Special thanks to Mia LaQuan, Demarkus DjDmark Taylor, A Pinch Bakery (Dionne Eubanks-Harden), Proof of the Pudding, Melva Robertson, Dionne Michelle, CME3000, Nate Rosser, K.D. Gray, Leslie Andrew, Mia MiMi Johnson, Zara Green, Ashley Evans, our FAMILY, friends, clients, + supporters!!
Love you all so much + I appreciate your support of the Natt Taylor brand.
Video credit: KD GRAY
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As I get closer to seeing my brand on the racks at Belk, I can’t help but remember the day I received my very first sewing machine, a birthday gift from my parents my junior year of high school. I had just learned to sew and had begun sketching and designing dresses for friends and family. Because my career path was set for accounting, I hadn’t yet imagined my life as a fashion designer.
My first official design was my senior prom dress. It was a two-part design that included a gown and jacket with detachable cuffs inspired by a zigzag lamp I had seen in my guidance counselor’s office. A deacon at my church offered to make the dress for me and I’ll always remember the look on his face when I presented my three immature sketches to him.
Wearing my original design to prom was such an amazing feeling. I knew in that moment that I had a gift, but never in my wildest dreams did I see my future as NATT TAYLOR. Today, I am walking in my purpose, designing lifestyle apparel for women to make them feel as strong, beautiful and sophisticated as I felt when I wore my first design.
I began this journey making custom designs for individual clients, specifically for proms and weddings. Seeing the look on my clients’ faces when they wore their dresses was inspiring and it encouraged me to keep going. Being able to apply the feedback I received, both good and bad, without getting too upset and giving up, confirmed my love and passion for this industry.
Being a woman designing for women inspires me the most. When I sit down to sketch, I think about us . . . how we function, how we start and end our days. I love the fact that I can design a garment that could change the way a woman feels about herself. It’s why I love to find any opportunity to meet my customers face to face, hear their stories, and see what they like and dislike about my designs.
For the Belk collection, we drew inspiration from some of our top selling styles. I haven’t met a woman yet who didn’t fall in love with our LOLA dress, so I knew we had to bring her to Belk! We completed the collection with mix-and-match separates that speak to a woman on the move.
I feel so blessed to have made it into a major retailer like Belk. I am so grateful to be able to witness and enjoy this accomplishment. The goal of any fashion designer is to dress the world in his or her designs. I’m extremely thankful to Belk for this opportunity and am really looking forward to seeing our collection, and our name, on the floor at Belk!
Years from now, NATT TAYLOR will be a globally recognized brand. People all over the world will wear our designs and I will continue to share my story, encouraging young people to pursue their passion and do what they love.
]]>Our Spring 2016 collection was fun, flirty, and sophisticated....classic Natt Taylor. Remember you can purchase our collection in March at select BELK Department stores! Stay tuned for more details...
Thank you to all 2015 event partners: City of Atlanta, The Lincoln Motor Company, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Phipps Plaza, Lenox Square, Lectra, Factor Women, The Atlantan, Jezebel, Dress for Success, Faved Events, AmericasMart | Atlanta Apparel, Bloomingdale’s and 3 Day Website
]]>Until now, Natt Taylor has been sold mainly in local boutiques and the process has been fairly simple. With Belk, it’s a whole different ballgame. Every item, in every size, color and style has to be coded and tracked with style numbers and UPC codes. During my meeting at Belk, I learned how to make that happen and talked about all of the logistical parts of this process I need to consider before my line ever hits the floor. To be honest, hearing all of this in our meeting seemed a little overwhelming, but at the end I was so grateful for the information Belk provided. It will be critical to my success with Belk now and in the future.
After meeting with the other Southern Designer Showcase winners and our Belk “teachers,” I met with my buyers to go over the final production samples. Everything looked so good! I was very excited to show it to the Belk team, and after seeing all of my pieces together, we decided instead of including two striped Lola tops, we wanted to do one striped and one solid to offer more variation for customers. It’s little insights like this that I know are making the collection the best it can be.
This meeting was a little bittersweet because we only have one more to go before our lines are in Belk stores and on belk.com in March. I’ve really enjoyed this process and I don’t want it to end, but I’m definitely ready to see Natt Taylor at my local Belk store at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta!
Learn more about BELK Designers and the entire process by visiting www.belkdesigncontest.com
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Leslie Andrews Photography
To learn more about Harlem's Fashion Row (HFR), visit www.harlemsfashionrow.com
]]>I have always been a Belk shopper, so having the chance to have my designs on the floor is really a surreal opportunity. I know that the experience will be a lot of work, but thankfully, I have a great mentor in my buyer, Christine, who has truly helped guide me in the right direction. She has been able to give me an insider’s perspective on how the Belk customer thinks and shops, and I know that information will be essential to making the line a hit.
For this collection, I am bringing in the tried-and-true pieces that I know customers have loved in the past, but I am giving them an exclusive, fun and vibrant twist just for Belk. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be hard at work getting ready for the next merchant meeting, where we’ll finalize the collection and take the next steps to get it ready to hit stores in Spring 2016.
I hope you’ll follow along as I work my way through this exciting process!
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Fiance by Natt Taylor was created for the special moments before and after the wedding day. The bride (and her party) should be fab for the engagement party, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and all other fabulous events surrounding her big day! Full collection will be available in Spring 2015.
Here are a few photos + a cool video recap from the event...
4th Naturally Pretty TEA from chris mitchell on Vimeo.
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Let me just say I thoroughly enjoyed my convo with Ms. Natt Taylor. She is just awesome and knows her business! This creative and determined entrepreneur used her stint in Corporate America to her advantage. She paired her accounting skills, with her creations to co-workers that began spreading the word beyond her inner-circle to become Natt Taylor Collections, a sassy, sophisticated womenswear that celebrates the natural feminine form. Natt is a true inspiration and learned early on to take the road less traveled.
]]>Photo Credit: Haley Tetreault || Stylist: Olivia Hargrove || Makeup and Hair: Olivia Hayne || Model: Katie W. / FACTOR Women || Assistant: Cassie Xie || Designer: Natt Taylor
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Held at Espace in New York City, the event was filled with some of the industry’s hottest movers and shakers including Essence Editor-at-Large Mikki Taylor, style and beauty expert Tai Beauchamp, BET CEO Debra Lee, singer Elle Varner, former Essence Editor-at-Large Emil Wilbekin, and more. Shedding light on the talent of black designers, “BET on Fashion” showcased the creative collections of seven rising talents including Viktor Luna, Helen Castillo, St. Frimpong, Jacinta Ligon, Andrew Nowell, Tashia Senn, and Natt Taylor.
Click here to watch a video recap of the show on bet.com!
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NATT TAYLOR Fall Collection is sold exclusively online at www.natttaylor.com
This event was held on July 23rd at Natt Taylor Studiotique in Atlanta, GA.
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Here are a few behind-the-scenes pics from the show:
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Follow @natttaylor on Instagram, Facebook, + Twitter for behind the scenes footage leading up to the runway!
SUPPORT THE HFR MOVEMENT!!
Click here to pre-order this exclusive design in support of NATT TAYLOR + HFR!
Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) is an Influential Arts & Entertainment organization that engages audiences and aligns brand partners with emerging designers of color in Fashion. HFR’s mission is to discover and showcase emerging talent of color through a platform of national events and customized multi-platform programs.
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Working with such an amazing group of talent, creativity, and drive has been a huge blessing to me and I am so grateful for the new friendships and business relationships that we've developed!!
Thank you God for opening doors!!
My first day on set styling for The Productive Lie...
I spy a Natt Taylor LOLA dress in bright yellow!! Nothing wrong with a little product placement *wink*
With actresses Sy + Jaime...
Sooo proud of actress Nadej Bailey...so professional and booking roles left and right!!
More pics coming soon!!
love natt
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Check out a few pics from the event!!
photos by Robin Lori
Just me and my models!
Sabrina And Khadijah Rowe from Big Rich Atlanta
Beauty expert Mimi J, Miss Jamaica 2012 Chantal Zaky, and our event host Africa Miranda from Bravo TV 'The New Atlanta'.
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Photography by LA Anderson