We were lucky to catch up with Treviana Walker recently and have shared our conversation below.
Treviana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had started sooner?
If I could go back in time I would have started my career as soon as I graduated in 2015. Following a year after graduation, I remained in town and worked as a sales leader in a retail store and tailored garments on the side. I would have started my LLC sooner because the sewing techniques and everything I learned about fashion was fresh in my mind. Year 2021 pushed me to pursue my dream and quit my full time job. If I had started sooner, I feel like I’d have more creations and a following versus now I’m relearning sewing and gaining a social media presence. In 2022, TrevianaLLC.com website was launched on October 1st. I believe everything happens for a reason.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Treviana Walker. My brand, Treviana LLC, is named after myself. I want my brand to be designer vintage. I believe my name is unique and could be a household designer brand name like the Italian brands. In fact, when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy the natives thought my name was Italian. Also, in Rome, Italy there is a fountain named Trevi. As cliché as it sounds I’ve always had a passion for fashion at a very young age from spending hours dressing up my Barbie dolls to sewing and making my own purse out of shorts to watching America’s Next Top Model. My parents kept me in the latest trends and color coordinated. Girls and boys complimented me everyday. So, it was only right for me to go to college for Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising with a minor in Studio Art. Every item is unisex on my site and is thrifted and designed by me with acrylic paint to distressed to embroidery. There is also a section called “Treviana’s Closet” where you‘ll find clothes from my closet, past clothing lines or just thrifted items I thought were cute. Gear that isn’t logo tees or hoodies do not come out again. Everything on my site is exclusive. I want my shoppers to feel exclusive like they have a custom 1of1 when shopping off my site. Sizes are very limited as well. This is what sets my brand apart from others. Also, you are doing a justice to the planet by purchasing an upcycled creation by reducing your carbon footprint! I am proud Treviana LLC gets to make a difference in that way and even more by allowing you all to send us donations at the end of each page you can click on the donation button. Or even better send an email to [email protected] to get the address to our PO BOX so you can send your old clothes and watch them come to life as a new garment!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Well, it’s been a long journey. I want to blame the “American Dream” theory. The whole do good, go to school, graduate, get a good job, work hard thing or however it goes. I feel like I did that and back then at 22, I thought by 25 I was going to have my life together and everything I want but it didn’t happen that way. So in 2015, after college, I managed retail stores for awhile. In 2016, I moved to Atlanta,GA where I was getting a lot of fashion connects in a short period of time I was staying there but I had to move back home. In 2018, I had my first baby and then I got into social work type of work. In 2020, I had another baby and I realized during COVID these jobs don’t care about you nor knew what to do in those types of situations so I needed to make a change for myself. I started looking into Chinese clothing vendors and getting logos made and tags for clothes. I participated in a pop up shop and did pretty good. In 2021, I decided to finally quit, I mentally and spiritually couldn’t take working anymore. This year, I decided to really work on developing my LLC and I finally got it together and launched my website. I had a launch party that didn’t turn out as planned but it wasn’t about the party but my website debut which is really special and beautiful to me.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
SHOW UP. It literally shows your support. Donate. Ask us how can you help. Compliment our work. Like, share, comment, subscribe, follow just like you do any other video you like. It gets us views. Most of us are going to keep doing what we do anyway because we love what we do. But art is for everyone, it’s for sharing, for viewing pleasure. I love art. I love fashion. It goes hand in hand.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: trevianallc
Image Credits
Premere Johnson