Meet Najirah Marshall | Creative Director, Stylist and Photographer

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

Hi Najirah, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Since a kid I’ve always been interested in fashion. When I was younger I remember wanting to be so many things (a designer, a fashion editor, a stylists, etc) all of my aspirations derived from me wanting to be apart of the industry someway somehow. My mother was the biggest inspiration for me. She was always stylish and onto the newest trends/brands before everyone else and I think growing up and being around her really drove me to pursue a creative career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I recently got into styling,creative direction and photography. I graduated college back in May of this year with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. Originally my goal was to only do styling and creative direction. I’ve always been good with coming up with creative ideas and putting looks together. My friends and family would always ask me for fashion advice and that pushed me to pursue styling. It’s something I always thought about but I didn’t really put it into motion until last year. I think it was just a matter of just getting up and doing it! I thought about being a photographer before when I was younger but I never acted on it. Photography is something I ended up taking seriously by chance. It was my first shoot for styling and I had booked a studio and hired a photographer and everything. My photographer ended up canceling at the last minute and I ended up shooting the whole thing on my iPhone XR. The experience was so fun and fulfilling being able to do the whole production on my own that the following month I purchased my first camera and the rest was history. I think one lesson I learned along the way is that if you want to do something, do it! Make time for it. I’ve always felt like a background character because I’m very reserved and shy, but by being able to show everyone what I’m capable and putting my work out there I’m ready to get out my comfort zone and show people who I really am. A force to be reckoned with.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I just want to start by saying I’m from JERSEY! But most of the time I’m in New York for work so all my spots are there. For food I’d definitely recommend Prince Street Pizza in SoHo it’s literally the best pizza I’ve ever had! I recently started visiting this spot on Greene street called Sold out nyc I think it’s a good spot to go if you’re interested in meeting other creatives and finding 1of1 clothing items from upcoming designers.

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?
God first. I’ve been through so much in my life and God has continued blessing me and allowing me to do what I do today. Secondly myself. I’ve always been very independent and motivated. I continue to persevere even with all the odds being against me. I’m grateful that I’m focused and know who I am because there are people still searching for that. Lastly, my amazing partner. He’s been extremely supportive from Day 1 and continues to push me to go harder and do more. I think it’s very important to have someone like that in your life especially someone you’re involved with romantically. Our relationship is vice versa.

Website: https://www.trendynaj.com/

Instagram: @trendy.naj

Twitter: @trendynajj

Image Credits
Image 1: “$nobz on film” model (@godfathersnobz on ig!) Images 2&3: “The Blueprint” model (@shaaddy___ on ig!) Image 4: “Why be on the cover of Vogue when you could be on the cover of Playboy?” Models (@shaaddy___ @indyalyxo @annuranichele all on ig!) Image 5: “Belly Big B’s Lookbook” brand (@belly.underground on ig) model (@lildrrk on ig) Image 6: “ Lower East Side” model (@Tanay Chanel on ig) ALL IMAGES SHOT BY @trendy.naj