to me. I came up with the idea for my business based off of what I had to experience in my past. All my life I’ve always had people tell me what I needed to change when it came to my appearances, especially my hair! Then once I joined the military I had even more people telling me what I should do with my hair “Oh you should’ve kept it long & straight, it looked better that way”, “Why’d you cut it like that? It makes you look less feminine”. So I was just fed up with hearing it all on what I should be doing in regards to my hair/looks & I just thought to myself why can’t you just be the way you like to see yourself without it being a problem to others? So I decided if I’m going to do the clothing brand thing that I wanted it to be something inspirational so that’s how I came up with the idea.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
So I’ve been serving in the military for 9 years active duty it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, because it was different it seemed challenging, it makes you push your limits & test your abilities & it just builds to become a mentally & physically stronger version of yourself. What sets me apart from others is that I’ve got to make it work! Whatever it is I’ve I got to make it work, it may not work at that time but I know if I put some hard work into it eventually everything is going to work. I’m proud that I made it this far even though I had quite a bit of obstacles to overcome & at times I didn’t think I could overcome them, but I was able to build my mental up & prove to myself that I was strong & could handle anything being thrown at me. I got to where I’m at by having a great mentor teach me everything I needed to know to help turn into a great leader & no it was from being easy, I had to spend a lot of time making sure I understood the responsibilities I would have to deal with when it came leading Soldiers. I learned that if you truly want something then you have to dedicated time & effort towards it to make it yours. I want the world to know from me & my brand is that you should always be you & live life the way want to!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting I would take her on a tour a round the city to show her all the art work/murals on the buildings, show her how the culture & diversity is out here, hit up some museums telling about the city’s history and what’s the city known for, check out some art museums. After that we’d go out to eat to get some seafood, go to top golfing, grab some ice cream after, then hit up an escape room later that night. Everyday we would go somewhere different for brunch and go do some nature exploring at the park. I think some of the most exciting people are the ones who stay open minded trying new things out that they never had considered, because you never know what may interest you so if you’re willing to try something new that means you’re a fun person to be around and also someone who has a sense of humor that loves to joke around & not take life too serious.

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 shoutout to my friend Deunique, she’s the one who helped me realize I should go after my dreams & bring it to reality. At that time she had some business ideas & moves going for herself & she asked me one night “What else are you trying to do in life, besides your job?” and I said I always wanted to be in the clothing business & that was the kick start on making the moves to make it happen. I want to shoutout my family & some friends from work for supporting me, but most importantly I want to give a shoutout my best friend Caroline for shouting me out when I launched my business over social media, and which led to our friend Briana who then told y’all about me & I’m blessed that y’all reached out to me to do an interview!

Website: bayadapparel.shop

Instagram: b.a.y.a.d

Image Credits
New Oasis Art Studio (Photographers)