Photo courtesy of Leah Dudley
Early Beginnings: Discovering Art, Style, and Creative Identity
Meet Moniuolaoluwa “Moni” Fagbamiye, a graduate architecture student, fashion designer, creative event curator, and creator of the Bloom Fashion Club. Originally from Metro-Atlanta, Fagbamiye grew actively involved. Her love of art began in third grade, where her art piece won second place.
Fagbamiye developed her love for arts and styling during her time at Colonial Hills Christian, a private Christian school.
“My school was required to wear uniforms. I tended to re-wear or accessorize mine as best as I could to add a little spizzaz,” Fagbamiye said.
Her high school years were spent at New Manchester High School, a performing arts magnet school, where she was a part of their FAME program as a visual artist.
“This is where most of my talents were developed as I learned skills from photography to painting to ceramic sculpting,” Fagbamiye said.
During her senior year, she developed a reputation for her sense of style, winning the best dressed award.
“Everyone told me to start a brand, but I honestly never thought sports were my only priority back then, but then Covid hit,” Fagbamiye said “Most people don’t know I was on FAMU’s women’s track and field team as a long and triple jumper my freshman year.”
From Athlete to Designer: How COVID Sparked a Creative Transformation
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fagbamiye used her free time to create designs during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, she created designs.
“When I saw these cool jeans after being quarantined for weeks, I decided to make them and everything honestly there,” Fagbamiye said. “Next thing I know I was making my first collection announcements and now here we are founding a whole creative collection inspiring others to pursue their creativity fully.”
After her initial collection, Moni began looking for pop-up shops to promote her pieces.
“I believed in my art but felt like I needed the platform to get to where I wanted to be, ” Fagbamiye said, “When it became so hard and expensive to be part of these events, I decided to do my own.”
When she first started making clothes, Moni had visions of creating a fashion festival that combined a fashion show, pop-up shop, and day party.
Fagbamiye hosted her first fashion show in Atlanta after her freshman year of college. It was a successful show, so she brought the show to Tallahassee and started The Bloom Fashion Club.
The Birth of Bloom: Building a Creative Community in Tallahassee
Fagbamiye partnered with Damari Massey, a fashion designer, FAMU alumni, and CEO of Do Good Every day; a clothing line embodying Christian values.
Deja Davis, a model manager from Tallahassee, FL, has been working with the Bloom brand for three years. She describes the meaning behind what bloom means to her.
“It means blooming into your creativity,” Davis said. “This is a lot of artists and models’ first experience, and they are blooming into the world of artistry”.
Merit Slaughter, a fourth-year public relations student from Chicago, Illinois, serving as the event manager, describes how Bloom took a different spin this fall, introducing Bloom Galleria.
“This is a Galleria Vibe; we wanted it to be a little more intimate, not too many big structures that we would have to build,” Slaughter said.
Fagbamiye explained that the inspiration behind Bloom Galleria came from a desire to explore growth beyond college life.
“It made sense to talk about what happens after you leave college and the influence your foundation has on you,” Fagbamiye said. What better time to do than homecoming when alumni are also in town to share their stories.
The Galleria featured pictures from local artists, a fashion show, music, and spoken word performances. Featured artist Amber Ray Smith, an architecture student and visual artist from the South Side of Chicago, describes her creative process.
“I really struggled with keeping my creative side close to me,” Smith said. “I feel like there’s not a lot of authentic creatives here. I’ve been finding some, but I’m very true to myself. I combine my major in architecture with my art. I do a lot of stippling, a lot of charcoal work, and a lot of linework, and that was my way of putting my two worlds together.
Moni has big plans for the future of Bloom fashion club and dreams of one day collaborating with Teyana Taylor.
“I envision Bloom being a staple event in Tallahassee that all ages look forward to, the creativity so many people long for but don’t see often, ” Fagbamiye said.
Those interested in participating should follow the Bloom Fashion Club Instagram @bloomfashionclub and be on the lookout for applications being posted as spring approaches.
