FEATURE FRIDAY!

Creative of the week: Lewa

IG: @itslewababy

Lewa styled and shot by me

Lewa shot and styled by me

Interview

Me: "For today's first feature Friday I'll be interviewing the beautiful Lewa. Lewa and I have done a couple shoots in the past and always enjoyed each others creative visions. I thought it'd be a great idea to get her to be my first feature for my blog! Thank you so much for being my first interviewee babe. So, lets get started! What is your name (preferred name) , age, where were you born & where do you currently live?"

Lewa: "My name is Lewa, I'm 21, born in Nigeria, raised in Boston, living in Brooklyn, New York."

Me: What is your current relationship status?

Lewa: "I'm single"

Me: "What are some of your goals, aspirations and what are you currently doing in your creative field?"

Lewa: "My biggest goal since I was young has always been to graduate college and get my bachelors degree. I'm in my senior year at NYU and I'm looking forward to graduating next year. Since moving to New York, I've also rediscovered my passion for fashion and am aspiring to be a fashion model."

Me: "Why and how did you get into what you're doing? (modeling, fashion, etc)"

Lewa: "I'm where I'm at right now because I didn't listen to the people that told me I couldn't do it. I've gotten a lot of 'no's' and had a lot of people underestimate me or my dreams but I didn't let that stop me. I worked my ass off to get into college and now I'm gonna keep working on my modeling career and I will also achieve my goal of getting signed by continuing to persevere."

Me: "How would you describe your look and aesthetic?"

Lewa: "Something like Sharpay meets Brooklyn. My aesthetic is cute and nasty, pretty but hard. I feel like my confidence is also a huge part of my aesthetic because no matter what I have on, I wear it like I'm on a runway."

Me: "This next question is something I'm gonna ask all my interviewees. I think it's a beautiful thing to remind ourselves of our beauties and just spreading that self love. So I ask you Lewa, what would you say your best feature is and why?"

Lewa: "I would say my skin because I've been told for so long it was one of my worst features. I got bullied when I was younger for having dark skin and it actually just haloed my build for my confidence and now I love myself so much, it doesn't matter what anyone has to say about me."

Me: "Period Pooh! That's such a beautiful thing to truly say fuck yall, I'm me and I'm actually that bitch, despite what you people think of me. I love that for you Lewa. That confidence and beauty is definitely shown by you through your aura and pictures, and I think that's a great thing for women that read this to see.

That kind of leads into my next question. How does it feel to be a black woman in living in NYC?"

Lewa: "I feel empowered because I see myself in so many other black women here. The community of black women I know in New York love and support each other. There's a seat at the table for everyone and most opportunities that I get come from black women. It can be hard at times being a young black woman in New York but my sisters got me."

Me: "That last sentence had so much power in it. Did yall hear that? 'It can be hard at times being a young black woman in New York but my sisters got me.' Imma just leave that there, marinate on that.

So lastly Lewa, a question I'm gonna ask all my interviewees, if you can leave the people with any words of encouragement, what would it be?"

Lewa: "Do it because you want to do it and don't stop even when it gets difficult. You've got to keep moving to get out of the storm."

Me: "Welp, there you have it ladies n gents. Last words of encouragement from the beautiful Lewa. I hope you all learned a lil something about this young BLACK woman. It was a pleasure Lewa, thank you for being a part of this journey with me."

I'll see you all again next week with our next guest... TBA! -Sanauva-Nique

The Pilot

So, here we are. Let's start from the beginning.

Maybe 7-8 here, broke my arm riding down the hill on one of these mini cars

As you all know my name is Sanauva-Nique. AKA Sanauva, Nauv, Nauva, Nique, S for those who can't pronounce my name, etc etc. I was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It's a super small town that not most people know about. I always tell people I'm from that place where "The Office" is filmed called Scranton (Wilkes-Barre is about a 20 min drive from there). I'm 22 years old, born on February 25th (Pisces for those curious). I come from Nigerian, Cameroon and French decent, though I honestly have no culture from any of them (lol). So don't ask me to go to deep into that, I'm still learning.

