Conversations with Asia Banyaga

Today we’d like to introduce you to Asia Banyaga

Hi Asia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was raised in Long Beach by my mother and grandmother. I feel like I’ve always been ambitious. I was a bit of a geek in high school. I wanted to do everything. I was in an honor program at Poly High called PACE (Program of Additional Curricular Experiences), in ASB, President of Art Club, President of our sorority Scarabs, and a track and field athlete. I received my Associates Degree in Studio Art from Long Beach City College in 2020. I had a full scholarship to Cal State Long Beach and graduated with my Bachelor’s in Studio Art in 2022.

While I was in college, I met a YouTuber. He was the first “famous person” or “influencer” I’ve ever met and funny enough we ended up dating for a couple years. We made YouTube videos together and he helped grow my social media personality. I had a lot of fun making YouTube content but I consider myself an introvert so it was all very foreign, overwhelming and awkward to me at first. Also, while going to college I realized my growing passion for fashion.

In my last semester of college, I decided to get a job in luxury fashion and was hired at Maxfield LA. As my love for fashion grew, I taught myself how to sew and started making clothes for me and my friends.

My clothing business is still a work in progress but it’s all starting to come together and I can’t wait to show the world what I’ve been working on.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My family didn’t have a lot of money growing up. I worked extremely hard in high school to get a scholarship because I knew I couldn’t afford college without one and I wanted to make my mom proud.

Then after my YouTuber boyfriend and I broke up, I received a lot of backlash and hate from fans who couldn’t understand why we separated. While dealing with my heartbreak I also dealt with death threats, constant comparisons between me and new girls on his channel, and a dramatic decrease in social media engagement. I felt lost, confused, alone, misunderstood, and insecure. I almost forgot who I was.

When I was starting my clothing business, I hand made and gifted an outfit to one my friends in exchange for her to model it so I can I have pictures to promote my business. After making my first sale, she demanded 50% of my revenue because she claimed the outfit was a collaboration. We failed to come to an agreement and I had to reach out to a lawyer to oversee the situation. To this day, she is creating new pages to comment hate under my posts and spread false information about me and my business. It’s heartbreaking to me because I truly thought she’d be a supportive friend and I never would have thought this would be the result after gifting her a tailored outfit. It just goes to show not everyone is your friend and when it comes to business always have everything in writing.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a fashion designer specializing in made-to-order hand made clothing for women. I’m most proud of independently finding my own direction with my brand and getting into the world of fashion. I didn’t go to fashion school but I was still able to learn how to sew, source fabric, draw patterns, cut fabric, and tailor/alter clothing. I feel like I really manifested my fashion network by consistently showing up and putting in the work. When it comes to creating, I think nearly anything is possible. For instance, I have people come to me with ideas for custom outfits saying “I want something like this but I’m not sure if it would work” or “I asked this designer to make me something but they said it can’t be done;” I see it as a challenge and I like to problem solve. The fashion industry is already oversaturated by fast-fashion and by whatever is considered trendy. I want to break away from that. Currently all my clothing is made-to-order and handmade from scratch. I am super open to my clients’ ideas, I enjoy coming up with unique designs and fulfilling requests for outfits that cannot be found anywhere else.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice to anyone who is just starting out is be consistent. Consistency is key. Make a plan and stick to that plan as much as possible. Refer to the plan constantly. You’re going to run into obstacles and learn things along the way but always refer back to plan and keep working toward your goals. Also, it’s important to allow others to help you but do not be solely dependent on anyone but yourself. It’s okay to be a little selfish when you’re chasing your dream but not at the expense of neglecting others.

Pricing:

• Custom outfits starting at $200

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asiabanyaga

Image Credits
Legacy Shots
Jadah Lee