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

Sharae, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

Despite the massive changes in corporate America, I still strongly believe that there’s a lot of change to be done! I believe corporate America is still too focused on the image in which the company gives off to the world. But what corporate America really needs to deep dive into is equality and inclusivity. Most companies are adjusting how they approach the hiring process, advertising, marketing, etc. They are showcasing to the world that they are an inclusive company and that they celebrate and want to portray equality and oneness. This is not a bad thing. But where it becomes a negative is when companies are doing these “acts” of equality and inclusivity just for the show of it. A lot of companies, I believe, are doing it just so that they look like they are a part of the equality movement. And this isn’t good enough to me as a person of color. A company trying to showcase their love of equality and inclusivity is just that: it’s a show. And I want corporate America to truly, and I mean truly, dig deep into their morals and their roots and their foundation and figure out how to transform internally in order to make the external more inviting of all people. Putting on a show for your consumers is not going to promote change. It is only going to continue to set back the growth that I know can be done in corporate America.

Sharae, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a designer in the corporate retail industry. This is what I do by trade. But also what I do for fun and for my own personal business. I have been a creative my entire life! I loved to draw as a kid. I also loved to take apart my Barbie doll clothes and create new clothes and new outfits. So I’ve always kind of been into textiles and fashion growing up. Then I went to school for textile and fashion design. And I made a career of it.

I love to take on personal projects such as website design, graphic design, logo design, print and pattern designs, sewing alterations, designing outfits, offering styling services, etc. Anything dealing with art and fashion I am the woman for you! I mainly act as the stylist to most people around me, including my Instagram followers. I love to offer styling tips for those who don’t really know what to do with what’s in their closet. And I have found a lot of success in doing this, especially because I am a curvy person of color. I don’t believe there’s enough representation for black women on Instagram in the styling industry. And I wanted to to start this digital styling and creative space for people who look like me. Don’t get me wrong. I want everyone to be able to take something from what I share. But I mostly wanted to bring in some more diversity into this online platform.

The most important part about what I offer through Shades of Sharae, is that it is inclusive, diverse, and for every woman. My passion has always been to make women feel more confident, powerful, more beautiful! Beautiful! And by giving them these styling tools, I believe that it will empower them. Sometimes we don’t even realize the power of an outfit that makes us feel beautiful. And I wanted to create this space where all women can feel beautiful and empowered. No matter your race, or your size, or your style. I welcome everyone always!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

There is definitely a particular goal that drives my creative journey. I have always had the dream of owning my own clothing boutique. This clothing boutique is where I want to bring the inclusive and diverse online presence to life. I want to create a store where any woman can walk in to the store and feel welcome. I want my boutique to just embody diversity and inclusivity and oneness! I can count plenty of times. I’ve walked into a clothing boutique as a curvy black woman and immediately could tell that what they were selling was not for me. It wasn’t designed for me and it wasn’t meant to be sold to me. And I don’t want any woman to ever feel that when they walk into my boutique. I want them to be able to find something that fits them in store. Not that the store has to order a special size every single time. I want to offer diversity in size for all women!

I also would love the opportunity to be able to give back to the community that I am in through my future clothing boutique. Whether that’s offering free styling sessions to up-and-coming young women who also want to be in this industry. Or even offering up outfits and gowns to underprivileged girls for homecoming or prom. Or even offering clothing for women who just need a fresh start and need a clean outfit for a job interview and don’t have the money to buy it. I want to be able to truly be a vessel in the community that I am in. And I believe that I can do that through a clothing boutique.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist and a creative is that I can be uniquely myself. As an artist and as it creative, nobody can design or create something from scratch like me. There’s no one like me. Which is why I always advocate for people to truly design from the heart. Because if you design like everyone else then there is no point in doing it. But if you truly design from your heart and your soul, it will always be uniquely yours. And that’s my favorite part about being a creative! No one can do what I do and I can’t do what anyone else does. Only because we all think so differently and uniquely. Which is why I believe each creative is very much needed in this world!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.sharaehinesportfolio.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/shadesofsharae
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharaemhines