We caught up with the brilliant and insightful MJ Sykes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

MJ, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

The first time I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer was after I finished my Undergraduate in Science. I have always loved clothes and “looks,” but I didn’t know anything about the design industry or being a designer. One day I was searching around on eBay and I saw this used sewing machine for sale. I had used one only once in Home Ec to make a pencil pouch. It was navy blue on one side and a satiny lavender on the other. It was crooked and had a hole in the bottom right corner. I added the machine to my cart then I found some vintage patterns and completed my purchase. I was buying a machine I knew nothing about and patterns I wouldn’t understand but I was so excited to get my package. That night I searched “fashion designer” on my computer. At no time before that had I even thought I could design. I was led there.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in L.A. and raised in Atlanta. I have loved clothes since I was very young. My mother was always very fashionable and appreciated the importance of finding a “good” shoe or dress. We didn’t have much so she taught me the value of luxe materials and strong construction. In elementary and high school, I started designing looks from everyday clothes and my mother’s vintage wears, this began developing my love of clothes. I attended magnet schools for high achieving academics, math, science and technology and I grew to love the sciences very much. This led me to pursue my Bachelors of Science, heading towards a career in Veterinary Medicine, or so I thought. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do but my artistic side always shined through. Fast forward through rough designs, self taught sewing, fashion weeks, to a Master of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising from The Academy of Art.

I create high fashion luxury garments under prendre-tout atelier and chic Ready to Wear under The EmJha Collection. I also write a fashion blog Check the Runway and am in the process of creating an Emerging Designer non-profit. Fashion is my passion!

My collections are cool, chic and full of life. What sets them apart is my point of view which is unique. This is something I am proud of, putting my point of view on full display through the expression of garments, my art.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

While attending the Academy of Art I had many struggles. Not having an undergrad in design meant I knew nothing going in. In the masters program you’re expected to be a master at the end of your courses so I had so much to learn in a short period of time. There was a construction class that gave me so much trouble, I took it three times. My advisor came to me and asked what was wrong, she was concerned with why couldn’t I pass the course. I told her I was putting my best foot forward each time but my construction skills were not at a mastery level. We discussed changing my major in the middle of my coursework. I switched my major to include fashion merchandising. I excelled and I had so many design credits that when it was time for my thesis, I had to include both merchandising and fashion design work. When I passed my thesis I was in tears, I went through so much to get there and I was very proud of my journey. Perseverance is so important and we should stop expecting our journey to look a certain way and appreciate each step.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I feel society can provide more support by continuing to understand that art is a true career. Artist work hard to hone their skills, to educate themselves and to expand their craftsmanship. Artists have to keep up with trends and their target market, changes in the industry etc. Artist are business people and career professionals. I recall telling someone that I was a fashion designer during a conversation about economics, they went on to tell me to “stick to designing.” I had to explain that I did have a masters degree in fashion design and fashion merchandising which includes business, finance and economics courses as well as creative courses to develop my skills. But a formal education is not the only place to learn about business, creative Entrepreneurs have to seek knowledge to become successful in their fields on the business and creative sides. We use both our left and right brains that should be celebrated.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.coralONE.us
• Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/thechiefdesigner
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/coraloneus

Image Credits
MJ