When did you realize you wanted to become an accessories designer?

I am actually a fashion designer, I design everything from accessories to women’s wear.  I’ve been in love with fashion as a form of expression ever since I was 15. Until then, I was incredibly insecure about being very tall and very skinny. And I definitely dressed the part of the “ugly ducking”. I started loving myself and my body, AFTER I started dressing better due to the advice of friends. Clothes became a conduit to me seeing myself more attractively. That is when I first understood the transformative power of fashion. Since then, I have always intended to have a fashion line.  I assumed I would do it later in life, after working what my Caribbean parents consider to be a “conventional job”. However, after a doctorate in Anthropology and Education from Columbia and 7 years in the nonprofit sector, I knew I could no longer put off pursuing my true passion. Convention be damned.

What was the first thing you ever designed?
The first thing I ever designed was a dress I had made by a local seamstress in Ghana, when I lived there for a year in 2002. It was the warm responses to a piece that I had designed for myself that confirmed that I had a sense of style that other women could relate to.

How long does it usually take you to construct a piece?
It takes me anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how distracted I am by other things happening both intern and external to me.

What are some of your accomplishments as a designer?
The most successful thing I have done to date is to quit a cushy non-profit executive job, overlook looming student loans, and embark on a more authentic professional path. After that everything is icing on the cake. This fish collection is my very first collection,  and I am proud to have customers in England, France, and Japan. I have pulled off a successful showcase in Miami that was covered by local media and attended by almost 300 people. ALIAKIM has also been worn by famous Jamaican pop star Tami Chynn.  Finally, being featured at BebeNoir only a mere 7 months after starting my line is incredibly momentous for me. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Where can readers buy your pieces?
If you are in Jamaica, you can purchase my pieces at BaseKingston. If you are in New York, you can find fish at BebeNoir. Or you can always order pieces from my website: www.aliakim.com

How long have you worked as a designer?
I have been conceptualizing the meaning and message of my line for two and a half years now; all while taking business courses at FIT and the London College of Fashion, and working hodge-podge jobs for a variety of world-class designers like Reem Acra, Pamela Rolland, and Oscar de la Renta. This is my premier line and it has been in existence for 7 months.

What’s your favorite part about conceptualizing a design?
I think everyone’s life has a pattern, and often that pattern informs their passion. The pattern of my life as an anthropologist and a nonprofit worker has been to learn the story of a community and communicate it to others in way that benefits the community. I’m try to do the same with fashion. My favorite part of conceptualizing a design is determining the story that I am trying to tell, and then coming up with the best fashion elements to convey it.

For example, with the fish collection, I was trying to tell the story of reinvention and new beginnings. Fish in almost every culture means innovation and transformation. The poor economy of the last few years has forced many people and communities to regroup. That coupled with the plethora of natural disasters taking place, rebuilding is the current mood of many people’s lives. What better way to stay focused on new beginnings than with a cool accessory that packs a mean visual punch. That is always what I want to do with fashion, make a multilayered statement with a simple design. A commitment to this one ethos informs all of my conceptualizations.

How do you prepare for a fashion shoot or show?
I always start with a theme. I think about the message behind the garment and decide what elements best tell this story. For example, for our launch party at Bebenoir, the theme is beach party because the jewelry is fish inspired and it’s taking place in July. So you’ll find buckets of beer, beach balls and chairs, models in bikinis, and Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince on the speakers. When anyone attends one of my shows or sees one of my spreads, I want their senses to be assaulted from all angles. I want their eyes, their ears,their nose …and ultimately their minds and hearts to completely get the story I am telling, so that they always feel apart of it all.

What does fashion mean to you?

Fashion means self expression.  It is an extension of one’s emotions and way of life. People who say they don’t care about clothes,  the way they look, usually lack passion in their life.

Fashion is loving yourself and                                     where you are going.

When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?

