quieesha burns of Hollywood, CA on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with quieesha burns and have shared our conversation below.

quieesha, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me right now is full, creative, and very balanced between all the things I love. I’m running my fashion brand Corii Burns, I’m acting, and I teach fashion as a professor, so every day has its own rhythm.

In the mornings, I usually focus on my brand, answering emails, sketching ideas, planning shows, handling production, or meeting with my team. There’s always something happening in fashion, so I like to start my day organized.

During the day, I’m often in the classroom teaching fashion design. I really enjoy working with students, helping them develop their creativity, and sharing the knowledge I’ve gained from the industry. Teaching keeps me inspired and grounded.

Later on, I shift into acting. This could be practicing scripts, recording voice memos, filming self-tapes, or studying scenes. Acting is a newer passion for me, but I’m taking it seriously and giving it dedicated time.

In the evenings, depending on the day, I may work more on designs, prepare for upcoming runway shows, attend fittings, or connect with other creatives.

So a normal day for me is a blend of designing, teaching, acting, and building my brand. It’s busy, but it feels aligned with the life and career I’m creating.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Qiueesha “Corii Burns”, and I’m an emerging fashion designer, actress, and fashion professor. I’m the founder and creative director of my namesake brand, Corii Burns, a label rooted in emotional storytelling, mental health awareness, and avant-garde craftsmanship. What makes my brand unique is that every collection is created with intention, each piece explores themes of healing, identity, introspection, and the raw emotions many of us are afraid to speak about.

This past year has been one of the biggest periods of growth for me personally and professionally. My design language has evolved as I’ve leaned deeper into using fashion as a form of dialogue and reflection. My Contemplation Collection, born out of a need to slow down, breathe, and process the noise of life, was a major turning point for the brand. Showing it during Paris Fashion Week in March 2025 was surreal. The journey from concept to runway taught me so much about discipline, storytelling, and the emotional responsibility that comes with sharing vulnerable work on an international stage. The response from press and audiences around the world was overwhelming, in the best way, and it pushed the brand into a new level of visibility.

This year also opened doors for incredible collaborations, from styling WNBA player Rickea Jackson for her tunnel walks, to having Deepica Mutyala wear my design to the Met Gala After Party, to looks featured in music videos, album covers, award shows, and red carpets. Seeing the brand worn by such dynamic, empowering women,artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs has been one of the most validating parts of this journey. Each partnership expanded the brand’s reach and reaffirmed that emotional, storytelling-driven fashion truly resonates.

What people don’t always see is that I’m building this brand independently. I’m designing, producing, managing PR, handling production, and balancing the realities of budgets and timelines. There are beautiful moments, but there are also challenges that have forced me to grow, adapt, and keep pushing forward. I’m grateful to every stylist, photographer, model, and creative who has collaborated with me along the way. This brand is a collective effort, even though I am the sole owner.

Right now, I’m in the early stages of preparing for my next show, working toward an even stronger presence at NYFW or a return to PFW in 2026. I want to continue expanding internationally, building community around mental health, and creating work that sparks dialogue and connection.

If I could speak to my 2024 self, I’d say: keep going, trust your vision, and don’t rush your voice. The wins will come, the right people will find you, and your authenticity is your greatest asset.

More than anything, I’m grateful for the growth of this year, for the challenges that stretched me, the opportunities that found me, and the people who have believed in my work. My mission remains the same: to create fashion that speaks, that heals, and that allows others to see themselves in the story.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a curious, imaginative girl from Syracuse who saw beauty in everything…even when life didn’t always look beautiful. I was the kid who grew up shopping for my clothing at the thrift…then later turned thrift-store clothes into new designs, who made garments out of clay, who dreamed big even when my environment told me to think small. I was driven, hungry to learn, and unafraid to work hard. I was the girl who juggled high school, a job, and university classes at the same time, who delivered newspapers at 11 years old to help her family, and who found peace and expression through art.

At my core, I was and still am someone who believes creativity can heal. Someone who wasn’t afraid to be different, to feel deeply, or to imagine a life bigger than the one around me. That version of me is the foundation of everything I am today: a designer, an actress, a professor, a storyteller, and a woman who uses fashion to speak about emotions people don’t always know how to put into words.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain the moment I realized it was the very thing that made me unstoppable. Growing up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Syracuse, I learned early how to survive, but for a long time I carried that struggle quietly — like it was something to be ashamed of.

That changed during the pandemic. Between the world shutting down, the weight of the Black Lives Matter movement, and my own emotions reaching a breaking point, I finally stopped pretending I was okay. I started channeling everything I felt , the fear, the grief, the pressure … into my work. That’s when the Mental Health Collection was born.

I realized that my pain wasn’t a weakness. It was language. It was fuel. It was purpose…

Once I stopped trying to hide where I came from, I started designing with a different kind of honesty and that honesty became my power.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
A cultural value I protect at all costs is authenticity, staying rooted in who you are, where you come from, and what shaped you. I grew up in a community where people didn’t have much, but what we did have was realness. No pretending. No performing. No dimming yourself to make others comfortable.

That value guides everything I do … in my designs, in my teaching, in my acting, and in how I show up for my community. I protect the idea that your background, your struggles, and your truth are not things to hide; they’re things to celebrate.

Authenticity is my compass. It’s what keeps my brand grounded, my message clear, and my work connected to the people I make it for….

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I think the thing people will most misunderstand about my legacy is that they’ll assume I had it easy. On the outside, it might look effortless, the designs, the shows, the celebrity collaborations, but the truth is, none of it came without sacrifice, struggle, and relentless work. I grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Syracuse, working from the age of 11, navigating systems and opportunities that weren’t built for someone like me.

I’m also someone who works hard… always! I’m always putting in the extra hours, managing every detail, and making sure the vision is realized. What people see now, the elegance, the polish, the confidence .. is the end result of years of dedication, resilience, and persistence.

My hope is that my legacy shows the power of perseverance, creativity, and authenticity… that even when it looks easy, there’s always a story of determination, hard work, and heart behind it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coriiburns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coriiburns/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/quieeshaburns/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coriiburns
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coriiburns

Image Credits
M.E.T. Gala 2025 After party – styled by @styledbyambika, jewelry @x_shaneli
ELLE Magazine- @geena_singh , styled by @styledbyambika
WNBA Rickea Jackson Fashion Panel- Styled by @designerquieeshaburns and @tiphainetk jewelry by @x_shaneli
WNBA Rickea Jackson tunnel looks-Styled by @designerquieeshaburns and @tiphainetk jewelry by @x_shaneli
Models @Kiaraerving and @estdani Corii Burns photoshoot-photos by @aaronlacy
Singer Dani performance-styled by @kelsonamir
Rapper Coi Leray styled by @Justusteele
Singer TYLA-styled by Katie