Today we’d like to introduce you to Alela Sirah.
Hi Alela, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Fashion has always been a major love in my life. From a young age, I watched old movies because the wardrobe was stellar. Over the span of my career, I have done both wardrobe and fashion design. I have toggled between my love of wardrobe and fashion design for years creating custom pieces for clients and have showcased my collections in local LA boutiques like the beloved No Body Jones boutique. On the wardrobe side, starting off assisting popular fashion stylists to being key wardrobe for independent films and joining styling teams to help the everyday woman with her personal styling needs. My career has taken me in many directions with fashion always being at the heart. I decided to set out on my own to provide personal styling services to busy moms that are in the workforce and stay home with their kids or are a hybrid. After becoming a mother, I realized how easy it is to put yourself on the back burner. As a result of that, your style suffers but it’s not just about the clothes it’s about your self-care and shrinking identity that is really the issue. I feel that motherhood has a ton of sacrifices, style shouldn’t be one of them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road but I realize that it wasn’t meant to be. Each pit stop helps you add something to your tool kit. Becoming a mother shifted my focus from my career and I took time to embrace that. That can be sobering because your life and time is devoted to little people. Becoming a mom not only gave me two beautiful daughters, it also birthed a new passion within my career and compassion for fellow moms. So it’s a win that I have added to my tool kit.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a personal stylist and designer, with an emphasis on helping busy Mother’s cultivate a fly wardrobe by embracing their lifestyle and body. It’s not just about the clothes it’s about not forgetting yourself because you can’t pour from an empty cup. Mom’s work really hard maintaining households, kissing boo boo’s, working in and outside of the home and self-care needs to normalized, especially in the age of Covid. What sets me apart from others is I don’t think style is a one size fits all. Somewhere women started thinking striped t-shirts with a cardigan, jeans and booties was one of the only acceptable mom uniforms. I want to break that thinking and help women find themselves and their own personal style.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love LA. I am a native LA girl. There aren’t very many of us that are truly from here. Other places are nice but LA has my heart. I think being African American in LA is a unique experience you get exposed to a lot. The Hollywood scene, predominantly African American neighborhoods which are multifaceted, the Latin influence, the arts, etc. it has shaped me to be a person that can adapt to so many things and environments. In regards to what I least like about LA. I feel like that famous skit from in the show “In Living Color” “No better not say anything bad about Ms. Jenkins” LA is my Ms. Jenkins. La tends to get a bad rap about the people being fake. I think the natives are usually not but there’s a persona that people think they need to adopt that’s “LA” that’s where the mix up happens in my mind.
Contact Info:
- Email: Hello@alelasirah.com
- Website: www.alelasirah.com
- Instagram: @alelasirah