I have two younger brothers, so yea I'm big sis. I recently became an auntie in July which is superrrr exciting. My sweet baby boy Kayden; I'm now officially the boujie Aunt!

My Sweet Nephew Kayden Bilal; born July 12, 2020

I graduated high school in 2016 in Pennsylvania and knew that was the year I'd make my way to New York. I wasn't nervous or scared, I was ready. I was always interested in fashion and clothing since a very young age. I thought about modeling for a while but it was always pairing together outfits that I enjoyed the most. I was never much of a "pose for the camera" person.

I always said I'd leave my small town and live in New York to be a stylist. This was the time of my life I was waiting for. I started off going to school at Berkeley College in White Plains, New York dorming. I majored in Fashion Merchandising and Management where I got my associates. I met my true first love there and we dated for about 2 years. It was a beautiful experience that I'm still extremely grateful for. We still maintain a positive relationship occasionally checking in on one another.

Berkeley Graduation Day, Somewhere in LES 2018

Going from high school to college is a huge change. As a young adult your thrown into a whole new level of freedom and personal choice. You are free from parents and the small town of what you used to call home. College is a great time to learn about yourself, learn about love and ultimately figure out where you are headed in life.

After getting my associates I decided to leave Berkeley and try to get into the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. I wasn't sure if I'd be accepted, but it happened. I was able to attend one of the number one fashion schools in the world. I loved my experience, I love the people I met.

I initially thought I'd stay for my bachelors but after my second semester I realized school wasn't for me anymore. I wasn't trying my hardest, I was distracted.. I wanted to spend my time doing more productive, creative things. In the end I stayed for the one year associates program where I received my associates in Fashion Business Management in May 2019.

FIT Graduation 2019

Once I left FIT I moved into my Brooklyn apartment in September 2019 and began the next chapter of my life. I was working at Nordstrom's flagship store (previously working at Moncler in Soho and Neiman's in Manhattan) which was pretty cool. I worked as a sale's associate in the coats, active and swim department. I made some of my closest friends there so I'm super grateful for that experience. I actually just recently found out I was laid off because of Covid...

So now here I am... Jobless for the first time in 6 years. Before Corona started I had a hard time juggling a 9-5 weekly schedule and being a creative at once. It was draining me mentally and physically. Of course I worry now, how will I pay rent> How will I handle my monthly expenses? At this point I'm willing to take the risks and try something new, new hustle and new money. Here we go.

mood fourevaeva

I think I'm still figuring that out myself.

I hope you all are ready to start this journey with me. The journey to my life, my fashion, my friends, my creativity, my experiences, my trauma, my successes, over comings... everything that makes me, Sanauva-Nique.

me n my dad Najeeb Bilal

Fast forward to today, August 2020. Where am I currently at in life?

I'd say I'm currently working towards bettering me from within. I'm working on becoming stronger mentally and creating healthy relationships. I'm working towards true happiness, and what that consists of. Happiness for me is doing what makes me happy which is styling- putting together looks, shopping, making memorable experiences with my friends, eating good, making money and being a positive light in people's lives.

My Fashion/Lifestyle Blog Overview

These post and articles from me will consist of my most loved looks (styled by me), my inspo behind them, some information on the designers and why I choose the pieces I do. I'll also be covering my experiences as a young 22 year old black woman living in Brooklyn New York. I hope these post can resonate with some of you and I can be of some help.

I'll also be introducing you to some of my amazing friends who are all a part of this creative lifestyle with me. I have friends who are designers, stylists, creative directors, photographers, fashion enthusiasts, artists, musicians, models, etc. We all want the same thing; love and success. I'll be posting a special article every Friday called Feature Friday" where I'll be interviewing a fellow creative so stay tuned for that! I'm so happy to be starting something fresh and be able to share my life as a young stylist with you all.

I know, I know this all may sound like a lot. But I promise you EVERY SINGLE READ will have your interest.

You will gain something from reading this and you will walk away inspired; whether through my me, my clothing or my friends. ON GOD

MY FIRST POST: FIT CHECK

Shop The Look

Top: Helmut Lang $129.67 https://www.cettire.com/products/helmut-lang-versatile-crop-top-92291341

Pants: Jaded London $96 https://jadedldn.com/products/1-black-vegan-leather-boyfriend-fit-trousers-with-gold-tattoo-detail

Shoes: Dr.Martens 1461 Quad Zip Derbys $160 (bought on sale for $106) https://www.ssense.com/en-us/men/product/dr-martens/black-1461-quad-zip-derbys/4613351?gclid=CjwKCAjwjqT5BRAPEiwAJlBuBUFmoT7DgKMKKb8ZLYY2CM3MYkOGUadvlTYC3kEhGF_0YGrBMGTZVBoC0BAQAvD_BwE

Behind The Look

Friday was a casual day in the city; mid pandemic looking for a night out in the towns. I was meeting up with my friends Daam and Mayo for an event in the lower east side which we showed up too late for and ended up hitting Pianos. The drinks were cheap as fuck and good. The $2 fries also hit too.

When I go out I decide my fit depending on my mood and what vibe I wanna give off that day. Sometimes I feel more girly, some days I feel more masculine (and just might take ur bitch). Some days I wanna wear a pretty dress, some days sweats.. I truly dress depending on emotion. Friday's vibe was giving me Bratz doll with the platform Dr. Marten with the pop of pink. I actually had those pants for a really ling time but never found a top to match. They were super baggy on my waist so it took me a while to find a matching top. When I tried on the pink Lang top n mixed it with the black bottom and shoe I thought it was a good balance. Also the beads I had in at the time brought the golden, khaki color scheme back together. I pay attention to little detail and always try to tie the whole fit in together. I wore my little black Urban Outfitters bag as a quick lil accessory and was on my way.

Friday nights in LES with @lovedaams

Designers/Brands of my Fit:

Helmut Lang is definitely in my top 3 designers alongside Margiela. Number 3? Hmm. Still have to think on that. Anyway, I always loved the fit and silhouette of Lang pieces. I thrifted my first Lang piece in 2018 and held on tight to it ever since. Every piece I have just hugs my body so nicely. The top I thrifted falls on my arms beautifully, too. I really appreciate a fit like that in a top and dress. Back to the pink shirt, I actually cut the sides off of it; you can see in the image there's a bright neon green stripe on the sides which I wasn't really a fan of. One thing about me ima cut some clothes!! I've never been afraid to experiment in that sense.

Jaded London is a brand I recently discovered through through thrifting and Instagram. When I tell you this site has the cutest pants with a good fit for less than a $100.... gworlll. Get the fuck into it!! These pants have cute prints and colors. They're all very unique; I bought at least 4 pair from them already. Check it out (website tagged in link above).

Dr.Martens don't need much introduction so I won't go too in depth, but I've literally been wearing this shoe since forever. I got my first pair of Periwinkle colored boots freshmen year of high school that I absolutely love and still wear to this day. I've been wanting a pair of derby style shoes for a while and thought these'd be a great choice, plus they were on sale. They're definitely heavy as fuck which is probably the only downside of Dr. Martens but it's a shoe that'll last you at least 6+ years. If you don't already have a pair I'd suggest getting at least a basic black boot to start. They're typically priced around $130-$230. Even if you're not a huge fan of the style it's a reliable shoe especially for the winter!! I'll leave some links to some I found cute below :)

https://www.ssense.com/en-us/men/product/dr-martens/black-jadon-boots/4504671

https://www.asos.com/us/dr-martens/dr-martens-sinclair-black-leather-zip-chunky-flatform-boots/prd/9644714

https://www.ssense.com/en-us/men/product/dr-martens/black-8053-quad-derbys/5197621