What you see is what you get when it comes to Carlea Carlea. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, the Atlanta-based fashion stylist/designer loves to get noticed based off her personal style. And her bubbly, fire cracker personality is just the perfect icing on the cake. “Fashion is my outlet of expressing who I am without having to say one word.” As someone who always loved fashion, Carlea got into it by chance. Although she is someone with a keen sense of style and a natural ability to dress well, Carlea planned to be a nurse or serve in the U.S. military.
“As cliché as it sounds, fashion chose me,” Carlea explained. Her first opportunity to break into the fashion industry served as a catalyst in helping Carlea find her calling. Carlea was asked to model by her personal hair stylist. That gig led to additional modeling gigs for print and commercial ads. Carlea was also offered a chance to style for the Hotlanta Hair Magazine. Carlea’s styling approach was such a success and that opportunity garnered her with the self-confidence she needed to pursue a serious career in fashion. “One day I just decided to completely stop living my life for others and do what made Carlea happy. And from that day forward it was all about fashion for me.” Carlea dropped out of nursing school and enrolled in Savannah College of Art & Design and hasn’t had any
regrets since.
That is not to say that Carlea’s journey into fashion has been easy. “There have been so many memorable moments—good and bad!” Carlea explained. Priceless moments like sneaking into her first fashion show during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, getting stranded in the city for two days to finally getting a piece from her fur collection published in Elle Spain Magazine two years after sending samples, has made the journey worth it. Carlea’sstyling works have also been published in Complex, Marie Claire, Ellements, Estela, Mood and Rolling Out magazines.
For Carlea, it’s all up from here. She is currently a freelance editorial stylist for Marie Claire magazine. she is working on a soft launch for potential buyers, a fashion show that showcases her full line, *Carlea Carlea*, as well as launching her website, www.carleacarlea.com, where pieces of her collection will be available for purchase. Carlea has future plans to launch an editorial consulting firm, a online fashion boutique and expanding her collection with a upcoming shoe line.. “Fashion is my thing. I am so blessed, but the grind don’t stop! This is only the beginning.”
To follow Carlea on IG: @carleacarlea
Written By: Tashema Chanel
