Women In Fashion Spotlight: Janyelle Milton

Janyelle Milton

Tammy Reese: What inspired you to become an Entrepreneur?

Janyelle Milton: I just always had a feeling for as long as I could remember that I wanted to help people, do something,  be something.

I remember I was maybe 8 or 9, I took all my clothes and individually wrapped each piece up in wrapping paper with the goal of giving them to the less fortunate. Lol, it was right after Christmas.

I wrapped up a Brand new blue Jean and black velour Guess suit up to give and I hadn’t even worn it. As I got older I quickly realized that The Most High only expand you when it is to help others, so I knew to help on the scale I wanted to I’d have to have a business.

Tammy Reese: How would you describe your work ethic?

Janyelle Milton: Compassionate and hard working. Anything I do my heart is in it and that instantly makes you work hard because you want to please all parties involved.

Tammy Reese: What intrigued your passion for beauty and fashion?

Janyelle Milton:*Smiles Big* and laugh. Your question reminds me of being in the 9th grade and giving my friends makeovers and picking out their clothes, one friend was crazy enough to let me do her hair.

I wanted to be a model growing up. I was always intrigued by being a woman. I loved dresses, heels, make-up, switching up my style, and putting things together.

Tammy Reese: How did your sneaker brand being handcrafted in Italy come up?

Janyelle Milton: Well growing up you couldn’t catch me dead in “gym shoes.” I even remember a boyfriend getting agitated with me like ” Why do you dress like that, in heels knowing we are out walking and catching the bus”, lol I was so into fashion I would wear heels in situations that other shoe types would have been better suited for. But as I got older past my twenties.

I wanted something Different- comfortable.  I was deep in the corporate world which means parking garages and a lot of walking. I lived in a downtown area and lived in an environment where the neighborhood was rated by its “walking score”. Of course, I encountered health issues as well. I was on a quest to find comfort without sacrificing style, quality and the sexy feminine energy heels gave.

I tried different brands but either it was childish, masculine, or too athletic.  I thought where is the brand that caters to me? I’m not young anymore but I’m definitely not “auntie “. I was still fly and popping.  I started exploring coming up with my own Brand and came across an Italian vendor who worked with the likes of Gucci, Prada, Chanel, and Todd who was willing to offer an opportunity to work with their network to create a line.

It was unbelievable it’s like The Most High just dropped this out of nowhere and slowly gave me a sense to know- solve your problem.  At first, I was trying to cater to trends. I marketed my Brand as an athletic Brand then hip hop, until one day I just thought- this is my chance, I can create the Sneaker Brand that I was looking for and I am.

Tammy Reese: What do you enjoy most about the work that you do?

Janyelle Milton: I love creating. I love offering a quality product,  I love inspiring people. 

Tammy Reese: What feedback have you received from your customers?

Janyelle Milton: I mostly hear things like ” YOU made this, that’s dope”, or ” I love your style and the colors” and when they purchase ” Omg, I couldn’t believe how well made they were, how good they look”.

Tammy Reese: What impact do you intend to make through your business?

Janyelle Milton: Well right now I want to join the conversation of fast fashion and sustainability- it is a multi-faceted issue that I think plagues black women the most. Fast Fashion is a business model that mass produces cheap fashion at a rate so fast and affordable that clothing is as disposable as toilet tissue. It’s causing environmental problems mostly- clogged water sources, overcrowded landfills, and nonbiodegradable materials giving off harmful emissions.

So there is all this money being thrown at initiatives of sustainability- everything is about slow fashion such as my Brand to slow the cycling through of purchase because of quality, upcycling, and recycling. All great things but where does that leave women who have whole businesses such as boutiques that sell fast fashion, where does that leave women who only make enough money to purchase fast fashion?

The impact I want to make is bringing this issue to the forefront of my community so we’re not the scapegoat nor problem. I want to be the example of a Premium, socially responsible organization.

Tammy Reese: What advice would you have for aspiring Entrepreneurs?

Janyelle Milton: Get in tune with who you are…..be real about your strengths and your weaknesses. Play up your strengths in all your endeavors and always improve on your weaknesses. Always be you- that’s YOUR value proposition and niche. No one can be you. Never give up but in doing that always improve.