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

Zavia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission is to promote confidence in all women and girls. In 2016, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I was struggling with managing the illness and living my life. I no longer had the confidence I needed because I was afraid to leave my house out of fear of having symptoms ruin my day or night, afraid to hang out with my friends, afraid to date because nobody understood what I was going through and they had all these misconceptions about the illness.

I started researching ways to deal with stress and found that starting a hobby was one. I started watching YouTube videos about how to make jewelry and sandals because I also had a love for fashion from a young age. With my new found knowledge, I practiced creating different products and became good at it. I soon realized that creating these pieces became my therapy. It was my way of releasing the stress of navigating life while having Ulcerative Colitis.

I became confident in myself once again and through my art, jewelry, fashion and other creations, I realized, that if just looking unique, looking my best, I felt better about myself. When other people became interested in my products, I saw an opportunity to help other women to also feel confident about themselves.

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

I got into Fashion Designing as a way to keep my mind off my illness and it has been the best thing ever. My brand is called Zavia Walker, A fashion and lifestyle brand, designed for those who want to look and feel good. Our original art, created for the modern man or woman, fuses exclusive hand painted prints, with classic style. The essence of Zavia Walker is empowerment. By embodying our “self-accepting and fearless” message, with our effortless chic aesthetic, we invite you to embrace your individuality, while exuding confidence in your personal style. Brand Zavia Walker was founded in the beautiful Island of Jamaica and was recently relaunched in the United States. All our pieces are ethically made, paying great attention to detail, with fun colors and patterns that are sure to be conversation starters.

I want my clients to feel confident in themselves no matter what they may be going through and I help them with this through my beautiful unique designs. What sets me apart are my unique paintings that are then turned into timeless designs and the fact that I am accomplishing all these things while being a teacher full time, having a business full time and living with an autoimmune disease.

I want my fans to never give up on their dreams. 2022 has been my best year yet because my brand, Zavia Walker has been featured in British Vogue, Vanity Fair Uk and House and Garden Uk magazines. They also fell in love with my art and wanted to help me put it out there in front of more people. I will be forever grateful for that.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

It is sometimes really hard for new/small businesses to get funding to start, and/or grow a business. However, I would like to let people know that they should not feel defeated if they cannot get funding. I have never gotten any funding for my business, but I have made use of so many local resources in my area. I joined a local business accelerator called EforAll Cape Cod; they also have this program in other parts of America and is a non-profit organization. This program is for new or existing businesses who want help with starting or growing their businesses. They set you up with mentors that you meet with weekly, and they have classes twice a week to teach you many things about marketing, social media, taxes, types of businesses, trademark laws etc. You also have the chance to win money in their pitch competitions. I did so well in the program that not only did I win money, but I was given the chance to have a pop-up clothing store for 6 months to help launch my business.

Apart from EforAll, there is also a non-profit organization that is available throughout the United States called SCORE. They also set you up with mentors who are experts in various fields, who you meet with once a week to help you with learning how to grow your business.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think I’ve built a reputation locally because my handmade earrings are super lightweight, and customers get so many compliments when they wear my pieces. I also have a way of coming up with unique colors that appeal to my customers. In addition, where I live is a place that is filled with artists, but I stand out because instead of having my paintings on canvas, it is actually on clothes. This has sparked interest in my brand and I’m now known as the girl who has her paintings on outfits. Haha.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zaviawalker.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopzaviawalker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopzaviawalker/