Meet Antoinette Johnson | Creative Director & Fashion Stylist

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

Hi Antoinette, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I knew from since young age that I didn’t want to work for anybody. I worked my first job at a retail store when I was fourteen, and the experience was negative. I realize how much sacrifice a person can make for the employer or company just for that company to disregard you and treat you badly. The situation made me realize that I wanted to be a business owner and launched my first company (Cocktails with Antoinette) when I was nineteen and kept moving forward until I knew exactly where I wanted to begin my career in the fashion and music industry. Forever Anti Studio is a creative agency that develops and creates visions that are designed to align with our client’s brand. I wanted to create a studio that offers a mixture of fashion styling + creative direction services in the fashion, music, and beauty industry. We have our work featured on Amazon Music, Complex Canada, Urban Planet, Rolling Loud, City TV, etc.

What do you attribute your success to?
The most crucial aspect is that I have never given up on my business. As a first-generation entrepreneur and a person of colour, I realized quickly how much work I had to put into making my business a success. And during this journey as a creative entrepreneur, I went through downfalls in my personal life that I didn’t think I would ever bounce back from. What motivated me and still kept me going was my business. My passion for fashion and creating a safe space for all individuals to be stylish and confident. There are going to be times on your business journey when you feel like you’re not worthy, not getting anything right or there’s something in your personal life that’s out of your control that can mess you up. It’s important to realize that your dreams and passions are more significant than what you’re going through. So keep persevering even when you don’t see the light under the tunnel.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

There is so much stuff to do when you are in LA. But the places that I would love to visit includes:

1. Sorella Boutique (On Melrose)

2. Universal Studio

3. Doughnut: California Donuts

4. Nipsey Hussle Mural

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To every client, assistant, or person I collaborate with, I want to thank you for taking a chance on me and working with our studio. To the people at Nycesound production, thank you for allowing me to see my full potential to work in music. Having witnessed what an actual record label works gave me so much knowledge to move through this industry with the confidence I have. My sisters and best friends, thank you for always being there for me and always loving and supporting me for who I am y’all keep me motivated for real.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/foreverantistudio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinette-johnson-3b774825a/

Other: https://instagram.com/_antoinettejohnson

Image Credits
– Amanda Colley – Danseii – Monté Price