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

Hi Raven, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started my business to inspire people to achieve a high level of mental happiness. This concept started with a deep connection with God and how I see the beauty of nature. By understanding nature’s positive effect on people’s moods, I wanted to incorporate botanical elements including natural flowers within my fashion, to brighten someone’s day and be able to make them look their absolute BEST. When you immerse yourself in nature it can help improve self-awareness, mental health, and stress-related depression. I want my brand to not just sell aesthetically pleasing and wearable fashion but to create a positive impact on my customers so that they can cultivate long-term happiness.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Let me start by saying as a fashion artisan, and designer everything I do is based on creating a garment, a bag, and even a pair of sneakers and executing it with pure love and passion. Having a tasteful eye and gifted hands has attracted so many jobs, opportunities, and relationships in the fashion industry. I realized that even though I went to fashion design school at Moore College of Art and Design it doesn’t compare to the amount of necessary training and hands-on experience. I worked as an apprentice and intern at multiple designer brands such as Halston, Tom Cody Design, Bode, Lobo Mau, and others. I became a staff member, and sewing teacher at Made Institute, which is BOMB.com. If you’re looking to advance your sewing skills, I highly recommend it. Also, I had the opportunity to work with Garrixon Studios and Atmos with sewing and customizing sneakers for top athleisure brands such as Puma, Air Jordan, Yeezy, Mache, and more. That was a special moment because I’ve never worked with the sneaker industry and I gained hella knowledge in reconstructing shoes from start to finish. With all of these different industry experiences, I was able to utilize my keen eye and sewing skills and use it to my advantage. Working alongside other professional creatives in the fashion industry opens your mind to exploring new and different ideas. It was great working under these amazing brands, however, for the rest of my fashion career, I am excited to put more focus on developing aesthetically pleasing fashion from my own brand Raven Dakota.

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.

It would be nice to have them experience the beautiful hiking pathways and stunning views here in LA! I would take them with me to the art museums like The Getty, Moca, and The Board. After exploring some artwork, we’ll probably head over to grab some food from Erewhon, preferably healthy snacks and vegan cupcakes. Then make a quick stop at Urth Caffe for coffee and just catch a fashion vibe on Melrose Ave. At night, we’ll go back to my crib, eat more healthy snacks, and cook a wholesome meal. Then get ready to hang out in Venice Beach at Belles, a Cuban restaurant with shared appetizers and floral cocktail drinks. For the other times that they’re here, we’ll hit up more beaches like Malibu and Santa Monica, take walks at Pan Pacific Park and Griffith Park, shop at the Grove, and end the week having wine at Bacari W 3rd.

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 someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I would love to shout out to my lovely mentors + co-workers who have supported me in my fashion career.

Rachel – CEO of Made Institute
Robyn – Fashion Designer/ Teacher
TheGapo – Custom Sneaker Designer/ Producer
Mello – Custom Apparel Designer

Also, my close family and friends who have supported me with pure love and have been my cheerleader from the beginning.

Website: ravendakota.com

Instagram: flowersfromravey / _ravendakota

Image Credits
Profile Image – Ryan Powell instagram. @rocknrollazero

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