Meet Kira Shelton | Designer & Design Consultant

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

Hi Kira, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My work life balance has definitely changed within the past year as soon as the I left my corporate job and the Pandemic followed shortly therefater. When the pandemic was at it’s peak, I realized how important my personal relationships with my family and friends were and started becoming more thankful for having them in my life. I spent so much of my career for the past 10 years working so much (on average of 50hours a week and sometimes 60hrs per week!) I rarely had down time or even took vacations. Now on reflection, I wish I had taken more time out for myself to relax and not dedicate so much of myself to any company that could view me as replaceable. At the end of day, it’s important to take time out for yourself and your mental health to recharge! In the past I was so passionate about succeeding professionally I put my own personal needs aside which in turn affected my personal life. I learned last year it’s extremely important to take care of your physical and mental health whenever you can as it does tie into your overall professional life. With the unexpected free time I had last year, I concentrated on resetting my goals and focused on what truly mattered to me. That’s when I decided to start heading into the freelance route to pursue a more flexible working schedule and be able to have enough energy for myself in my personal life! Although there are pros and cons to being a contractor, having a more flexible schedule and the freedom to chose which jobs I’d like to take on is more ideal at this stage in my life. Overall, I encourage more people to unplug from the world and take time out for yourself when needed!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a Design Creative, I feel what sets me apart from other designers is my range and versatility. In my overall career, I’ve designed footwear, apparel, handbags, and I’m currently getting my certification in Graphic Design at the moment. I believe being a versatile designer keeps you from being in a box, and expands your knowledge into being able to incorporate certain elements into other areas of design! I personally love being creative in any field as it purely gives me joy! Professionally, I took a lot of twists and turns working in the fashion industry as I graduated college into a recession. Those particular years were some of the most difficult as I was trying to take whatever fashion job I could get! I learned to pivot when necessary just to maintain working in the industry to some capacity as I was so passionate about growing professionally in my career.

Although I’m proud to reach a certain level of success working in the industry, I most proud of launching my clothing business with my partner and pursing my newly formed Design Consultant agency that’s currently in development. As an African American Woman, it still remains quite difficult trying to reach and/or maintain a certain level of success in the fashion world when trying to overcome preconceived notions and challenging adversities. My goal is to partner with more diverse creators and uplift Black creatives in order to give them more of a voice in the industry. One of the most important things I’ve learned is to never give up on your dreams and keep being persistent, as all it takes is 1 amazing opportunity that could make your career! In terms “My Brand” I consider myself of jack of trades designer which I can provide multiple design services to anyone needing assistance in bring their ideas to life! One of the truly rewarding things for me is building a brand from concept to finish and see it grow into something amazing!

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?
Wow that’s a tough one! In Los Angeles, there’s so many amazing spots to explore! I would initially start out taking them to Venice Beach (as I believe that’s a requirement for anyone who’s never been to LA to see!). Then I’d take them to one of my favorite rooftop spots n that area called the Hotel Erwin so we could have drinks and watch the sunset, they have these amazing sofas you can reserve and just relax while sipping a refreshing cocktail! For dinner, i would take them to the Tasting Kitchen or Neighbor on Abbot Kinney as there’s so many great local shops and galleries to check out there while waiting for our table.

In the middle of the week we’d hang out in DTLA, one of my favorite places to hangout! We’d check out Santee Alley/the garment district for fun and check out the Broad Museum! For Lunch, we’d hang out at another great rooftop bar called the Broken Shaker and have dinner at Faith & Flower (they have an excellent wine list!). To close the trip we’d go to Malibu to spend a day at the beach and hang out at the Malibu Cafe ( I love how secluded the place is and they have live music sometimes!)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s too many people I can think of to list but I’d love to give a special shoutout to all my friends and family for being my support system during such a difficult time the past year! I’m truly grateful to have them in my life and wouldn’t be able to get this far in my progress without them!

Website: www.thegreenlite.org

Instagram: @shopfacilelefait

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kira-shelton

Image Credits
Special Credit to CrystalLee Farris for Clothing Editorial Photos only