Who You Know: Chloe Nezianya

Chloe Nezianya's clothing designs are certainly ones to be marvelled at - the exquisite detailing & attention to a woman's natural shape really stand out. Her journey has taken her from her hometown of Liverpool to London, now working in TV & on her own designs.

Her brand Nezianya has been featured in Vogue & many more fashion publications including House Of Solo magazine where American RnB singer SiR wore one of her designs.

Continuing our black female founders series for Black History Month, Chloe details her experiences growing up black in Northern England & how inclusion runs through everything she does.

Firstly, tell us a bit about yourself & your career journey?

I’m a 24-year-old fashion designer and Costume trainee born in Liverpool and now based in London. I graduated with a BA in fashion design from Kingston School of art, primarily focusing on womenswear and plus size bodies and have continued to design and reimagine for the marginalised body. My interests have always bordered the line between Costume and fashion and at the moment I am enjoying the opportunity to work on my own fashion design and work in the TV industry in costume department. For me, fashion and costume are easily interchangeable as I believe both are performative - after all it’s a person’s attitude and personality that can bring a look to life.

How would you describe Nezianya?

As a plus-size woman I believe that we should not have to compromise comfort over style, and in order to do this, designers must take the responsibility to consider how to empower people through fashion. Regardless of your size you should be able to wear something that is risky, fun, sexy & comfortable. I founded Nezianya with the core value of inclusion and vowed to implement it from its initiation. I use models of various sizes, ages, sexualities, religion, abilities and ethnicities and hope to expand my business to represent diversity and progression in perspective and ideas. 

Your brand is inclusive of all shapes & sizes. What are your thoughts on the fashion industry’s attempts to represent different body types? Do you think more still needs to be done? 

Fashion should be inclusive because there is not only one way to enjoy it. Some past attempts at inclusivity in the fashion industry have been lacklustre. I’ve seen brands further perpetuate the idea that bigger people should be confined to conservative, boring  and unflattering shapes, and other brands that will make ‘oversized’ or ‘boyfriend fit’ garments but cannot accommodate people larger than a size Medium/Large. 

I definitely think more needs to be done. I think that it is important to not only accommodate larger sizes but to make a conscious effort to promote fashion that includes everybody. In order to implement any change, we need to change our ideas on the type of people  who we make fashion attainable for.

The detailing and draping on your designs is absolutely beautiful, what are your inspirations for the clothing?

Thank you! For my last collection the running theme was Amazonian goddesses and warriors - huge, sexy and powerful women. I think that this will be a continuing theme in my work, I’m obsessed with the idea of bigger women who can live their lives unfazed by outdated body “ideals".

In the initial stages of development, I looked at myself and my friends. Initially, when I knew I wanted to make a plus-size collection, I researched into areas of concern and insecurity of women on their bodies in order to find them and hide them in flattering ways, but then I decided to do the opposite - I loved the idea of adorning women in drapes and accentuating the curves instead of hiding them. 

For someone looking to get into Fashion Design or Costuming, what advice would you give them?

My advice would be to take pride in your work, there are people out there who will appreciate your work as much as you do. 

What’s the fashion industry like in the UK for a young black woman? Are there any other female designers you would like to shout out?

My university experience as a young black designer was intense but also rewarding in some respects. We had a great selection of tutors, but, similar to my primary and secondary school education, there was a lack of black educators, support staff or visiting professors. I was fortunate to have two black tutors who both made a huge impact on my university education.  I have spoken to fellow fashion students at other institutions who also reported the same lack of black professionals and People of Colour in higher management positions. 

For a young, Black creator, seeing other Black professionals in position of higher management is affirming and inspirational. As an older Black professional you are able to give more specific and helpful advice to help young Black creatives navigate through the fashion world. 

How was your experience growing up as a black woman in Liverpool? Did you notice a difference in your experiences when moving to London?

Liverpool is an amazing hub of creativity and culture; I was fortunate to participate in a lot of this growing up in many extra-curricular activities which meant that I was able to interact with many people from different walks of life. At times I was the only black child in my primary school with few children of colour and even fewer staff and teachers of colour. I was lucky to be surrounded by some great friends although I did experience racist and ignorant encounters by peers that had obviously inherited their parents and families outdated views. 

I knew I was different from my friends, but it didn’t affect me so much until we started to develop into young women, not only was my skin colour and my hair is different, but my body type was also different. This was difficult to deal with as an overweight teenager with friends whose ‘body goals’ were something that I’d never be able to achieve. 

The Black Lives Matter Movement is gaining more traction around the world, as it should be. What does Black Lives Matter mean to you?

Black Lives Matter is exactly what it says it is. Black people have been and still continue to be marginalised and disrespected despite our history and past struggles. It’s important for people to understand that the movement is ‘Black Lives Matter’ and NOT, ‘Other lives don’t matter’. 

Black people should have the freedom to voice how oppression effects our everyday lives and how we as people should be open to changing our behaviour and actions to become more tolerant and inclusive beings. 

2020 has been a rollercoaster year for most, how have you managed to stay centred amidst all the chaos?

It really has! At the beginning of lockdown, I was working back in Liverpool on a TV series when we unfortunately had to step down because of the pandemic. This whole experience has made me revaluate the way I spend my time at home and boosted my productivity. In the beginning I spent a lot of time catching up on many unfinished sewing projects that I ‘d set myself and then my focus turned to donating face masks, scrub bags and scrub hats to hospitals in Liverpool and Somerset. 

I had taken a little break from sewing since graduating, so picking it up again allowed me to keep practicing my skills at an enjoyable pace. 

Anything else you would like to add?

BLACK LIVES MATTER