Pittsburgh Trendsetters

Fashionistas following their own style

By: Erin Massie

Mia Patterson speaks through her clothes and doesn't let anything hold her back, not even a speech impediment. Dancer Channce Williams aspires to express himself in more ways than just dance. She’s a dreamer who wants to spread her hard work all over the world, Brittany Williams is only getting started on her plans to create fresh original designs.

They are among many young folks in this region who have turned interests in fashion into a wide assortment of fashions that have not only changed their lives, but paved the way for burgeoning in businesses they never considered as teens.

“I believe that someone’s style is a form of expression. I also believe it is a way for us to reinvent ourselves,” says Patterson.

Patterson, a transfer junior at Point Park University, says her life wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for fashion. Mia was born with a disability called cerebral palsy, which caused her to have a speech delay. Because of this it’s always been hard for her to feel comfortable meeting new people and expressing herself.

Fashion helped with this,“I have a hard time with expressing myself because I can’t use my words. So I express myself through my clothes and it allows me to become someone more than just a girl with a disability,” said Patterson.

Mia Patterson, 21, sits outside of a church in Downtown Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy of: Mia Patterson Photo taken By: Courtney O’Conner. Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset

Growing up, her clothes meant the world to her, her parents saw how happy fashion made her at an early age.

She likes to take soft and hard looks to create her own style for that specific day. For instance, pairing a flowy pastel pink dress with a leather jacket.

“When I was little I  remember this one time my mom said she came into my room and found me asleep in my closet cuddled up with some of my clothes,” she said.  

As she got older and her fashion interests grew into more bold patterns and combinations like bright colors and earth tones, and she found that it was easier to make friends who shared the same interests she did.

“It’s difficult for me to meet new people but people are always commenting on my style and it help me to start a conversation with them. Because of this, I have met some extraordinary people,” said Patterson.

Rather than keeping to herself because of her speech, she began to connect with people through fashion, bonding over their similar passion to express themselves in colorful ways. In doing that, she developed a passion for photography, and taking photos of fashionable things that range from punk rock styles, to feminine looks you’d see somewhere in Paris.

“As I got older, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in fashion but I didn’t know what path I wanted to take or could take,”Patterson said.

With that realization in mind Mia began exploring multiple ways she could have a career in fashion.

By the time Mia came to Point Park University, she knew fashion was still her first love but she was on a path to combining fashion with photography and writing. This wasn’t always something she saw herself doing.

“One day, my friend and I were talking about future careers and somehow we got onto the topic of blogging. At that moment, I realized that blogging would be the perfect career for me. It combined all of my passions and it would give me the life that I want,” said Patterson.

Mia is determined to combine her skills in photography and writing and to create a career she loves. She has combined the two loves by taking photos of clothing and looks that inspire her to continue developing her own style.

“I never wanted a normal, static job where you work from 9-5 because most people spend their lifetime working and then they die. So becoming a Fashion/Lifestyle Blogger would let me work from home where I can be my own boss and have my own schedule,” Patterson said.

Fashion will always be a passion of Mia’s because it made her see herself in a better light.

Today Mia studies photojournalism, and wants to one day combine her love for fashion and photography into a career she’s in charge of.

“Other people are influenced by others, but I choose to influence myself,” said Patterson.

Mia Patterson laying in her closet cuddling her clothes at three years old. Photo courtesy of: Mia Patterson

Channce Williams went from caring less about his outer appearance to setting new trends every time he got dressed. Williams is a sophomore at Point Park University studying dance, but he is more than a dancer. He developed an interest in fashion around his sophomore year in high school.

“Something in me just changed,” said Williams.

Chaance Williams poses outside of this brick house in Oakland, giving a more sophisticated sleek look. Photo taken: by Dauan Chappel.

Sophomore year he decided he wanted to present himself better to the world. “It was almost as if I just woke up one morning and decided to evolve everything about the way I carried myself and how I dressed. I started to invest my money into my style, slowly accumulating a wide variety of colors, fabrics, textures etc,” he said.

He began playing and experimenting with shades, colors, materials and stores. H&M was the first store he really started putting together patterns and different styles to see what made up “his” style.

“I begin with combing through racks in different sections of the store just to get a general feel of what’s possible with the articles of clothing in front of me. A technique that I find useful when shopping is picturing the potential looks with a specific item and how many ways I can mix and match that one item with things that I already have (something I’ve learned through shopping on a tight budget),” said Williams.

Being a young college student, Williams makes it clear his fashion sense comes from creativity not fat pockets, in fact most of his favorite items were found while thrifting.

He stands out as a fashion trendsetter because he goes from celebrating the sunshine by wearing a bright orange ensemble, to a sleek black look the next day.

His willingness to openly experiment with textures like plaid, and stripes to put together a look that is new and fresh inspires others to find their style.

“ I could never afford designer clothes so I saw no point in attempting to replicate,” Williams said.

Always trying to keep his look and aesthetic fresh, he’s constantly branching out into new colors styles and materials. Williams will occasionally shop and buy things different from his normal purchases.

