Meet Shilaken | Artist & Fashion Designer

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

Hi Shilaken, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Being me! Being authentically me in every aspect has helped me create success for my image and my brand. Throughout my whole journey, I have found going with what I believe is best for Shilaken and everything else that comes with it and maintaining a high level of positivity and confidence is the key to my continuous success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I create clothing items from recycled materials. I often used second-hand fabric or items from thrift stores to completely construct a new item.

All the items I create are 1 of 1! I enjoy trying to make new things.

I am self-taught, and I make all my patterns. Also, interestingly enough, I am not a typical designer. I do not sketch out my ideas. I think of the ideas in my head and then create!

At a young age, I’ve always been around sewing. When I used to see my Grammy (great grandmother) in Findlay, OH, we would make pajamas, and I loved it. In elementary school, My grandma would help me make items that I would sell at a holiday fair, such as placemats and sock warmers.

In my senior year of high school, I decided I wanted to start my own business, and I began making bonnets and other satin-lined hair accessories on a vintage 1960s singer sewing machine that had previously been my grandmas. After it was time for me to further onto College at Spelman, it was no question I would continue sewing. I tried to take the machine with me, but my grandma was not down for it! She would not let me take the ancient heavy device I had used throughout high school 600 miles to another state. It was entirely out of the question!

After moving to Atlanta, I bought a more updated machine and had different stitches other than the straight stitch I only had on the older machine. From then, I started to see my potential with sewing and started to reconstruct clothing items rather than just make hair accessories. When the pandemic hit, and we had to go home and lockdown, sewing was what helped to pass the time. I started to deconstruct items such as pants and then fully construct them into other things such as a jacket.

The pandemic’s peak was when I started putting my foot on the gas in my sewing journey.

After returning to school, I continued my sewing but wasn’t as consistent as I used to be. After a motivating talk with a friend about my true talent, I started to take it more seriously. This conversation sparked something in me to go full-throttle with my creative abilities.

I participated in my first fashion show at Clark Atlanta University’s Homecoming in October 2021. Since then, I have been in 3 fashion shows total and am continually being asked to participate in more.

Through my experiences with shows, I have learned more about myself and the brand. I enjoy fashion shows because my pieces are genuine art rather than just clothing items as they are 1 of 1, made out of different materials, and most importantly, all made by me!

My message to the world is to do what you love because you love it and not because someone else tells you to or because of money. My brand is very authentic. Everything I create is out of love; it is made with love and passion. Being unapologetically me helps my brand flourish. I’m not interested in hoping on trends or following others, and I believe people can see that when they see my art.

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?
Crazy enough, I haven’t been around the city to many fun places. I do enjoy Little Five Points, and a sub from Cheba Hut is always good! Most of my fun is going to thrift stores in different parts of Georgia to experience various establishments and people. I am from the midwest, so experiencing different walks of life and peculiar stores in Georgia is interesting enough in itself for me.

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 shout out to my mom because whenever I’m down, she is always there! Through all the tough times, she always supports me, and she has never questioned my ability to succeed in what I love to do. Whenever my energy starts to go down, she is always there to help bring it up. She is the one that believes in me unconditionally even when I don’t believe in myself.

Website: Shilaken.com

Instagram: shilakenatelier

Image Credits
E. Spencer