Iyana Frazier is a 21-year-old fashion designer and Instagram influencer, who’s slowly amassing a following. At an age where most young people are still only just deciding what they want to do with their lives, this young woman just wants to let people know to never be afraid to go after your dreams even if they seem unachievable.
Born in 2001, in Los Angeles, Iyana has been doing fashion for as long as she can remember.
“Fashion has always been a love of mine. It was a way for me to express myself the emotions I was feeling, what I was going through at the time. It was sort of my therapy.”
As a kid, Iyana was always sketching outfits, and coming up with fun new clothing ideas, even while at school. It wasn’t long before she was hopelessly in love with the world of fashion. It only seemed natural, at a certain point, that she’d go pro. Iyana was lucky to find support in her parents, and inspiration in her twin sister, Tatiana.
“Growing up, she was always so confident and when she walked into a room she owned it and she always pushed me to hold my head up high and be more confident and with time I finally got there.”
Though being a young woman of color, Iyana faced her fair share of adversity. Entering both the fashion industry and the world of social media, she was appaled to see black creators and models underrepresented and underpaid.
“It just sucks sometimes because you have to work 10 times harder because of something you can’t change but nevertheless I wouldn’t change being a black woman for anything!”
While not yet at the head of a massive following, Iyana’s insane growth has already been inspiring other social media users, reminding them that the trick is consistency.
“With social media it’s really just tryIng and failing and seeing what works! The more I posted the more I learned. but some advice I would give to someone starting would be to do your research, be yourself, be confident, and also be patient!”
Though largely a very positive and upbeat person, Iyana maintains a realistic view of what it means to develop your brand by yourself, and work to get some public recognition. She shares with us the hardships of starting the journey, and growing a social media following, especially while she’s also working a 9 to 5 regular job.
“The last thing you want to do when you come home or have a day off is go take pictures for 3 hours. But for me I knew the only way to see growth was to remain consistent even when I was tired. If you want it you have to work hard.”
Of course, we couldn’t let a future fashion star go without prodding her for some inspo, which she credited to Anifa Mvuemba, the stunning lady behind Hanifa clothing. Iyana is getting inspired each day by her fellow creators, and inspiring in turn, and it’s precisely that attitude that’s gonna help her get along.
“I just want to let people know to never be afraid to go after your dreams even if they seem unachievable.”
