Kenya Buchanan, in her upstairs studio, is designing a lavish dress that will be featured at the second annual Haute Pink Fashion Show fundraiser for the Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center on October 12 at The Fennec.
by Ana Ruiz
In 2013, Kenya Buchanan felt so bad working in the corporate world that one day she decided to quit her job at an industrial distribution company.
“In that cubicle, I was losing my mind,” said Homewood fashion designer and atelier owner Kenya B. “I gave up cold turkey.”
Now, she’s designing a lavish dress that will be featured at the second annual Haute Pink Fashion Show fundraiser for the Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center on October 12 at The Fennec.
“I’m all in,” Buchanan said, adding that she’s already working on a design that could include detachable elements or maybe some beaded fabric on the bodice.
Last year’s Haute Pink show was “such a beautiful event” that featured a huge, elaborate fuchsia-pink dress that she designed and made, dubbed “Felicity” by her model, Shannon Preston, Buchanan said.
Haute Pink models are breast cancer survivors or undergoing treatment or aftercare. Their friends and Forge volunteers also participate.
“On this particular night, everyone should feel like a queen,” Buchanan said, referring to the Felicity gown, which was made from luxurious Italian Mikado fabric.
With its sweetheart corset bodice, petticoat, layers creating a wide skirt structured for impact, and huge ruffles of pink fabric on the model’s arms, the gown was a fantasy come true.
When the model had the dress and hair and makeup done, “you should have seen the look on her face,” Buchanan said. “These are the moments she lives for.”
The woman wearing this dress, like all Haute Pink models, kept the dress.
changing his life
The career switch to fashion, something she had always loved as a way to express herself, was a game changer for Buchanan. She earned a business administration degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, influenced by her family’s view of studying for a degree in a field where she could always find a job. She thought that could be done with a business degree and that it would be easy to find a job.
“But that’s not the key to happiness,” Buchanan said.
The first key that opened the door to her new career was enrolling at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa to study fashion design. She got straight A’s and graduated magna cum laude.
Then “my career took off,” he said.
He started out designing couture clothes and walked in a number of fashion shows, including the now-defunct Birmingham Fashion Week and Magic City Fashion Week. In February 2018, she participated in New York Fashion Week, one of the four largest fashion events in the world. Designs for spring were presented.
“They found me on Instagram,” she said, and were invited to show off her designs. Her Instagram handle is @iamkenyab.
His fashion collection was shown at one of the smallest shows for emerging designers.
“There were beautiful clothes and all the famous people. Being in the fashion district was unreal,” she said, adding that she was the only southerner among the designers.
He initially thought the environment would be competitive, but learned that it was all about each designer showcasing their new collections.
dance niche
Buchanan is known for her prom dresses, and she said her couture designs have been worn by young women from almost every high school in Jefferson County.
“I have built a following for prom. I call them my ‘Kenyan dolls,’” she said.
At the end of graduation season, she invites the women to what she calls the Kenya Doll Graduation Program, a themed gathering where scholarships donated by sponsors are awarded. A part of this year’s Paint Party themed program included canvases and paint for each girl to express her artistic abilities.
Buchanan is also busy creating custom garments for clients who need something special to wear to weddings and special events. Right now, she is working on a dress for a woman who will receive her Ph.D. from her. A mannequin in her studio wears the black stretch crepe dress as she gets the dress ready. Shimmering gold appliques will be sewn on her neckline for a touch of glamour.
When a dress is finished and delivered to a client, it is not forgotten. Buchanan said he goes to the event to make sure the piece “is perfect for the photos.”
Some of her memorable dresses from her Red collection are featured on her website, www.kenyabuchanan.com. The Red Collection is a series of striking red dresses featured at Magic City Fashion Week.
Buchanan’s artistic endeavors are not limited to the sketchbook. Every summer for the last four years, she has taught sewing and fashion design at Space One Eleven in central Birmingham. This year, her students made a party dress, and each contributed one element of the dress. They made the bows and the flowers that decorated the dress with coffee filters.
She also teaches sewing to fourth through sixth graders in the after school program at Highlands Day School in Mountain Brook, where she held a summer fashion camp.
While Buchanan has made a solid name for himself in the Birmingham area, he is now looking to venture into other markets, including New York and Houston, which have a vibrant social scene.
“I would like my products to get into the hands of the right people,” he said.
Source: www.otmj.com