We recently connected with Isaiah Lane and have shared our conversation below.

Isaiah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Upon all of the milestone moments of projects I have accomplished as a young fashion designer, one that I can undoubtedly recognize as my proudest and most meaningful is the creation of my first Bridal Couture Gown, The “Andraya Gown”, made for my cousin, “Andraya Lane”, to be worn on her wedding day. The story of this meaningful journey all begins when Andraya had asked me to come over one day to discuss a very important question she had. Upon my arrival, The whole Lane family was present and gathered around the dining room table, anticipating Andraya to ask her important question to me. To my delighted surprise, Andraya says to me “Isaiah, is it possible for my wedding dress to be custom made by you?” With no hesitation, my immediate answer was “Yes of course. It would be an honor and such a special memory for my brand.” From that very moment on, the process of beginning my first Bridal Couture Gown blossomed. That same day, Andraya and I began noting down what style, shape, and fabric she may want her dress to be. Andraya had told me that she wanted to feel like a princess. With that, over the course of a month, many hours of research into different eras of dress making and styling were done between Andraya and I. Our collaborative mood board led us down the path of taking inspirations from that of ballroom elegance of the 1860’s. Representing the vintage beauty of exaggerated features to define the body of a Woman. To make her feel beautiful in her corset, metal structured petticoat, and multiple layers of fabric. When Andraya and I had decided on a final sketch of the wedding dress, It was now moving to the next stages of fabric sourcing and production of the dress. The dress consisted of 30 yards of silk satin for the main outer layer and over 200 yards of silk tulle for the outer layers of the petticoat. Silk Organza was also used for the inner corset and lining of the petticoat. With all the fabrics sourced, it was now time to begin production. During the making of the gown, there were many moments that defined my dedication to the craftsmanship I wanted my brand to represent. I took it upon myself to do countless hours of research to study the proper Couture techniques of Dress-making. And of course, as this was my first time making a gown of this complexity, many mistakes were made. However, these mistakes taught me patience in my work. I remember the petticoat being the most difficult part of the dress. This was because of the metal poles that had to be inserted for the round shape to be kept. I would find myself getting frustrated every time the metal would snag the fabric or the poles ends would not screw into each other. Yet, through all of the moments when I felt like giving up, I continued to have faith in myself and eventually found myself fixing my mistakes, moving forward to the next steps. These techniques were so precisely crucial to the structure of the dress, that any defect that was made would result in me having to start a whole section of the garment over again. During this time also, I was going through a very rough moment in my personal life. A phase that steered my course completely off track and turned my focus away from everything I had been working towards. I had found myself distancing myself from my work, family, and own self happiness. All in return for something that would drown me in my own tears. Thankfully, If it weren’t for Gods Discernment and my family, I would’ve never saw the truth behind what I was being attracted to. The wool no longer covered my eyes and I knew where I was supposed to be. With my family and completing what I had already started. In between the making of the gown, Andraya and I had many fittings to ensure everything was forming perfectly to her body. The Gown took 4 months to complete with a total of over 300 hours of work. As the final stages of the Gown were closing, the effort that I put into this gown was feeling more and more liberated. The final fitting and revealing of the dress to Andraya was such an empowering and emotional moment. Watching her fall in love with the dress is an experience that shook me to my core. I had knew from that very moment that I was on the right path to being a couture designer. As the day of the wedding approached, my anxious excitement was through the roof to finally dress Andraya on her special day. As the dress was being brought to the wedding venue and into her dressing room, Immediately, Andraya was ready to put the dress on. Firstly, Andraya slipped into the dress for it to be laced up. The strapless bustier bodice was complimented by an open back lacing with the brands logo embossed to add a subtle monogram of modernism to the vintage style Gown. The next step is to attach the petticoat underneath the dress. This is accomplished with buttons that are sewn below the dress fabric that hook onto buttonholes on the petticoat. With the Petticoat being the heaviest piece of the garment, due to the 6 metal rings and layers of tulle, this step took a few extra hands from the Lane family to complete. The final step to Andrayas full look is to add the train to the back of the bodice using a single button to hold in place. The train is shaped to drag behind in an oval silhouette to give the illusion from the front that the petticoat and train are seamlessly one. With the look complete, it was now time for Andraya to walk down the Aisle. I could not help the tears that poured down my face as she floated down in her couture ballgown. From the first moments of her asking me to make her dress, the first sketches I drew, the frustration of mistakes, and the personal struggles I faced, I felt my spirit rise watching my creation in motion. In that moment, I felt the adrenaline of pure love, accomplishment, and happiness. This is why the making of The “Andraya Gown” is my most meaningful project.

