We recently connected with Yoalah Brinson and have shared our conversation below.

Yoalah, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The way I came up with the idea of my art and graphic design business is by change deciding to change my hobbie for at and graphic design into a career that way I can earn an extra income and also share my work with the world all while doing something I love. The way I came up the idea to create my own clothing brand is by taking my love for fashion and creating my own style for my size because as a small petite disabled model it’s hard for me to find clothes my size that are in adult style and I also I grew up in a community with it’s own style and culture that designed, styled and created their own clothing and also raised by a mother who models and is a seamstress and 2 grandmothers who did the same. I remember our community having fashion shows and days where we would have a market with everyone’s own clothing and accessories laid out on tables in selling booths for showcasing and selling. The epic designs of these products and the different elements that made up each clothing and accessories fascinated me. Since then, this fascination grew into a passion and an obsession, leading me to eventually become hyper-focused around fashion designing and styling for every race, religion, culture, ethnicity, size and gender all around the world. I’m stoked to have found the intersection between all of my favorite things, and now spend my days designing and styling dresses, tops, pants, skirts, shoes, bonnets and more! ‍
I love to wear my own unique style, so I know that feeling when you put on your favorite outfit. That outfit from one of your best days that takes you back to the moment, or your favorite outfit that makes you feel confident to go out and do the things you love. There’s something so exciting about reliving your best memories through your clothes, and something so empowering about literally wearing your passions with pride, front and center for all to see.
‍
My clothing line says a lot about me, my interests and my passions, and make me feel like part of a movement so much bigger than just myself. Whatever the message, when I wear my heart on my literal sleeve, I get a feeling of royalty, positivity, and shared passion. This is why I’m so passionate about connecting all race of people through amazing clothing.

Yoalah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The way I got into into my industry of fashion is I’ve always loved fashion for as long as I can remember. But growing up in Israel, a third world country, I was continually frustrated by the glaring lack of opportunities for disabled people in editorials, designer campaigns, and most of all, the runway shows.

So I wanted to make a difference and get scouted/discovered by a modeling agency that represents disabled people and started applying to a lot of talent and modeling agencies and not long after, I was scouted and signed becoming the first disabled, Black, Middle Eastern model to be represented by a major agency.

Now I have quickly become one of fashion’s freshest faces, posing in campaigns for Moschino, Collina Strada, and Sephora, among others. I even made a starry cameo in Miley Cyrus’s slightly NSFW 2019 music video for her single, “Mother’s Daughter”). But my true breakthrough moment came when I made my New York Fashion Week debut in Moschino’s Spring show, also making history as the first model in a wheelchair to grace the runway for a big fashion house. In the months since that moment, I’d say the fashion world has responded very kindly. “I was actually shocked by the outpouring of love that I got from everybody, whether it was industry peers or family members or friends, I just felt so celebrated,” she says. “When Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell congratulated me on Instagram, I definitely cried.”

With my new platform, I am showing a whole new generation, particularly speaking to those among the middle eastern, black and disabled communities, that they too can have a seat at the table or a turn on the runway. “The advice I give disabled people who dream of walking the runway is to simply have faith in yourself and be assertive and persistent about your goals and aspirations, and never stop for anything even when it feels pointless. Just keep going because if you stick your neck out for long enough and stay true to yourself, people will see you.”

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I honestly always just wanted people to understand me. I literally got into modelling because I wanted people to understand that I am the person that I am, and people are who they are. So, just because I may not look like what society considers beautiful, tall or able-bodied, it doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t have access or take up space in places like the fashion industry, social media, or in advocacy entirely. You know, I feel like people have the perception that I’m constantly trying to fix things, without even really getting to know me or informing themselves on the nuances of myself, or identities as a whole.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the thought of thinking that if I didn’t get enough likes, shares or comments on social media then my business wouldn’t get anywhere. The backstory to this lesson is how every time I would share my business I would get little to no likes or anything on social media so I stopped posting about my business thinking that no one liked or wanted what my business was offering until one day I started getting constant orders even with no pr, marketing or social media strategy.

Contact Info:

• Website: queenwithattitude.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middle_eastern.queen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/middleeasternqueen7
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoalah-brinson-660097273
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/middleeastqueen
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@GirlGamerOnWheels