I realized that I wanted to be a fashion designer when it focused me.  Fashion excites me and inspires me in a way that nothing has ever done.  The day I was in a slump and depressed about where things were going in my life, and I felt the desire to push through the slump was a solid clue that I was on to something.   Now having a bad day does not make me want to find a new passion it fuels me to create more.

How long does it usually take you to construct a piece?

I never push creativity.  I like to let my creativity come naturally, so when it hits I can create it in less than 15mins.  When passion and inspiration is taking control you become the tool not the designer.

Who is one of your favorite local models to work with?

I have two.  Their names are Vianna Nater and Frederik McDonald, and I signed both of them to the brand.  For me modeling is more than a pretty face or being able to look good on camera.  It is an energy and element of character.  They have such great positive attitudes, and they care about the brand as if they created.  It makes it easy to tell them what I am looking to achieve, and there is no chip on the shoulder attitude.  It is just about professionalism and GREATNESS.

Who are some of your favorite designers?

My favorite designer without any doubt is Ralph Lauren.  He represents class, timeless style, and iconic fashion. He can never be duplicated.  He has thought of every consumer.  I have that desire to have a brand for every consumer.  I love the fact that someone from the hood around the way and the executive behind his desk can wear the same article of clothing.  He made the Polo a fashion staple, and he never ceases to stop recreating it.  Fashion is about being able to make people see the same item differently, and to me Ralph Lauren is my HOPE.  My hope of what I would want to be.
Where can readers buy your clothes/jewelry?

Now they can find us online at www.poetikdesigns.com, and they can also find us at Bebenoir during May and June.  We are partnering with them to bring our first pop-up boutique.

BB: When did you realize you wanted to become an accessories designer?

ELLEN: I wanted to become a designer since I was a little girl. It was always my dream. I just didn’t know exactly  when it was going to come true.

BB: What was the first thing you ever designed?
ELLEN: I can answer that several ways…When I was little I used to make all my Barbie clothes She needed to be fabulous at all times… The first official design would be my bright red yellow and turquoise fringe necklace ( almost a year ago to the day).

BB: How long does it usually take you to construct a piece?
ELLEN: I have it down to a science now so it can take me anywhere from 30mins- 1 ½ hr to make one piece.

BB: Describe the general process you go through to design and realize one of your pieces.
ELLEN: It’s all in my head. I have a very vivid imagination. I actually look at the fabrics and start to think how would the colors go together . I grab the fabric and let my fingers go to work.

BB: What are some of your accomplishments as a designer?
ELLEN: I was recently featured in time out NY magazine (feb.24th issue) for there hot looks for spring issue.

BB: Where can readers buy your pieces?
ELLEN: Hillary Flowers Boutique downtown on the Lower East Side 40 clinton st. between rivington and Stanton, Bebebnoir in Harlem on 8th ave. between 116th and 117th, and at my online etsy store eldenwaclothing.etsy.com

BB: How long have you worked as a designer?
ELLEN: Its been a year since I left my job in Advertising to pursue this fulltime. Although I was all a designer in some form whether its illustrations, graphics, or fashion.

BB: How do you select your models?
ELLEN: Personality, personality, personality. We all know that models are pretty or have an interesting look, but I need people with personality.
Once you get in front of the camera the beauty can only help you so much. I want to feel emotions in my pics. Having a background in the Ad world really helps me out with this because I am familiar with the casting process so I know what to look out for.

BB: Do you consider yourself an artist?
ELLEN: Yes, definitely. I describe my pieces as FUNctional Art.

BB: What’s your favorite part about conceptualizing a design?
ELLEN: Selecting color combinations. Color says so much about a person and their style. It can totally make a break a sale.

BB: How do you prepare for a fashion shoot or show?
ELLEN: I like to flip through fashion magazines and websites so I can get a feel for different body language. I also just walk around the city and people watch. You can get great ideas for styling. I think all fashion has its roots in the streets.

To learn more about ELLEN WAGNER and her work, check out http://www.etsy.com/shop/eldenwaclothing