We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christian Caldwell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Christian , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I’ve always been interested in the arts since an early age. I started drawing around 5 years old and haven’t stopped since. As a young child, I always loved to color, paint and craft and create different things. My mother enrolled me in art classes, dance and piano at young age. My love for fashion formed as I got older and became more intune with fashion and how it made me feel. I guess I would say, my love of fashion also came from my mother. We would go shopping and try on clothes and take pictures. I found so much joy in dressing up and beautiful and confident it made me feel.Fashion became a way to express how I was feeling. What I enjoy about designing is being able to bring my art/ designs on paper to life.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
The name of my brand is Christian Allana. Christian Allana is a contemporary women’s luxury ready to wear and evening wear collection with unique, edgy and athelitic details. My muse is someone who is very fashion forward, confident and sexy…Hence the tag line for my brand “Femme with and Edge” My designs are simple and sporty silhouettes with hints of feminine details, textured fabrics and athletic trims.
I get the most excited when start to concept a collection. I’ve always thought the beginning stages are the fun part. I love trend and fabric research. I love looking through inspriational images and enjoy the feeling of being inspired to create something new. Another exciting part of my process is the end stage. I love seeing a design go from paper to reality. There is alot of work and do-overs in between but I love to see how something can really come together at the very end. It’s very rewarding!
My most exciting project that I recently worked on was a collorbation with Shein. This was a huge opportunity for me to showcase some of my designs and work with one of the largest online fashion retailers. I designed a 8 look collection specifically for the SheinX program. The collection just dropped in May and available online to purchase. This was a such great experience for me and the program has allowed me a platform to showcase my collection on a global scale.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding process for me as an artist or creative is to see the finished piece on client and seeing how it made them feel. I not only want to design beautiful things and deliver a great product but I also want to offer that client an amazing experience in working with me.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I’ve worked very hard professionally to be to where I am today. I have great work ethic and perseverance. While I know that can sound cliche….it is what has helped me get this far. You would find that as long as you are willing to put in the work, people will help or support you in anway that they can. I’m still not as far as I would like to be. What pushes me to go further is the yearning to learn and grow. When I find myself feeling too comfortable I make myself another goal and try to push myself out of my comfort zone. I don’t like the feeling of being stagnant; that ultimately keeps me wanting to move forward. I am a single mom, I work full time as a designer in corporate, while also maintaining my own business. My day is not easy; It can be very challenging finding work / life balance. I am thankful to have a such a supportive family and tribe of friends.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.christianallana.com
- Instagram: christianallana
- Facebook: christianallana
- Linkedin: christianallanacaldwell