Meet Aliesha Renea | Fashion Designer, Poet & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aliesha Renea and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aliesha Renea, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was in the shelter with a lot of people who had the same issues I had. We had depression, we had suicidal thoughts, we wasn’t confident. I wanted to first write a poetry book, but I was like nobody would feel like really reading it. So I noticed alot of people loved fashion. They loved talking about what people had on, they loved putting on their best outfit. So I thought to myself why not combine societal issues, my poetry and fashion all in one. I wasn’t sure if it would work. I wasn’t sure if I should do it because I was broke. I just knew it would help my own trauma along with a lot of others. So I came up with my logo and I started it.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My name is Aliesha Renea and I’m the founder of Aliesha Renea brand. Its a street style brand for men and women that helps build strength and empowerment. My mission is to bring awareness to the issues that we face in todays society using my own personal life experiences (body shaming, domestic violence, mental health, etc). I think what sets me apart from others is my spirit and my story! A lot of people think I have a poker face when I’m around people because I go through so much behind closed doors and when I am around people I am always smiling and laughing. Honestly, it’s not a poker face! I literally just do not like bringing my own problems and negative energy to a place where people could be at peace. Sometimes you don’t know what others are going through and if you show up angry and crying and depressed; you could make their day worst. But when you show up laughing, smiling, singing and dancing and just all-around great energy; you make their day better. We all going to have problems but it’s how you react to those problems.

My spirit is something you could never kill. Whether I burned bridges with people in the past and wish I didn’t. Life is all about growing and learning. I take accountability for my wrongdoings and I move on and make sure it doesn’t happen again. If I lived every day mad and sad about my past mistakes, I’ll be bitter, angry and just all-around negative. Nobody wants to be around a negative person!! So I don’t live my life that way.

I was always told my energy is different. It’s like when I walk in the room people just look at me because they can feel my energy, I LOVE THAT! I strongly believe God put me on this earth to make others happy and I had to go through what I go through to share my story and help others! My clothing brand is not just a regular clothing brand it’s a MESSAGE! BE AWARE IN STYLE IS MY MOTTO! We can try to go through life and push our trauma to the back of our minds but it will always be there if you don’t face it. THIS IS ME FACING MY TRAUMA! This brand is me getting out my own trauma and helping others with theirs. We don’t always have to live life like that. When you are wearing one of my “Anti-domestic violence” shirts, you are not re-living in your trauma; you are having the courage to say THIS PERSON TRIED TO BREAK ME AND I’M STILL STANDING!

My brand is to help people realize we go through a lot of issues in society but we are still here. We are still living life. LIFE BE LIFING!!! Those situations that we cried about saying we can’t get through, look at us.. we got through it. Wearing “Aliesha Renea” makes you a survivor. You overcame so much and look at you still able to try and conquer more! When I released my “Anti-body shaming” swimwear collection I wanted women and men to LOVE the skin their in; whether that’s XS or 4XL. Society has created an image that doesn’t exist and they want you to look a certain way. Some clothing brands are only sizes small through large, I don’t like that which is why I made sure every person any color any size looks their best. That sets me apart from others as well. When it comes to YOU vs society… YOU WON and that’s how my brand makes people feel!!!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am new to LA so I do not know many spots to go yet; I’m still learning. However, as far as food, I am vegan. I recommend Monty’s. Their food is so amazing. My favorite 2 things to eat there are the chicken tenders and the kale salad. Also I love the strawberry shake; it’s made with fresh strawberries inside. So amazing! If someone wants great vegan food, definitely try Monty’s!!

Alright, so let’s jump right in! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there a person, group, organization, book, etc. that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in your story?  
My grandma is my motivation. My grandma is the strongest woman I know. She is the anchor of my family. She has done so much for everyone else and I feel like she doesn’t get as much move back as she should. I’ve always been super close to my grandma and remain close to her. I saw her be so strong that even being in the shelter, I was still putting in work and effort to get out because I know my grandma would. My grandma does not give up on anything. So I felt like “what’s my excuse” if she can live through generations of problems being that she was born in 33, I know I can do it. Giving up is never an option and I dedicate all my hard work to her. Strong black phenomenal woman!

Website: Aliesharenea.com

Instagram: @aliesharenea

Twitter: @aliesharenea_

Facebook: Aliesha Renea