Meet Mahal Williams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mahal Williams.

Hi Mahal, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA and moved around the East Bay Area while growing up. As a child, I was immediately drawn to artistic ways of expression through art, fashion and dance. I was always eager to create and explore. Growing up in San Francisco resulted in a beautifully cinematic childhood and primed a liking to adventure and scenery. Since then, I have grown a strong appreciation and love for art centering fashion, architecture, travel, art, and music.

Throughout adolescence, my parents were very strict and which resulted in a lot of time to myself. That time was spent finding new music, educating myself on the politics of fashion, painting and creating, photography, making websites and blogs and consuming tons of books and media. I didn’t really see any of this as hobbies and activities but rather something to make the time pass when I didn’t have school or extracurriculars. I didn’t see fashion and art as a valid passion or career dream until recently after graduating from UCLA with a degree in Sociology. I realized that I was lying to myself for years about what I had true passions about. After going back home to the Bay Area and experiencing so much growth and changes within my immediate family, I moved back to LA to finish up a couple of units and start a career in fashion. This was in February 2020, right before the pandemic hit.

I found an internship in the sustainable fashion and beauty industry and even got into modeling for fun and a boost of confidence. Once the pandemic began, I lost my internship and was about to start my last quarter of courses for my degree. It was so scary to think of how uncertain everything would be after everything seemed to finally be aligning for me. I just moved back to LA with the hopes and desires of putting work into something I truly loved and the pandemic brought on so much anxiety about paying bills and making sure I can stay in LA. For a couple of months, I was going through post-grad depression as well as depression from the pandemic hitting and it was a time that I had nothing to focus on but my creativity and my growth as a creative being. Painting, sketching, modeling and reading were things I practiced everyday and every other day, I would pick a place in Los Angeles County to drive and explore by myself. It was a time where I had a lot of alone time with myself and allowed me to heal from some past trauma.

In July, a casting agent reached out to me through Instagram inquiring about submitting me to a modeling booking with American Eagle. I asked to be submitted and didn’t think much of it as I had a couple of similar messages sent before and never heard back. Well, I heard back and was on set for an American Eagle x Disney collaboration for the holidays. I was so anxious on set for most of the time and had so many feelings of imposter syndrome, especially as most of the other models were signed and had huge followings. I was extremely shy and uncomfortable in the beginning, but on the second day on set, I challenged myself to grow by just going with it and not worrying what anyone thought of me in this situation but how I viewed myself and how I felt. After centering my energy and thoughts, I began to really perform in the way that I wanted to. I wasn’t nervous like I was before for the next few days. After being on set, I would go home and practice posing and expressions excited for the next day. I learned so much from this experience and am so grateful to have started my career in modeling this way.

American Eagle motivated and validated my career in modeling. I began to fully claim and see myself as a model and I started submitting myself to tons of agencies. It was discouraging to not hear back but rejection is something I’m no longer scared of as this industry shows you how to process rejection since it happens so often. Finally, in September 2020, I signed with Select Model LA. It was something super exciting for me and quite a milestone as I didn’t know if I ever would. I have worked for a couple of clients that still shock me to this day as so many of them were brands I couldn’t afford growing up. It excites me to know I was a part of bringing their vision to life.

Inspired by my ability to put my mind and resources to something and making it happen, I started a business with my good friend Elaija that brings awareness to repurposing the overabundance of clothing, mostly in terms of overconsumption and overproduction. Overall, we desired to create a community that centers living intentionally and consciously, living to preserve the Earth and authenticity of life and culture. I have a deep connection and love towards this Earth and its beauty which drives deep passion for preserving and saving it.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. There has been so much heartbreak from friends, love and even within family in just this last year that definitely did not feel surmountable at the time. I thought I was a fan of change until it became all I knew. So many changes have occurred for myself and the world in the last year that I learned I need to be ready to pivot and process in much healthier ways. Having these pivotable and necessary early 20’s stages of growth during the pandemic was hard to navigate, especially being in LA without family. My family and friends are amazing though and have been so supportive and loving, I am so grateful to experience life with them in it.

One important lesson I am still in the process of learning is only taking on what I can handle vs thinking I can take on anything and everything all at once. I have an unhealthy habit of saying no and not prioritizing myself. Overall, I’m learning to give things time and patience. Patience is so significant when it comes to successfully protecting your space, time and energy. I am grateful for these lessons of patience and will continue to push myself towards more growth and more love.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a model and co-founder of Nimiety, a sustainable fashion brand + community. I practice challenging growth in myself and others through my art and my intentions. I feel that I have a unique perspective on the world and it allows me to bring different worlds together… What makes me feel so fulfilled and happy is seeing genuine connections between people, the earth and life itself. Bringing people back to the important elements of living an intentional life will allow collectives and communities to form that center of love and growth, something I think we could use more of.

Through my modeling, I hope to bring growth to the fashion and beauty industry in how we look at beauty, art and ourselves. I think when people start making more connections to others and life, it becomes more apparent as to why we need to take care of each other. I think that people are wanting to see something new, something more deliberate and purposeful from these industries and I think that it can happen. I think this world of art and fashion should be accessible to all and should no longer exploit any being. Therefore, where Nimiety comes in, where we will be having numerous entities and services that encourage intentional and conscious living. Right now, we are highlighting the importance of thrifting, being creative and intentional through personalized style bundles. These bundles are gender and size-inclusive, something I feel like fashion is slowly moving towards altogether. The bundle aims to provide people with pieces that will allow them to express themselves but also practice consciousness of consumption.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something surprising most people wouldn’t know about me directly from my work is my love for thrill, adventure and exploration. I am someone that can find enjoyment in driving around a random city or scenery and that enjoyment can last me a couple of days worth of bliss and elation. I’ve taken up so many hobbies in the last couple of years and plan on taking up even more. Right now, I’ve been into rollerskating, painting, hiking, slacklining, reading, drawing, cooking and photography. I enjoy being on the go and stimulating my mind through different hobbies and explorations. With every hobby or new topic I’m learning about, I feel more connected to myself and the world. I find that it is exhilarating and fulfilling to fall in love with myself and the world in different ways everyday.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://linktr.ee/Nimiety
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mahalw/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mmmahal

Image Credits:
Picture one – photo by Rambo (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livinglegend__/) picture two – photo by AJ Elam (https://www.instagram.com/ajelam/)