OMAHA, Neb. (KPTM) — For many business owners across America, taking a risk and believing in yourself is what starts a business.
The same goes for local business owners in the capital region.
About a year ago, a young fashion designer took a big step by launching her own custom clothing design business.
For Cherish Perkins, starting a business was a risk she knew about, but to her it was all worth it – all to fulfill a dream she’d had since she was five years old.
Perkins said her work is very unique and bold, and she likes to experiment with different patterns and prints.
Her dream of creating custom fashion items for men, women and children was inspired by people close to her who have influenced her life.
“My grandmother was interested in fashion from a young age and would go to the stores to shop, but she would come home and wear her own clothes and sew ribbons onto basic jackets. Seeing her style being different inspired me to be different and think outside the box,” fashion designer Cherish Perkins said.
Perkins said he is one of the few Black fashion designers in the Capital Region.
She said she is proud that there is someone younger than her to look up to.
Perkins said part of her job is also to make sure those who wear her clothes feel confident and celebrated.
She wants to empower and inspire people not just during Black History Month, but all year round.
“As a female fashion designer, I want young girls my age, young girls in high school, middle school, elementary school to know that one day they can do this, that they don’t necessarily have to go to a big city, they can start small,” Perkins said.
Perkins started her business in June 2022 and sold her first custom order shortly after opening.
While attending Omaha Central High School, she took sewing classes, and before starting her business, Perkins participated in Omaha Fashion Week and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in fashion merchandising.
