Aamilah Marie, an ambitious 19-year-old creative director and stylist from Scottsdale, has paved her future early with her love for fashion.
"I love fashion, I eat, breathe, and sleep this s---," Marie said.
India Blackshear, a close friend and collaborator of Marie, said her first impression of Marie was that she had "90s vibes".
"I noticed that everything that I was seeing was very consistent, in that the work was equal throughout," Blackshear said. "She paid attention to detail and it seemed like everything I was seeing was out of a 90s music video."
As an artist, Marie finds herself integrating her childhood into her work as a form of expression through her brand.
"There's that feeling of excitement about certain things, or certain movies, or certain songs that inspire me to create a sense of nostalgia," Marie said.
Marie's iconic slogan and a quote she lives by is, "What would Aamilah wear?" rooted from the well-known slogan, "What would Jesus do?"
"When people make a decision, it's like, 'What would Jesus do?'" Marie said. "When you put that s--- on, you think about me."
Marie grew up watching her mom, who she said has always been involved in creative pursuits. From a young age, she always knew that she was made to be in front of the camera with the combination of her big personality and her passion for artistic expression.
Marie was originally in school for cosmetology, but she fell in love with fashion and hasn't looked back since.
Before she decided to go fully down the fashion route, she knew she wanted to commit to being the best at whatever she chose.
"When fashion chose me I decided to be the biggest and the boldest with it," Marie said.
Marie is also an influencer with over 12,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts behind-the-scenes of her projects, her life and the details of her everyday outfits.
Another essential part of Marie's work is the collaboration she encourages from Black creators.
"It is important for Black creators to collaborate because we need to build each other up," Blackshear said. "We are nothing without community, so being able to get together is an art of resilience or an act of resilience in itself."
Mililani Nela is a musician who worked with Marie on a recent music video for her song "Turnheadz." She said her first impression of Marie was her ability to have the eye to put things together in an effective way.
"She has a great sense of style and she's very intentional behind it," Nela said. "She knows the history of fashion and what fashion exactly is instead of just putting s--- together and saying it’s fashion."
Her creative team is another essential part of her success.
"The people that I'm working with right now work with me because they believe in me, I believe in them and what they do, and what they can do, and I feel like we both benefit each other," Marie said.
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As for the future, Marie said she hopes to become a celebrity stylist and business consultant. Though she hopes to collaborate with brands like Fenty Beauty by Rihanna or Vogue, she only wants to work for herself.
"I still don't have a good, fully finished understanding of what Aamilah Marie is, but I do know that name is powerful because it is mine," Marie said.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Sophia Braccio and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at atlynch2@asu.edu and follow @alanamentions on X.
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