In the Beginning   

Growing up I was always around creativity. My dad is a professional chef and my mom had just started her business teaching girls to sew. My mom wanted to be a fashion designer when she was younger, but God had a different plan for her. So, here she was teaching classes in our basement. Every day she had classes I would come and watch. She didn’t think much of it because, I was only five years old. I’m sure she thought I just wanted to be around her, until one day I decided I could sew too. I sat down at the machine and took a scrap of fabric, (half standing and half sitting) trying to reach the petal I sewed my first line. That’s when it all started. My mom decided she should teach me how to sew. I worked diligently learning as much as I could.

How I Became a Homeschooler

In the beginning, when I first started I didn’t really have a goal, I just knew it was fun and mommy did it.

   As I grew older my skill grew along with my mother’s business. When I went to pre-school we moved to Mableton, Georgia so that I could get I better education. When that didn't work out, my parents searched for different options. They looked at putting me in a different school. I had been asking to be homeschooled but my parents didn’t know how that would work. My dad worked a full time job and my moms sewing school was just getting off the ground. At the time my mom had a sewing class for homeschoolers and so she decided to ask one of the parents for advice. She suggested an online public school called Georgia Virtual Academy. My mom looked into it and loved it. She enrolled me for my fourth grade year.

The Start of Amari

 

When I turned eleven my mom had a woman working with her, her job was to contact different people so that we could do fashion shows in different places around the world. The woman had contact with Jada Collins( now Jada Jackson a Former Ebony Fashion Fair model and Comentator) and she invited us to come to Florida to see her fashion show and pagent. We stayed at this beautiful resort with huge pools and a golf course. We attended the show and my best friend and I decided to hand out our cards to the judges. They were so impressed that we were so young and so talented. We wore outfits we made ourselves. One of the judges contacted us and invited us come back to be in her show. She let us pick our own models and we brought our clothes for the models to wear. Everyone was so proud of us. They were amazed at the fact we were so young and already designing clothes.

   The following year we went to Europe. We raised funds doing all kinds of bake sales, yard sales, we did alterations for people, and I also made dance garments for a praise dance team at my church. Finally after working very hard we raised enough money to go. We went on a tour of Pisa, Monte Carlo, Montaco, Paris, The French Rivera, Nice, and Florence. It was an experience of a life time I will never forget it! I hope to one day go back and maybe even live there. On that trip, I gained a wonderful experience and lost my best friend. 

I Decided to Quit

The same year I decided I didn’t want to sew or design clothes anymore. I had lost my best friend who always sewed with me and I didn't want to do it anymore. It was boring and I wanted to focus more on dance. I told all my friends and everyone in my sewing class. It was all good until word got around to my mom, she refused to let me quit. She said I needed to continue sewing. I’m not even sure she knew why but she knew God told her I needed to continue sewing. So, I kept sewing even though I didn’t like it and would have rather been dancing.

World Changers

As time passed I got over not liking sewing and I began to love it again. At 14 I started constructing my second line of clothing. I told my mom I wanted to do a show in July. She supported my decision and we began to plan fo the show. I had done many shows before with my mom’s business but this time everything was going to be on me. I called together about 14 models and I made 50 garments. I was excited and I worked hard to put the show together. I trained all of my models and made sure their clothes fit, everything was set for the show to be a success.

   One day I went to help my mom with career day at a local elementary school. There was a children’s DJ there that only played children’s music. I was so impressed I took her card and told her who I was and what I did. The next day I called her and we discussed my show and also a show she was doing and wanted me to be a part of. We decided to combine our shows. I cancelled out everything I had planned in order to do her show. We went to a meeting with this DJ and we were not impressed the only people there were her assistant and herself. Although, I didn’t pay much attention to that because I was sure she was going to do what she said she would. She said there would be about 300 people there and there would be all kinds of entertainers. I was so excited I didn’t know what to do, but my mom on the other hand wasn’t sure she was comfortable yet. As time moved on and we got ready for the show things started showing up. The tickets that were originally $15 dropped to $5 and the venue changed form a beautiful downtown skyscraper to a local Recreation Center. The Day of the show they had no dressing room for my models, no food even though they said they would provide food. This was a complete let down, but inspight the circumstances I decided to practice integrity and we put on an awesome show. I love my mom because through all this my mom didn’t let me cancel my original show. My show turned out great, we raised $300 dollars for Rheumatoid Arthitis , and we had about 300 people come out to support us. I was so proud of myself and my models! After that show we were invited to do three more show in the Atlanta area. I called it my first tour.

Speak Until The World Hears

   The following summer I planned another show to showcase my third clothing line. As I began constructing I decided to call in more models. One of the models I called in was also a pagent girl and is well known in the Atlanta area. Her mom was delighted to have her daughter in my show. She was also planning another show that she needed designers for, so she invited me to be a part of her show. Honored I agreed and we moved forward .  We had my show and now it was time to get ready for her show. She planned a meet and greet for all models and designers. At this meet and greet we had to do a fitting, a photo shoot, and there was also a birthday party going on. There were people everywhere! We proceeded with the show and it turned out to be a headache for all of us. Sometimes I wonder why people don’t understand the importance of being organized and standing in integrity. I try so hard to keep myself organized, and balance school, walking in good character, standing in integrity, and to always be a young woman of God.

Who is Amari

  Most people don’t understand who I am because they haven’t taken the time to get to know me. I love to be an inspiration to people all over the world to value themselves and to believe they are beautiful. So many times I go into the restroom and there is some girl in the mirror verbally abusing herself. It breaks my heart every time and that’s why I do what I do, to let those girls know they are beautiful. If I am completely honest with you I was that girl once and I know how it feels to believe you’re not beautiful. Every time I do a show in the back of my head I have this saying, “Amaze yourself so then you know everyone else is amazed”- Amari. I absoutley love that because if you do that then you will always love what you do and people will never get bored. I love what I do and plan on doing it for the rest of my life. I hope from reading this you understand who I am and that you are inspired to do whatever it is you want to do in life. Every show we do I hope to change a life. My models are required to wear their natural hair for every show we do. My goal is to let little girls and boys know that they are naturally beautiful. I want people to understand the importance of loving themselves. If you didn’t get anything else from reading this I want you to take this. "Make a mark that can’t be erased, let people know you were here, Reach for the sky, the sky is the limit, anything is possible if you work hard and never give up.

Sincerely, 

Amari