My Facet Fashion Week Experience

May 19, 2014

Hey HairyKats,

This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in Facet Fashion week and wanted to reflect on my experience.

Owning my own jewelry business can be challenging. Especially when I'm raising a son, working as a full-time accountant, and writing novels. As many times as I've wanted to throw in the towel I'm confronted with experiences that re-iterate that hard work pays off and to just hang in there.

In no way have I made it. I am barely scratching the surface and getting my feet wet but in every challenge comes the reward that validates for me that I'm fulfilling my purpose. And who's to say my purpose is solely to be a jewelry designer, or a writer, or an accountant for that matter. I just get this feeling every time my pieces are purchased or worn by someone, or when someone sees my work that I'm actually great at what I do.

Great, again, doesn't mean perfect. I had such anxiety about participating in Facet Fashion Week because I knew that I would be surrounded by such amazing talent and sometimes I get caught in the feeling of, is my work good enough, but I had to let it go, learn from my past mistakes, be ok with making new ones, and keep striving. If I don't have faith in my work and in my pieces than no one else will. . I also talked myself out being intimidated by vendor fees because the value of living your dreams is priceless. I said a prayer as I clicked send to Miss Dunnie O saying that I was interested in participating lol and got to work on what I wanted to showcase. I was at that crossroad where I felt like doubt and fear, would never allow me to serve my purpose, if I wanted to grow.

So when I started to prepare to be a pop-up shop vendor at Facet Fashion Week I really sat and thought about what I was trying to convey as an artist. I removed the thoughts of selling and making money and focused on myself as an artist. As I search for my niche and what sets me apart as a designer, it was this show, this huge event full of industry professionals, that I really needed to showcase what my brand was about.

My vision is for Kat Kreations to make a statement for consumers that sometimes lose their voice(figuratively speaking). I ultimately want Kat Kreations to be an experience and not just a piece of jewelry. Although, my jewelry won't be restricted to women in the future, I started out wanting to give the shy, quiet, women a piece that spoke for them or made them stand out, or felt special, because it was custom made, to fit who they were as a person but not break their pockets to do so. I want my jewelry (not just the jewelry but the concepts, thoughts, and labor, behind each piece) to make everyone that wears it feel important, and validated as I did this past weekend.

Reflecting over the weekend, it was probably the most amazing experience I've had since I started Kat Kreations in November 2011. I got to meet people that I admire and respect. I got to collaborate with an amazing fashion designer Faatui of House of 2wee, and I just got to enjoy being an artist and showcasing my work. 2wee (@only2wee on instagram) and I met at Friday's swimwear fashion shoot. My first words to him were "May I Pet You?"(lol) as I was in awe by the fur piece he was working. I instantly fell in love with his style. The brotha was rocking a bow-tie with gold chain with a fur shawl and his personality was just as cool as his outfit. When he asked me to create pieces for his runway fashion show I was in shock. I tried to play it cool but I was screaming on the inside. It was a feeling of having someone believe in me and what I was doing. I felt blessed.

I created some original pieces and pulled pieces from my trendy finds section of my online boutique. I had never even been to a fashion show before let alone be behind the scenes assisting with helping models dress. As I was physically present amongst the chaos of what goes on behind the scenes to create a successful fashion runway, I was mentally in a place where my spirit was touched by a feeling of 'this is where I belong'. It was the aha moment for me that I needed to give Kat Kreations a chance to reach its full potential. It may take years to find my niche but in this very moment I feel as if I found my small voice in a large crowd and my voice as an artist will only grow stronger, with time and faith, and for that I am grateful.

I hope that the production team at Facet Fashion Week not only celebrate the success of putting on an amazing event but also celebrate that they are giving a voice and platform to small business owners and minorities in business that often time find themselves being lost in a crowd that's not meant for them. This weekend we were the crowd.

Here's a few pics below from Facet Fashion Week and for more pics check out the #facetfashionweek hashtag on instagram: