Lynn alumna embraces imperfection to create sustainable fashion collection

Designing a collection that influences the world of fashion can seem like an impossible feat. After all, the industry is known for its competitive, challenging, and highly detail-oriented nature, relying on artists to create the latest attention-grabbing trends, select the perfect cuts of fabric, and design garments with an exceptional fit and flow. For Lynn University alumna E'Naiyah Frazier '17, this type of challenge is an opportunity to think outside the box. Embracing imperfection inspired her to create an internationally recognized collection featured in this year's Lynn Fashion Showcase.

As a Lynn student, Frazier participated in both the fashion show production and project runway class, where she had the opportunity to feature three designs in the 2017 showcase. It was this opportunity that inspired her to pursue a master's degree in fashion design at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, Georgia. Her educational journey resulted in her 12-look thesis collection, IMPERFECT 001—inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with unique mending techniques. Frazier's collection went on to receive a great deal of attention, including a feature in Vogue Italia as well as the cover of Buckhaven City Lifestyle Magazine.

"I'm so excited to bring my collection to this year's fashion show," said Frazier. "The inspiration for this started at Lynn, so it only makes sense to bring it home where it belongs."

Frazier's passion for denim—the star of her collection—began in 2018 when she worked at J. Crew. It was there that she discovered the retailer's partnership with Blue Jeans Go Green™, a company that acquires denim donations for the purpose of insulating homes. This sparked the idea for an illustration project rooted in sustainability, which kick-started the research and design of her pieces.

"I've always struggled with the pursuit of perfection," said Frazier. "In fashion, there are methods drilled into your head as the 'right way' or ‘the way it's supposed to be.' It wasn't until a professor pulled me aside and told me to 'let go and create' that I found a philosophy that allowed me to be myself and showcase a collection I was proud of."

Frazier's pieces are inspired by Kintsugi's Wabi-Sabi philosophy, which aims to find beauty within imperfections. Embracing Wabi-Sabi and leveraging innovative ways to design with denim were a natural marriage to create passionate art and remain sustainable. It's this attention and focus on sustainability that led Frazier to bring her signature IMPERFECT 001 collection to life.

Incorporating this new philosophy allowed Frazier to accept her own imperfections to showcase beauty in the collection. IMPERFECT 001 features recycled denim fused with the dying patterns of the garments and Frazier's hand manipulations to reflect the unique Kintsugi design in her work. Frazier's collection went on to receive sponsorship by ISKO Denim, a leading producer of denim that promotes sustainability. This partnership landed Frazier her first international fashion feature and earned her the title of Fashion Forward winner at the National Black Arts Festival in 2021. Frazier then went on to take part in the first Atlanta Sustainable Fashion Week that same year. In 2022, her collection then traveled to Lenox Square in Atlanta, Georgia for a purposeful Earth Week partnership, followed by a debut in South Carolina, and then a performance at STRIKKET! A Performative Catwalk in Norway.

"From her time as a Lynn student, E'Naiyah has always had a distinctive eye for design and fashion," said Dr. Lisa Benedict, professor of fashion and retail at Lynn. "We’re always proud and excited to see a former student succeeding in their professional passion and are eager to feature her much-celebrated collection at this year's Lynn Fashion Showcase."

Frazier's commitment to staying on top of the latest fashion trends, while also championing sustainability and uniqueness, promises to inspire future collections that elicit the same attention and excitement as IMPERFECT 001. Her sights are now set on expanding her designs within the world of denim. Frazier is also working diligently to create and debut her first menswear collection, which will no doubt embrace the philosophy that influences her fashion, creativity, and life: be yourself.