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.

My Brand, Zaelane, is founded intricately more than just on my passion and love for Fashion. The commencing of my label is woven deeper into the autobiography of my childhood and the codes that are embedded into my DNA from my past relative generations. Fashion has always been a pinnacle of the Lane heritage. With countless recordings and captured documents of life before I was brought into this world. The styles of Zaelane had always already existed, yet, they were just not given a name. But by destiny of our higher power, the name was always going to have been made. Dually, my Mother and Father were both models. My Father was also a designer in Military gear. My grand and greats beyond my parents were also involved in style and fashion. Dressing to the fullest was part of their daily routine. No matter where they went, their clothes were sure to turn heads. Growing up, I always had a way with dressing clothes, setting me apart from the rest. With my big afro, skinny jeans, multi colored sneakers, fake glasses, and big personality, every stage of school was a challenge for me to get through. To think a kid as young as myself not knowing anything other than innocence and creativity, could be turned against in hatred, despite, and shamed for simply being myself. Many things I was made fun of for, I didn’t even know what they meant. 6 years of bullying does a lot to a kid. Especially when no one else knows or cares enough to stop it. These hard times were the poison to my self acceptance to be true to myself as kid, but now are the fuel to the commitment of my brand and the way I present myself today, hoping to inspire others. Zaelane is founded on stories that redefine what it means to be stylish. To change the narrative of what it means to wear clothes. Zaelane takes pride in creating art with intent, love, and dedication to the craft. With most of the garments made in house, this creates a sense of extra care and passion to each individual piece that is produced. My brand also recognizes the importance of making its clients feel individually special. Making sure that with every opportunity for someone to wear the brand they feel elevated and confident.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The mission of my brand is driven fully in love. I believe deeply in the idea of fashion bringing humanity closer together and elevating in evolution. It is my upmost priority to make every community thrive in every avenue, because fashion is not limited to any area of life. I seek to inspire those who come after me to let their imaginations flow into their hands and out their mouths. To speak their creativity into existence with no fear of what others might say. God has given us a world, a spirit, a mind, and a body to create as he has created us in his image. I have many plans for the future of brand what it will bring to the world. In hopes to become a successful inspiration to those who have the same for the arts as I do. It is most important to me that my message of uplifting creative minds is recognized and applies to my brand.

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

Ever since my beginning stages of learning about garment making and fashion styling, I have been able to learn more about myself and evolve into my true identity. Knowing the way I carry myself based on how I dress has grown feels very rewarding. I feel this because to know that the little boy that was mocked and rejected by his peers as a chile, is now respected as someone who has worked hard to be where I am now in my journey and is only beginning. It also is liberating to feel that all the hate I went through as a child was just an early alteration for mind to be where it is today to not feed into what others thing or say about me. I am very proud of myself and grateful for the feeling of confidence in my work, artistry, and authenticity. With the standard that I hold myself to, I have found that same rewarding feeling in making others that struggle with self esteem feel empowered by reminding them that they were made by design with no mistakes. Giving back to those to have helped me and supported me through life is also a huge blessing. I feel so much joy to be able to make others feel good about themselves wearing my brand. That feeling of raising someone’s sight to their own beauty is a reward that can never be beat in my eyes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zaelane.com
• Instagram: personal – @isaiahmlane / brand – @zae1ane