Meet Paige Leneigh | Fashion Designer, Stylist, Model , Content Creator
We had the good fortune of connecting with Paige Leneigh and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Paige, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Ever since I was a young girl I knew I wanted to pursue a creative career and lifestyle. I recall writing a response on my school paper to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I filled it in with dancer, singer or fashion designer. As I started to get older, I paid more and more attention to my grandmother, Joan Robinson, who was a seamstress. Between my grandma, watching countless episodes of Project Runway and falling in love with fashion everyday, I decided to start my own brand. At the age of 13, I sold custom scarves, jeans and crocheted head wraps. I had a lightbulb moment when I made my first $100 at a Christmas bazaar. I figured wow I can do what I love, make other people happy and make profit while doing it? I want to do this for the rest of my life! Since that day I have had a clear dream and stuck to it to pursue my dream career.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Between internships, personal projects and client work I have had the opportunity to work on an array of garments and designs. One thing that sets me apart from many people is the fact I don’t have to sketch out anything before I create. My designs come to my head and I usually make adjustments to the garment as I’m going. My pieces always come out so beautiful and original. I feel like you can’t get fully into a design until you physically are working with the fabric in the moment. I am most proud of doing every single thing I said I would do. Since I started college in 2017 at The University of Cincinnati DAAP program I have set big goals such as growing my personal brand by the time I graduate in 2022, to have a big social media following, work for a large corporation and live in NYC and Los Angeles. I have been able to attain ALL of these goals and more! At times it feels unreal, but then I have to remember all the hard work I put in to get to this point. It definitely was not easy, but it was and is all worth it. The late nights, the content creation, restarting portfolios and garments all of it enabled me to be where I am at this moment and it’s just the beginning in my head. I will graduate May of 2022 and I will be able to put the time in to drop my first official women’s wear collection! I want the world to know Paige Leneigh and what I stand for. I started this brand at a young age wanting anybody who crossed paths with my brand to feel confident in their own style. I have so many ideas for my future and anyone who has known me for years knows I am on my way to making sure all of my dreams and goals come to life! A couple important lessons I have learned along the way is to literally do not care about what others say. You probably hear it all the time, but really think about how you can let others affect you. In design it really can mess with your design confidence if you seek validation in anybody or anything. Create create create and if you love it you will find a way to succeed with it! Also never be afraid to be the student. There’s so much to learn, be a sponge even in places that don’t seem relevant to what your end goal is.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It’s so funny this was asked because although I moved to LA during a pandemic, when my friends or people that know me come to visit and ask what to do sometimes I don’t even know what to tell them because I feel like I haven’t even gotten to experience LA to the fullest! If I had to plan a week long trip I would take them to a few of my favorite restaurants that they could catch a vibe at such as:
Catch, Nobu Malibu, Toca Madera, Yamashiro,The Nice guy, Craig, Delilah and Tu Madre. I would definitely take my bestie to Rodeo, it’s so beautiful and luxurious! Some other spots I would take my best friend is Malibu, Santa Monica, Big Bear , The Hills and of course the beach! I am the turn up friend so to have some fun I would go to Highlight room, PH Day club, Bootsy’s or Night & Gale. There’s still so much in LA let alone California that I want to see and visit such as Joshua Tree, Catalina and weekend trip to San Diego !
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My grandmother Joan Robinson was one of the biggest reasons I started sewing and was able to learn so much at a young age. My grandma aka “Mama” let me stay at her house for a week when I was a preteen, teaching me how to sew my first big project! I remember this like it was yesterday, we went to Joann Fabrics and purchased everything we needed to work on this cold shoulder oversized aqua blue shirt with lace details. Everytime I messed up on the shirt, I brought it to mama to fix and unpick the fabric. After a while mama said “you sit down and unpick this yourself if you mess it up you have to fix it.” I felt very locked in after that moment knowing nobody was going to do this for me. She has kept me motivated as the years have gone on and I love to text her images of the projects and pieces I work on. Besides my grandmother, my whole family has always been supportive of my dreams. In 2007 when my family build a new home, my parents made a room completely dedicated to my fashion design aspirations, I had a sewing room to keep all my fabrics, projects and machines and work in. My mom aka my momager knows exactly when I am stressed out with a project and what to say to keep me in good spirits when I overload myself with work. My dad is a business man so I’ve learned so much from him that I pour into my everyday life and business habits. My parents and 3 sisters will go above and beyond to help my dreams come true because they believe in me and my talents and that means the world to me!
Website: https://www.leneighz.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigeleneigh/?hl=en
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-robinson-b46678159/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCHY4g6i7kweTzSiQFdEqpQ
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