Meet Fatima Edmondson | Designer & Seamstress

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

Hi Fatima, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind my success is my faith in God and myself. There were times where I did not have faith in either and I had such a negative mindset about life; I have gained and lost my faith numerous times. For the last two and a half years, I used to wake up every day and be mad at the world because I did not like where I was in my life, at the time and I felt like everything was falling apart. I was working a terrible job, going through a breakup, I then wasn’t accepted from the Fall ’19 line of Delta Sigma Theta, I began having health issues, I failed three classes in one semester, I fell out with my close friends, and then the icing on the cake, the pandemic happened. All of these mishaps occurred in a span of about four months. Causing me to slip into depression, I spent the majority of 2020 being sad and bitter about my mishaps until I reached a point of being tired of feeling that way. With that, it encouraged me to get my mental health together, allowing me to regain the motivation to sew and go back to school. But, as things never are what they seem, everything began to fall apart again in 2021. I experienced back to back heartbreak all year, beginning with the lost of my Auntie and leaving a toxic/abusive relationship just to walk into another toxic situation, lost a handful of friendships, and then I ended right back in that toxic/abusive relationship, I just escaped from. The situations I had been enduring, made me realize I had to check my ego because I was only 19-21 years old thinking that my life was over because of these now little moments. I allowed my lack of self confidence and hurt to paint a narrative of my life not knowing this is just part of my testimony. Tapping into my spirituality, rebuilding my relationship with God, and practicing the Law of Attraction really improved my mental health and changed my negative mindset. However, with God having the last say in all situations, I earned my letters in Spring ’21, starting my business FITTED. by fat, and gathered the courage to leave my toxic relationship. I now navigate through life assuredly because I know that adversity is just a part of the process and appreciate whatever lesson it’s trying to teach me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I value stability and the unlimited income potential that comes with entrepreneurship. I still want to pursue my career as a Business Analyst while operating my business and building my brand. I hate feeling like I have to choose one or the other. Having a 9-5 that I enjoy and can learn from to help improve and fund my business sounds like a jackpot to me. I’ve had so many encounters that reassure me that I’m on the right path. Recently I was snooping through my mom’s junk and came across her high school yearbook and saw that she wrote about wanting to go to school for Computer Science and Fashion Merchandising. She also had clips from a newspaper that was praising my grandaddy Ernest for his hard work overseeing the old textile mill in Phenix City. The coincidence in that blows my mind because they align with what I want to pursue. I was always around sewing machines growing up whether it was my mom’s or grandma Odessa’s. They never let me touch them but it always sparked my interest and desire to have my own. I guess my purpose has always been in my face and I never paid attention. My creativity is natural though. I’ve always been into art, drawing and fashion. I was also on Tumblr heavy from middle to high school so that platform bridged my love for art, design and tech. Growing up we only got new clothes for back to school, holidays, and sometimes birthdays so I had to adapt to having being versatile and resourceful with my clothes. Psilocybin also helped me expand my creativity and it’s why I use the bandana/paisley patterns in my designs because I like how it looks when I trip. My Auntie Vickie also had a gold bracelet that has the paisley shapes on it. I thought that was another dope coincidence and it reassured me to stay with the concept. It’s a lot more to me, my story, and my vision that I look forward to sharing as I grow.

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?
Honestly, Columbus isn’t the place for a week long trip. You either live here, go to school here, or you’re visiting someone for like 1-3 days. I’ve been here for almost four years though so there are some places and events that are memorable. As far as events, I love the Fountain City Classic and the Food Truck Festival because they give me a reason to look cute, walk around, and eat. I don’t like partying anymore, but if I do go out, I like the Hooch because it attracts so many different crowds, which always leads to a hilarious night. If I want to go out and be more laidback, I like going to Players to drink and play darts. I’m also an adrenaline junky so I like white water rafting downtown or axe throwing at Stumpy’s. My favorite places to eat here are Smokey Bones, Mikata, Samurai, Momma Goldberg’s, Ed’s, Sharks, I Love Juice Bar, and Veri Best Donuts. So if my best friend visited, we would most likely do a combination of those things.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am blessed to be surrounded by a lot of influential people in my life, but my first and most significant shoutout goes to my parents. They support me in everything I do, from purchasing my first two sewing machines, to constantly pouring knowledge, ideas and unconditional love into me; therefore I am eternally grateful for them and the influence they have in my life. I know as long as they are alive, I will never have to struggle. My parents have always shown and taught me the value of hardwork and installing in me to never drag your feet waiting for someone to give you a handout. If you want it, go get it. They never fell victim to their circumstances, so why should I? They have sacrificed so much for me to be where I am, so I have no reason but to go hard and take care of them in return. I am thankful for my entire family but I have a different level of gratitude for them. Next, I would like to shout out Nicole, her friendship is on another level, I’m forever grateful for her support, encouragement, and dependability in all aspects of my life. I would also like to give a shoutout to my friend, Giovanni Thompson for bringing this opportunity to me and his ongoing support! I would also like to shout out my cousin Dorothy and Ms. Deidrid for their guidance and enhancing my sewing skills. I like to shout out, my line sisters for the on-going love, support, and peace through hard times. And finally my most important shoutout to my angels in Heaven working overtime for me.

Website: fittedbyfat.etsy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fittedbyfat/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatima-edmondson-829126230/

Twitter: twitter.com/fatimashardae

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatimashardae https://linktr.ee/fatimashardae