GIFTED BY DESIGN: Niiamar

Name of designer and line: Niiamar Felder,  NIIAMAR

New York City, NY

Year Est.: 2008

Specialty: Women's Ready to Wear, Couture, and Made to Measure Couture

When did you realize that your journey in life was leading you to fashion? I was 16 years old when the passion for design became very apparent and fluent to me.  Up until that point I had always been an artist ( painting, drawing, classical tenor, dancer). So the influence was always there, but the focus transitioned... I feel it was a Divine move, it was my destiny.

As you have pursued your vision and your goals how have you stayed motivated and kept your eye on the prize?  The love and fiery passion for creating influential and stunning fashion has forced me to continue to follow my vision and goals in this industry. Even when I did not know where the money was coming from to complete a collection my faith and passion willed it to be.  Giving up is not an option, becoming the first Black American designer to show couture collections in Paris is my fate.

Fashion is able to do different things for different people. When someone wears one of your pieces or designs what do you hope they feel? When a woman wears a NIIAMAR design, my hope is that they feel transitioned with beauty. If a woman feels beautiful she will be confident, radiant, and fierce. A NIIAMAR design should bring the inner beauty out in every woman.

What advice would you give to anyone reading this that is looking for a word of advice about following their own dreams? My great- grandmother said this often, and it was passed down to me by my father: " Once a job has begun never stop until it is done, be the labor big or small, do it right or not at all."  Couple that with Talent, Tenacity and Faith and you cannot go wrong.

For more information about Niiamar, visit www.niiamar.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.