(Courtesy of Aniya Coffey)
Mason designer Aniya Coffey details the ins and outs of her passion for fashion
BY NYLAH MITCHELL, COPY EDITOR
Hundreds of miles away from Mason, in the Big Apple, a Mason student’s fashion work was featured on a billboard in Times Square on April 14. Ferocity, a fashion brand “all about being fierce in what you wear,” partnered with CB Modeling Associates (CBMA) and Supermodels Unlimited to showcase the student’s designs on models advertising the agency and magazine.
Freshman Aniya Coffey, the founder of Ferocity, has built an extensive fashion portfolio in just her first year at Mason. Coffey studies economics at Mason and explained that “majoring in economics would be the best way to continue to develop my brand philosophy as well as my nonprofit organization.”
Blisx DC, the nonprofit Coffey founded, aims to educate underrepresented communities in Washington D.C., about the fashion industry. “It started off with lessons of teaching students how to sew stitch designs and make their own clothes… [Next thing,] I’m blowing up to be hosting modeling workshops, working with students, showing them how to use a camera.”
Blisx DC recently held a panel and workshop where attendees learned about the history and significance of ballroom culture, including voguing and the “kiki.”
If asked how she’s spent her first year at Mason, Coffey might say that she co-created a student organization. The Garment District, a registered student organization (RSO), is “creating [a] space where fashion designers or people interested in fashion design can come and learn things of the fashion industry,” she said.
“The biggest thing was seeing that there were no spaces for people directly in fashion design,” Coffey said as an explanation for starting the Garment District. “[It] can also be like a liaison between all groups… You can allow the Garment District or designers within our group to make clothes for you because one it’s cheaper and then, we’re promoting sustainable fashion because ordering off of websites like Shein, it’s not good for the environment, overall.”
(Courtesy of Aniya Coffey)
And it doesn’t stop there. Alongside her nonprofit and fashion line Coffey is also branching into celebrity styling. One of her most notable clients is Nick Dorka, a former William & Mary footballer player and reality TV personality from Netflix’s Love Is Blind Season 7, which was set in D.C.
Coffey described the experience as a “blessing” because she got “to know more about him to… elevate his style, to make sure that he’s comfortable with what he’s wearing as well as trying new things.”
When asked about her styling process, Coffey said, “It’s pretty much more of matching [the client’s] energy because when I style, I like to meet the person first or do extensive research on [them].” Coffey further explained, “My thing, going into styling, is to make sure that people are exploring the different opportunities, the ways that they can dress, [and] taking critiques and things they may want to wear, as well as overall enjoying the experience.”
Behind all her work, Coffey said that she draws inspiration from the eclectic style of musician and TikTok fashion influencer Aliyah’s Interlude. “Seeing the way she dresses, it made her stand out [as] confident. She was bold. I was like, yep, a lot of my personal inspiration… really does come from her.”
When Coffey is in the creative spirit, she’ll spend hours at The Mix designing pieces with reusable clothing. “I’m really big on sustainable fashion, reusable clothing. That’s how I got started with fashion design,” Coffey said. “One of my more notable pieces is the tie tops that I made. I’m not the person willing to go rifling for myself, but I will go thrifting for other people and then make those alterations.”
Coffey’s accomplishments and creative works have caused her to start thinking about her post-graduation ambitions. “I want to go into consulting because it was something that I enjoyed doing [back in high school,]” she said. “I [want to] expand [Blisx DC] because it’s just been D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, for now, but there are hundreds of cities that need such programs.”
The billboard in Times Square is only the start. Reflecting on her accomplishments, Coffey said her main point takeaway is to “be bold with who you are. If you know you are a fashionista, go outside and be a fashionista like no one’s stopping you.”