“If I’m just shopping for fun, I'll be more willing to play with fabrics, colors and textures that I don’t commonly wear, just to freshen up my usual aesthetic and keep things interesting,” Williams said. Constantly switching up his style helps Williams to set himself apart.

He is inspired daily by fashion model Bella Hadid because of how she plays and defies the laws of fashion. Hadid has a way of taking baggy jeans that are three sizes bigger than her, pairing them with a plain white t-shirt and look couture.

Looking at her inspires Channce to always defy the odds that say what fashion is and isn’t. He is always pushing boundaries and trying new looks like making plaid and bright yellow work together, or taking two dim colors like brown  and making the outfit pop.

He began to find his own identity through how he dressed and that excited him.

“I draw inspiration from a lot of different things that come out in my style in different ways. Aesthetics and colors are a major component; seeing a set of colors come together to create a cohesive look that is visually satisfying to the eye is crucial when it comes to my style process and also influences my preferences when it comes to certain clothes as well,” said Williams.

Chaance Williams creatively to shows off his color coordinated outfit. Photo courtesy of Chaance Williams. Photo by Dauan Chappel.

Williams also finds inspiration from British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, who is best known for his diverse take on fashion. As an African American man holding such a high position in fashion, Enninful already shows how much fashion has evolved already.

Dressing good makes you feel good, and Channce has taken that thought and applied it to all areas of his life including dance. With his hectic schedule he still finds subtle ways to let his fashion sense shine, like finding a way to make a pair of olive green Adidas sweatpants and pairing them with a fashion forward jacket and boots.

Now, Channce experiments and wears his new ideas that he finds in stores like Goodwill and Urban Outfitters,  proudly establishing himself as someone more than just a dancer, but also an aspiring model. He plans to do this by building his photo quality and aesthetic on platforms like instagram to continue expressing himself loudly through his fashion.

From homemade barbie doll clothes to hand crafted designs for the runway of Pittsburgh fashion week, Brittany Williams is always trying new ways to showcase her love of fashion through her custom designs.

Brittany started developing a hand for making clothes when she was 7 years old.

“I would make my barbie dolls clothes and my grandma taught me how to sew around eight  we would make barbie clothes together I really enjoyed it. I used to make them for my lil sisters as well,” Williams said.

Growing up she always loved fashion, but didn’t truly take it seriously until after high school. Post graduation Williams went to CCAC to get her prerequisites out of the way and transferred to Indiana University of Pennsylvania for fashion merchandising.

During a class she was in, Brittany was chosen to take on an amazing experience, “five other students and I were chosen to go to South Korea (seoul) with our fashion professor Dr. Hwang. We went to so many places in the fashion district it looked like another times square and this was eight years ago so they were way ahead of the U.S. fashion wise. I learned so many things about their culture we had an authentic tea party where we dressed up in traditional high tea outfits and we were able to learn more about the culture,” said Williams.

Pulling from experiences like this have molded her thinking and preferences when it comes to her own tailored fashion sense. Williams allows her materials to inspire her making up the finished product as she goes.

Here, Brittany Williams (on the right) is congratulated by the host of Pittsburgh Fashion week on a great show.

“I remember having a private tour of a government building and they had all of these pictures of President Obama hung up and they showed so much respect to him it was whole floor dedicated to him and when he met with the government there. I was truly inspired and proud of how much admiration they held for president obama I even took a picture of the mock presidential desk. We had so much fun it was definitely one of my fondest memories from my college experience,” said Williams.

She is a fashion trendsetter because her designs are whatever she chooses them to be. She doesn't allow any “trend” or “fad” to keep her in a box. Her designs range from african patterns, to custom denim wear, to sleek formal dresses.

Her dresses stand apart because she takes risks. She will take a sheer cream dress and make it signature by adding some Gold shimmer, and add some pockets.

After college, Brittany has done great things in the fashion world. She debuted her designs for the first time in Pittsburgh Fashion week fall of 2015, and has continued to do so ever since.

Letting the fabric speak to her, Williams gets her vision typically once she finds a piece of fabric that screams inspiration. Two seasons ago, she made a pink trench jacket with lace black material and she had no idea what it was going to be until she was finished.

With these experiences under her belt Brittany continues to design for fashion shows and people individually.

Short term Williams plans to do more fashion shows and use those shows to get grants and loans to build, grow, and expand her brand.

Brittany Williams (laying in the front) poses with her models outside of Highmark Stadium during Pittsburgh Fashion Week 2015. Instagram: @britnyalexis

Long term her dream is to participate in New York and Paris fashion weeks, becoming a household name and making a living off of her designs.

These three fashion trendsetters are on their way to creating a career they love for themselves in fashion. With trends changing and evolving every day it’s originators like Mia, Chaance and Brittany who bring a fresh perspective to your everyday fashion looks.

Erin Massie, a recent journalism graduate of Point Park University aspires to work for a publishing house, or to engage in television reporting. She can be reached at emichellemassie@gmail.com.