LELAND — Kicking off the Mother’s Day weekend in style is “#1 Fashion Coach,” Jonasha Quinn, as she presents the Hair and Fashion Catwalk 2022.
The event is set to begin at 7 p.m. Saturday at the National Guard Leland Armory, 4168 Old Highway 61.
In addition to an eye-catching lineup of various, fashionable ensembles, food vendors such as Nikki Earl’s Snackshop and Butts Tamales & Grill will be on site.
Tickets for the event cost $35 per person.
Quinn, a Greenville resident, used some of the most tragic events in her life as inspiration to become the fashion coach and artistic visionary she is today.
She was also inspired by experiences that she never had the opportunity to partake in until very recently, such as traveling and living on a college campus, after becoming a mother at the age of 17.
And, so, she decided to bring elements of those unrealized, diverse experiences to the catwalk.
“The #1 Fashion Coach came about probably a year ago after the death of my son — I had a stillborn. It came about while sitting at home in my down time and I just knew that it was something different that God wanted me to do,” Quinn said, as she is also a dance coach, author and active in her community and Christian ministry. “It came about last year while going through my transition and really finding out who I was in God and so what I realized is that a lot of people that go through life especially women, and they find themselves in low places and think lower of themselves due to the experiences and the trials and tribulations they have to go through.
“Sometimes, we let ourselves go or we dress a certain way to try to get recognition or validation from people and so once I realized that, which was part of my story, I realized I can show people that you don’t have to spend a whole lot of money to look good — you just have to have an eye for fashion and if not, then you can connect with me and I’ll be able to teach you how to do that.”
Many of the looks Quinn creates or recreates comes by way of her being an avid thrifter.
And, although Quinn wants young ladies to know they can be cute, covered and classy and still command attention, her fashion coach approach is from the inside out, top to bottom and ranges from professional to date night attire.
“What I realized is that if our men and women’s appearances are not up to par, at times they do not feel good about themselves. I know that a lot of women love to get their hair done and they love to be pretty,” she noted. “When a woman has her hair done and she’s dressing nicely, she feels like she can take on the world and I think that’s a part of becoming who we are.”
At the same token, Quinn does not believe women or men have to look good “all of the time” to be the person that God wants them to be, but it can play a part in helping to that end.
“So, the #1 Fashion Coach’s duty is to help people transition starting with their hearts and allow their outer appearance to match who they are on the inside. When the hair idea came about, I just wanted to do something different because I know that’s how people’s self esteem gets built up often,” she shared.
Those in attendance can look forward to an experience like no other as Quinn has made strides to create an “out-of-state” atmosphere with the fashion event, keeping in mind that some people are not able to afford a travel experience to see new things.
She highlighted her love for singer and actress Janelle Monae’s sense of fashion, saying, “She’s amazingly incredible and she just reminds me of myself and the things that I’ve been through in my 31 years of living have inspired me to spread love and let people know that all is surely well and sometimes we have to go through Egypt to get to the Promised Land.”
Quinn revealed this event would make only her second fashion show she’s ever attended aside from the recent Made in Mississippi Fashion Show.
“God showed me things and I just want to bring those things that I’ve never done to life. I like to create things that I’ve never seen and this show is meant to transition people through their hearts, through their fashion sense and show that you can enter a new year with a new you and with a new style,” she added. “They can expect to have a life changing atmosphere that gets them pumped up about self love.”
