Social media is responsible for spearheading the latest trends and influencers. New York native Aaliyah Jay, better known as the “It Girl,” has managed to cultivate a mass following of over 5.4 million followers across social media platforms by sharing her creative and relatable content with fans.
BlavityU got the opportunity to speak with the 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-fashion designer about how she amassed her following, working in the fashion industry, and the upcoming release of her clothing line, Twisted Saints.
Aaliyah Jay formed a loyal audience by authentically being herself. She often shares beauty tutorials, life hacks, and girl talk vlogs with her following. But although she began her journey within the beauty space, she’s pouring into another love — fashion — and says she struggles with her audience backing her up.
“At the moment, I’m still transitioning, and it is very hard. It’s not that easy,” Aaliyah Jay said. “A lot of my fan base, they know me for makeup and just like lifestyle stuff, and so, I’m like doing all this fashion stuff, and I’m like just expressing myself through clothes, and they’re like, ‘what the hell is going on?’ It’s a little hard to get everybody on the bandwagon. I’m like, ‘Come on, guys. Let’s go.'”
Aaliyah Jay isn’t letting up on her audience, though. She continues to brand herself as a fashion connoisseur by sharing Instagram reels and transitional TikTok videos on social media. Although she’s had challenges, she shares that it’s also been fun.
“It is so much fun. Like literally, I just feel like myself,” Aaliyah Jay said. “I feel like I can just be free. I feel like all the creative ideas I had before, and I’m like, finally letting it out.”
However, when it comes to the relaunch of Twisted Saints, there’s definitely a lot of work involved. Aaliyah Jay shares, “The journey has been hard. I’m not gonna lie. You know, owning a business, creating a fashion line, creating any type of line is very, very hard.”
“It’s very frustrating,” she continued. “And I say it was hard because I went to so many factories and a lot of them declined me. Like literally when I get to the point where I tell the entire story of relaunching twisted saints, it’s gonna inspire so many people because I remember breaking down to my manager.”
Although doors closed on her, that didn’t stop Aaliyah Jay from chasing her dream as a designer.
“I kept pushing myself, and I’m like, no, like, this is what my heart is calling me to do. So I have to keep going. If you don’t take a risk, you don’t take a reward,” said Jay.
Twisted Saints relaunch is due, in part, to its original start as a fast-fashion brand. Aaliyah Jay would purchase items from a vendor and resell them at a reasonable price. Still, she realized that she couldn’t stand behind the fast-fashion market any longer because “fast fashion is ripping off other Black designers.”
“I found myself ripping off a Black brand, and I didn’t even know that it was their item, but once I realized it and I was about to launch, I was like, ‘oh my God, I can’t do this; this is not okay,” said Aaliyah.
“I don’t wanna rip off anyone, especially a young Black brand,” she added. “So I was like, you know what? Fast fashion is not for me, and I can’t do this. I have a platform and honestly, I just deserve so much better; my fans deserve so much better. And so I’m like, let me just make, do a relaunch, make a whole new [thing] and put my creativity into it.”
Aaliyah Jay’s audience can anticipate Twisted Saints to have affordable prices with “a little bit of everything” in terms of designs and styles. The most exciting part of it all is that the line will reflect the “It Girl’s” current fashion looks.
“Twisted Saints has a lot to do with how my fashion sense is going,” Jay declared. “I’m doing a little bit of everything; I’m wearing everything; I’m not afraid to really put on anything.”
The young designer shares that designing is the best part of it all, and despite her busy life, she’s enjoying this journey.
“I am sketching stuff, and I’m like, I see stuff. Oh my God, like I can make this?. And I’m like writing it down. So I think that’s like, the best part for me is just putting my thoughts on paper and then making it come to life.”
With the new year approaching, keep your wallets stacked and loaded because Twisted Saints is launching in January.
