Courtesy of Bowie State University
Bowie State alumna Shamika “Mika” Gary (’21) lives Bowie Bold. Every day.
Most recently, it can be seen in the clothes she designs, including her YOLANDA collection, which was recently showcased at the prestigious DC Fashion Week, a dream she kept putting off because she lacked confidence. Until this year. Gary was one of 14 designers featured in The DC Metropolitan Emerging Designers Showcase on February 26.
“I love colors and bold patterns,” she says of her style. “Everything that I’m going to make is either going to be colorful or a bold pattern. Even if it’s black … there’s going to be something bold about it, whether it’s the way that it’s made or it has a shimmer to it.”
She says she loves working with African print fabrics because “it gives me everything that I love.”
This was not Gary’s first time showing her talent publicly. The 2021 Visual Communication & Digital Media Arts (VCDMA) graduate with a concentration in fashion design also designed the beautiful clothing worn by a theatre arts alumna who performed at the BSU BOLD: Campaign for Excellence launch event in December 2021.
Gary also runs her own fashion studio and boutique, Mika Je Clothing. She’s a teaching assistant in the VCDMA department, assisting students and faculty in fashion design, specifically in the fashion design/costume shop.
A career pivot aimed at being creative and following passion
Gary’s passion for fashion grew out of necessity. She couldn’t find matching outfits for her and Addy, her now 10-year-old daughter. So, despite lacking the knowledge of how to sew, which she later acquired on YouTube, she started making outfits and posting them on social media. To her surprise, people wanted to buy them.
This would pivot her career trajectory. She was a nine-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and had worked as a government contractor and as a civilian employee of the Navy. But Gary knew she needed a professional creative boost, to be inspired by her work. She opened her online business in 2016 and hopes to one day have a brick-and-mortar shop.
In 2017, Gary started to create an exit plan that would allow her to leave her job and pursue something that would make her happier. She settled on using the G.I. Bill to go to school.
“I didn’t even know that Bowie State had a fashion program,” she said. She learned about it and was happy with its proximity to her home. After being accepted she resigned from her job.
“I actually loved it,” she says of being with like-minded creative people, learning her trade. “I soaked up as much as I could. It was great to be around other people who had an interest in it.”
Gary’s hard work and commitment landed her on the dean’s list twice, too. She’s grateful — especially as a single mother — that she was able to graduate.
Mutual admiration between Gary and BSU professors
Gary credits many of her professors with her success. She says of Professor Danielle Brown, “You could tell she really cared about us.”
Professor Brown, coordinator of the fashion design concentration, returns the admiration. “Shamika was what I call a ‘star student’.”
“As soon as I met her I saw her potential,” says Brown. “She is a rarity — always eager to learn and assist her peers and professors. Shamika was a hard worker that always went the extra mile, making herself and us proud.”
Gary says Graphic Design Professor Jennifer White-Johnson helped her make her company logo. And VCDMA Professor Maggy Francois used her professional network to provide real-life work opportunities for students.
The program, Gary says, provided a good mix of all the things she needs to know to be successful. Her computer graphics courses helped her create and maintain a website and social media marketing. At BSU, she also learned how to bring her ideas together so they look cohesive and professional.
“When I came here, I just knew what I taught myself from YouTube. So when I got to the school, I leaned the technical side that I use in my everyday business.”
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