My junior year of college I had the distinct pleasure of studying abroad in Florence, Italy for a semester. The experience was very rewarding. I learned a lot about Italian fashion and the history of many famous Italian designers. While furthering my studies I went on trips to places like Pisa, Lucca, Cinque Terre, London and many more. At the time I was simply a fashion designer student who really only decided to study abroad in order to dodge taking a hard senior level course with the hardest professor in our department. As classes started, we would spend half the day in class learning about the designers, then the other half visiting the museums and headquarters of designers like Gucci, Ferragamo, Caputi and Roberto Cavalli. Going to Roberto Cavalli headquarters my mind began to spin and it’s the first time I thought of myself as Wesley the fashion designer. A few weeks later I would find myself at the Pitti Uomo Men’s Fashion Trade Show. Pitti Uomo is one of the world’s largest men’s trade fairs, more specifically in Italy’s main fashion sector of ready-to-wear fashion. That day changed my life forever. Shortly after the experience I began to have visions of what I could become and the things I could do owning my own business as a successful fashion designer. While walking to class one afternoon, I was passing the Pitti Palace and began to think about what I would name my business. I wanted something that could be a catch internationally. I knew I was a visionary and continued to have these very elaborate visions on things and so the name Vision came to mind. I looked it up on google translate to see what the word was in Italian. That day Visioni was born. That following year I was tasked with creating a collection of my own choice accompanied with a collection board that told a story. My collection was entitled, “The Bridal Collection”. Working at White House Black Market, I would ask ladies sometimes what their biggest obstacle was when it came to their wedding and their attire. Most women said it was finding both the perfect wedding and reception dress. I took that problem and solved it when I made my first transition gown that was a wedding dress that had a detachable train, which revealed the reception dress underneath. Upon graduating in 2015, the idea of being a business owner had heightened. year after year I continued to perfect my craft as a small business owner doing custom apparel orders from time to time. Over the past two years I have seen my business begin to take off as I continue to make custom one-of-a-kind gowns.

I began my career in fashion over a decade ago when I entered North Carolina A&T SU fall of 2011. There I majored in Fashion Merchandising and Design. At first, I did not know I wanted to be a fashion designer per say but it quickly hit me after taking one of my first design courses called, Flat Pattern. Making my first garment from scratch solidified the deal and it was the dawn of a new Wesley. In the summer of 2013, I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. Upon the completion of my summer abroad I had a new level of design inspiration built within. I started to study and understand apparel in a new way. While perfecting my craft I had the luxury of becoming the president of our campus fashion organization for two years. Leading such a wonderful organization taught me about the importance of marketing, promotion and networking. Graduating college in 2015, I had the opportunity to finish my degree with creating my first collection for the bridal wear sector. Going into the collection I was able to add the final design layer to my suitcase of knowledge. I took my research to the streets. I surveyed over 50 women who were or had been married and discovered the wants, needs, struggles and triumphs when it came to their wedding and the dresses that they wore throughout the whole ordeal. In 2017, I decided to take the big jump and become legit. I became a small business owner and made my passion a business. Visioni is a brand that caters to every customer, creating top quality customer service. Priding myself on the quality of the product I always make sure to tailor all designs to the curves of the client. Clothes are made to compliment your curves. Today I offer services from Fashion Consulting, Visual Merchandising and Personal Stylist; to Alterations, Upholstery, Vinyl Apparel, Custom Apparel and Custom Bags.

All my life I have been the type of person who strives for perfection in everything that I do. When I see something, I want in life I go after it and with all I have. From middle school to college, I had always been very calculated and succeeded in everything I did. After graduating college I had the perfect plan to kickstart my fashion career. I knew my destination and I went headfirst. 2017 changed my life forever. I hit rock bottom for the first time. The math was not adding up and I had never been one for patience. For the longest time I was down and felt trapped. To me it was not about the journey, instead it was all about the destination. Overtime I became content with the thought of not making it to my destination. It was then when I realized that sometimes it is not about the destination. It is all about the journey. Ever since then I have continued to strive and thrive off of putting my best foot forward in everything that I do.