Today we’d like to introduce you to Kiara Harris.
Hi Kiara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstories.
I come from a family of entrepreneurial-spirited folks, so I have many examples of being independent, driven by purpose, and cognizant of the community around me and how I can serve it. After graduating from UT, I struggled to enter the professional world. I eventually landed in the tech industry but still felt out of place. I decided to leave the company I worked for and forge a way in fashion. I took my first sewing class at a local sewing studio called The Stitch Lab in January 2017. It was a short course, but the experience afforded me a foundation to build upon. I continued to teach myself the craft through online resources like YouTube. Swankki was born in my living room in the early morning hours, where it was just me and my machines figuring it all out one stitch at a time. I eventually used a spare bedroom in my apartment as my studio and took on alteration jobs from friends. Since then, I‘ve graduated from a boutique at Thornton Road Studios, but my objective remains the same. I have been cultivating an intentional space for queer folks to have their fashion-related needs met ever since.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been about as smooth as expected for someone like me. As a Black, queer, masculine-of-center woman, I know better than to expect things to come easily. I have been working toward this for almost 7 years now. Of course, I have struggled, but I’m more concerned with my clients’ challenges. I know that our community faces unique and personal challenges when it comes to clothing and expressing one’s self through style. These are challenges a traditional tailor might need help understanding. I know because I experienced this firsthand. After a consultation with a tailor who didn’t seem to understand my vision, I researched lgbtq+ friendly tailors, ones who celebrate gender diversity and queer expression. I found none— not a single one, not even in Austin. Thus, SwankKi Tailor & Threads was born, and it’s the satisfaction of knowing I’m filling a void in my community that keeps me coming back every day ready to face and overcome the next challenge.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am affectionately known as Ki and am the 🔑 to SwankKi Boutique, a small creative studio in central Austin, Texas. My ever-expanding stylist, tailor, and designer skill set has positioned me as a one-stop shop and resource for my local queer community. I feel pride mainly in serving those who identify as gender diverse, non-binary, gender-fluid, gender-nonconforming, and LGBTQ+. My portfolio includes everything from custom wedding garb to sourcing and upcycling vintage threads and tailoring ready-to-wear clothing to fit the unique needs and bodies of queer folks. I use SwankKi Tailor & Threads as an umbrella term that encompasses the three facets of my brand: tailor, threads, and thrift.
Contact Info:
- Website: swankki.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swank.ki/
- Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/swank_ki/
- Twitter: https://www.patreon.com/SwankKi
- Youtube: https://account.venmo.com/u/swankki
Image Credits
Esther Godoy
