Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alyssa Harris. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alyssa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I ever designed was called Purple Haze. It wasn’t my coolest design or cleanest in terms of construction, but it was inspired by my relationship with my father. My father has been my biggest supporter of my dreams and goals. He has brainstormed with me, stayed up till 3 am helping me any way he could, and always supplied any last-minute materials or moral support I needed to meet my deadlines. I designed Purple Haze as a sophomore in college for a school final. The materials I used were solely repurposed from old clothing, bedding, and jewelry from either my father or myself. When I was little, I wanted to be a Princess and when I was in school I wanted to design Business Wear. My project was a wearable collage of my childhood and young adulthood combined into contemporary streetwear. I wanted to create a timeline of how I got to this point and how far I still had left to go. By the time I had finished the project, I felt like it was a perfect representation of the type of fashion I wanted to make.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

At around 10, I discovered my love for designing and creating unique projects. My journey began by teaching myself basic sewing and garment construction, using a toy sewing machine. The beginning was challenging but I believe it made me the hard worker I am today. Learning from my trial and error and frustration, helped me develop confidence in my abilities. I wasn’t able to make the necessary connections or get my career started at first, it took maturing to realize starting is half the battle. Being picky about quality and pushing oneself were crucial skills. The customer will always know if something is wrong, so make it better before they get it. At some point everyone hits a wall where they’ve learned so much their ability to be flexible in learning new things gets imposable. I be came set in my ways and lost sight of the fact that despite initial challenges, continuous learning is key to success in the industry.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There is nothing more freeing than being able to let out creative energy. When you lose track of time and let yourself design anything you want no matter how crazy or impossible, it becomes very therapeutic.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

From my experience working with non-creatives, they can’t appreciate the full power of visuals and physical samples. When working with fabrics, you have to be able to feel the quality and see the exact color and you need as many different examples as possible. Many would service with a picture in an email to save money and time, overgoing the extra length to leave no room for error.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alyssanharris.com/
• Instagram: Missaalyssa_1
• Facebook: Alyssa’s Style’s
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/alyssa-harris-197a86210

Image Credits
Designer – Alyssa Harris Models – Militza Acosta