We were lucky to catch up with Chantay Wright recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Chantay, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Making my black and brown dolls are very meaningful to me because representation is so important. I know when a child gets my handmade dolls that they see themselves in their doll. I believe that the toys that kids play with matter and I feel like I am making a difference one doll at a time!
Chantay, 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?
Hello I am Chantay but I go by LaNee Tay on social media, I am the owner of STL Stylings LLC.. I learned to crochet in 2011 , i started out making scarves, blankets and hats. I learned off of Youtube. I quickly fell in love with the craft and I crocheted anytime I got the chance to.. i started out just gifting my finished products to family and friends . I later took a break for a few years and when I was hospitalized being pregnant with my son, I needed something to do while I was sitting in the hospital. I got my mom to go to the craft store to pick up the items I needed and watched a few videos on YouTube to refresh my memory and it just took off from there! I made my son blankets and outfits! I transitioned to making clothes for others as my skills grew and I practiced more and STL Stylings was born. I practiced often and made mistakes and posted my art online and things picked up. I later developed a website for my finished products and began taking custom orders. I then started hanging around more crochet artist and doll making started calling to me. My first doll was a mess, but she quickly sold. After that point i began taking classes and training to better my skills and my dolls got better with time! Tiktok became really popular and I started making TikTok’s with my dolls and dancing with doing transitions, my following started growing! I try to stand out and take the popular trends and make them fit my business! My business motto is “Handmade with Love, Skill and Passion” this truly how I feel about my fiber art! I want black and brown kids to know that they are beautiful if they have a darker skin tone or a lighter skin tone! I want you to have a to that resembles you! I actually have a lot of adult customers because they have never had a doll that looks like them! I just love them feeling of spreading love and beauty with my art!
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I would love if every child in the world could have a STL Stylings doll! The joy my dolls bring to children is such a grateful experience, I am truly grateful to show my art to the world!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding thing about me being a fiber artist is that the ideas and visions that I have in my head get to come to life with my two hands! Also when i get videos of the kids seeing their doll that looks like them and they say, “She looks like me” I it brings me tears of joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stlstylings.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/stl_stylings?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stlstylings/
- Twitter: https://youtube.com/@stlstylings6580
- Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@stlstylings?_t=8XRXt5I7ExW&_r=1
2 Comments
ShaQuia
This is amazing. It’s hard finding dolls like this and the fact that they are handmade makes it even better. Keep up the good work and keep flourishing queen!!
Brittni
Great article!! STL Stylings is an amazing artist & has a bright future ahead for her art. Cheers to Brilliance!