It is the accessory that is a staple in every woman’s closet, and while we (here at Queen in Heels) would love to have you believe we are hinting of high heels, we are not. We are referring to the other accessory we love just as much, handbags. Handbags are the functional accessory. We carry the photos of our love ones in it, our keys, our money, and (as it is often joked) everything but the kitchen sink in them.
Handbags are more than functional tools of necessity. They are (as with all our fashion choices) .. the ability and freedom to define who we are inside by what we choose to present to the world outside. I bet you didn’t realize that your handbag had so much power, did you? They add flair to our self definition and to our overall look and style. With that said, let us introduce you to the enterprising Cheryl Brooks and her “Nilaja” line of handbags.
Nilaja handbags are reminiscent of the first project many young girls create when they first learn to sew, a purse from a old pair of jeans. However, Cheryl has taken that girlhood project and designed handbags that are all grown-up with sophistication and a healthy supply of urban attitude. Nilaja handbags are adorned with a variety of beautiful embellishments such as Swarovski crystals, rhinestones, glass beads, seashells, and metal hardware.
Her handbags are owned by such celebrities as Serena and Venus Williams, actress/comedienne Kym Whitley, and Cassandra McCree-Walker of HBO’s “The Wire”.
Nilaja handbags are sure to bring joy to all who own one, as a matter of fact the name Nilaja means “to bring joy” in the Yoruban language of Nigeria.
Tell me about yourself?
I am a wife and mother. I received my Master’s of Business Administration in marketing from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Eventually, while in Cleveland, I got married and then pregnant. After my maternity leave from work, I had told my husband that I really didn’t want to go back to work. I wanted to be a hands-on mother and raise our son. In my spare time, I began making things. Greeting cards and jewelry, at first and soon it turned into creating handbags.
With me being unemployed and staying home with my son, I had to make use of what I had available. Which is how I began using jeans (as material) . I had my regular jeans and my maternity jeans and I just started making handbags with them. I kept sewing and telling myself, “I have to get better at this” until finally I got to something where I could say, “yeah that’s hot”.
In 2007, I presented my handbags to a boutique. Then my husband and I decided to move to another state. I had to rethink my strategy being that I was in a town where I did not know a soul. I decided to make my emphasis on marketing by using the internet. So that sort of sums up who I am as a person and how I ended up walking this path into fashion.
Where do you draw your inspiration from for your handbags?
I think it is inclusive of everything I have grown up with. I am like Sanaa Lathan of Brown Sugar. I was that kid when hip-hop hit the scene. I am big on branding. I put my name on a lot of stuff. My marketing strategy is geared toward the branding of the name. Therefore, I would say the culture in which I was raised is what is inspiring and my love of the fashion of that time, the bling, the trinkets, the jeans. I am [also] a huge fan of nature. I sit on my back porch and admire my rose garden. I love the vibrant colors that God put in things. I love what God has created. I love seashells and stones. I love things in their purest form.
Those are two of my biggest influences, the hip hop culture and nature. And then there is just my love of fashion.
Take me through your design process.
Coco Chanel and I have a lot in common. I don’t sketch. My sketches are like an elementary school drawing. I usually have an idea in my head first and then I might do some kind of sketch, but I go from thought to scissors. When I am inspired, I usually go straight to cutting and sewing.
Most times it is trial and error. I believe in perfecting the craftsmanship. The first sample of a design, I carry around myself. I carry my sample handbag to see what type of reaction I get from the public. That is kind of how I got started. My girlfriend, an actress from HBO’s “The Wire”, she saw my first flagship bag and she told me to give her the bag right then and there. I told her, “Girl, this doesn’t even have a lining in it. I just whipped it together yesterday because I had a feeling”.That is what I mean by going from thought to scissors.
I listen to what my customers tell me, too. Women want functionally in a bag as well as desiring for the bag to be stylish. I try to keep that in mind too.
What advice do you give to a woman wanting to step into the designing business?
Perfect your craft so your work is top quality. Have a signature about who you are so that when someone sees your line they know it is yours. You also need to enjoy what you are doing. Lastly, there will be obstacles you will have to overcome but passion is what you must bring. Have a real passion for what you do.
What woman influenced you in your life?
I have to give credit to my grandmother and my mother. They both played a dual role in my life. My grandmother never had a chance to see me doing this. She died before seeing me become a designer. She was very instrumental in encouraging me to be original. I remember once when these girls in school teased me for not having the latest labels (my mother was a single mom and she couldn’t afford to buy that type of stuff on what she brought home). When I told my grandmother that the girls teased me, she told me, “But you know how to sew. Make your own label.” That didn’t click until three decades later.
My mother was the one who taught me specifically how to sew. She was tough on me. If a seam was crooked, she made me take it out even, when I was only 10 years old. She didn’t cut any corners when she taught me to sew. She gave me sewing discipline. She taught me to take my time and do things right.
Which woman in fashion influences you?
I have to pick one? Coco Chanel. I love the story behind her. She didn’t come from a wealthy background or had been given a hand-out from someone. She was a survivor. She was determined. She had a lot of confidence. She had to work her way up. And it was love that inspired her whole movement. There was a man who encouraged her to be a designer. He died. One of the reasons she kept going is because in some way it kept the love between the two of them alive. Sometimes people don’t realize it is not just a love of fashion, it is something else bigger. For me it is something else bigger than just my love of making stuff. I believe my grandmother stays alive in me because I make these things.
It was a great pleasure to interview Cheryl and learn more about the remarkable woman behind the Nilaja line.
Cheryl shared a childhood memory with me about the time she decided to sneak and wear a pair of heels to school when she was in the seventh grade. The heels were meant to be worn in the home for practice only. She hid the high heels in her book bag when she left for school.
And what happened next?
When Cheryl stepped off the bus (in the heels), she ran into her mother. Cheryl was punished (spanked) when she got home for wearing the heels outside the house when she was told not to.
More information about Cheryl and Nilaja handbags can be found at the following links:
Nilaja Handbags: Nilaja by Cheryl Brooks
Facebook Fan Page: Nilaja on Facebook
Twitter: Fans of Nilaja
Cheryl’s Blog: Nilajazine
Cheryl is having a contest on Facebook. Like Nilaja on Facebook then suggest to your friends that they too should “like” Nilaja. Make sure they leave a comment on the page saying you sent them. When the page reaches 5,000 fans, the person who had the most friends join wins a flagship handbag.
