We have a real up and coming celebrity in our presence, folks! Meet Niyah Jackson, fashion blogger, stylist, designer, and one of our very own feature writers for Her Campus Cincinnati. You’ll be shocked upon meeting Niyah to find out that she is only a freshman—this young woman carries herself with such poise and grace, and has a classic, high-fashion style that is mature beyond her years. It’s hard to believe how much she already knows about the fashion industry when many girls her age are just starting out. You can tell she is fueled by her passion for fashion simply by her incredible drive and ambitious attitude. This girl is going places—so for those of you that love fashion, keep an eye out!
Name: Niyah Jackson
Age: 19
Year: Freshman
Major: Fashion Design
Hometown: I spent the majority of my childhood in State College, Pennsylvania
Her Campus: Why did you choose UC?
Niyah Jackson: My family moved to the Greater Cincinnati area because my dad got a job at UC. We first moved here my junior year of high school. Once I began looking at schools for fashion, UC seemed like the best fit because of the highly ranked DAAP program, how close it was to home (my parents live 30 minutes away), and since my dad works on campus I receive free tuition.
HC: How and when did you get started in fashion?
NJ: I’ve always loved dressing up for school since I can remember! It wasn’t until I was 13 that I realized fashion could be a career. I hit the library and immersed myself in books about fashion careers. After researching for a few months, I realized fashion styling would be the perfect fit! Three years later I would start my fashion blog as a way to get my foot in the door of the industry. I’ve also been involved with the modeling side of the industry for a few years now—just this summer I landed my first magazine cover!
HC: How would you describe your blog, Inexpensive Chic?
NJ: Inexpensive Chic is a fashion blog dedicated to showing young women “how to look like a million bucks without spending a million bucks.” We cover fashion trends, technology, DIY projects, and feature readers in our “Street Style” section.
HC: What compelled you to start your own fashion blog?
NJ: After I discovered fashion is something I wanted to pursue as a career, I wanted to do something about it right then, while I was still in high school. I’ve always been the type of person to think a step ahead and plan for the future. One of my other passions is writing, so I thought the two fit hand in hand. Within the first six months of starting the blog, I was getting a crazy amount of views and brands began to reach out to me for partnership and reviews in exchange for free clothes, beauty products, fashion related technology, handbags, etc.! I even had a team of contributing writers to help create content for the blog.
HC: What are your career goals?
NJ: I would love to work with major fashion magazines like Glamour, InStyle, and Marie Claire and style their editorial spreads. I could see myself also styling for ad campaigns or online clothing stores. From what I’ve heard, fashion is a tough industry to be in, but I am very passionate about it. I think traveling around the world would be an amazing part of the job, as well as being a regular at fashion week.
HC: What fabulous costume are you wearing this Halloween?
NJ: I honestly don’t know. I’m leaning towards a biker chick though. I have the perfect boots for it!
HC: What advice would you give to women who aspire to be apart of the fashion industry?
NJ: Network, network, network. Something I did early on was reach out to editorial fashion stylists by going to the contributors page in my favorite magazines and emailing them questions like “How did you get your start in the fashion industry?” or “What’s a typical day in the life of a stylist?” In this industry, it’s all about who you know. Find people who are already doing what you aspire to do and learn from them. While modeling, there’s usually a fashion stylist on set, so I would reach out to them and ask if I could assist them on future shoots. I’ve had a few assistant styling opportunities just from that! One was for a magazine and another will be published in an international book on fashion designers. I’d also suggest asking your parents or peers if they know anyone who could be a mentor to you. Surprisingly, my dad has been able to connect me with several industry leaders such as Laurie Wilson, the director of the annual DAAP fashion show.
Love what you see? Be sure to check out Niyah’s very own fashion blog, Inexpensive Chic!