Community Highlights: Meet Ciyanna Claiborne of Blu Sequin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ciyanna Claiborne.

Hi Ciyanna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Just a girl born and raised in Kansas City, KS. Watching my grandmother as a young girl was my biggest inspiration, and is what inspired me to be in the fashion industry. My grandmother was one of the classiest women I have met. High heels, pearl necklaces, pretty party dresses whatever you name it she had it.
I knew once I got older I wanted to be just as fabulous as her. As a child, I always wore fancy pea coats, jewelry, and cute outfits, and I always kept a cute hairstyle. I think pretty much everyone who knows me from high school can say that I wore heels to school almost every day. I just always knew that if I looked good I would feel good, and when you feel good anything is possible.

One day as an adult back in 2008, I had the idea that I could be a Fashion stylist. I always got compliments on how I dressed all the time. So what better way to make money than to help others achieve looking great by being a Fashion Stylist. I reached out to a good friend of mine Vanne McMillian who is a designer/stylist just for a few pointers on how to get started. Soon thereafter, I gained clients for styling and closet organization.

The styling here is pretty competitive in the KC metro area, especially for certain target markets. I knew I needed more exposure, and to get the exposure I had to network. I worked as a volunteer for Kansas City Fashion Week. I worked backstage assisting the designers and helping get the models together.

During that time, I was able to build connections with other designers, photographers, models, and the head staff for KCFW. Lucky for me with the connections I built I was able to style a photoshoot for one of Kansas City Fashion Week’s top designers! This was great for my resume and my portfolio but even after that, I wanted more!

They say when you live in your purpose the blessings start pouring in well that is true! A gentleman who was hosting a hair/fashion show reached out to me and a friend to see if we were interested in the segment for the show. She did everyone’s hair and I styled everyone. This was major! We killed this segment! We even made our debut in the Kansas City Star!

This was a big moment for me because I had never styled a show before, and I styled 9 models literally head to toe. All looks inspired by the late ’80s and early ’90s. This put a different twist on styling for me and I actually enjoyed it more than personal styling. Soon thereafter, I had a good friend reach out to me about styling a segment for a fashion show she was hosting called the “The Bonnie Monroe Show”.

I was able to put on a full production with props, and some nostalgia. This allowed me to showcase my talent to a broader audience. From there on I styled segments for other fashion shows, competed in stylist battles, and also worked as a Visual Merchandiser for Forever 21.

So now here’s the interesting part I flew to Los Angeles in 2019 to source clothing for a stylist battle I was competing in. While there I linked up with my friend and Co-Founder (Kamerin also known as Lavell) of Blu Sequin LLC and we created the blueprint for Blu Sequin LLC. We did all the work to get the business established including getting the LLC but there every time we tried to launch something would happen.

So fast forward to December 2020, I found out my biggest inspiration the person who blessed me with this gift my granny was dying of cancer. This was a major blow for me considering I wanted her here to witness me launch my business since she and I always talked about it. This put me in a rough place and honestly I felt as if I would give up on my dream of fashion. I lost the one person and the reason why this all started.

I finally got myself together after battling with the loss of my granny and decided to give things another shot. My friend and Co-Founder of Blu Sequin LLC Kamerin and I started to plan to launch once he moved back here to KC from Los Angeles. Who would have known that things would take a turn for the worse? Got a call that my friend Kamerin was in the hospital and things weren’t looking good.

Sad to say he passed away in April of 2021. This was totally unexpected and I just somewhat lost it after the bad news. Literally lost two important people in my life within four months. This made me question yet again if this journey was made for me or should I give up. After Kamerins death I just lost hope. I worked a full-time job that I was miserable at which didn’t make things better.

I somewhat put my dreams on hold until I got laid off from my job in November 2021. After having a crazy year and losing my job it just seemed like things were getting worse. So during my lowest moment, I sat down and revised Blu Sequin LLC, and got to work. I figured I would give it one last shot because honestly, I had nothing to lose. So I wanted my launch to be special, and I wanted it to hold some significance.

So I decided to launch my business on my birthday, January 28, 2022. I was nervous, I was anxious and some days I cried but I made it to the finish line. I hosted my launch party at KC’s premier event space Level KC. I also had my inventory available at the launch party so that everyone could party and shop.

I couldn’t believe the amount of people that came out! I sold out of most of my inventory and even after that party the orders were just rolling in. Still, to this day, my business has done exceptionally well. Here, I am today providing women with the hottest styles to make them stand out.

So my best advice to anyone chasing a dream there will be adversity, setbacks, and times you’ll want to give up but keep going no matter what comes your way. That is the story of me, the CEO/Founder of Blu Sequin LLC.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This definitely has not been a smooth road lol. I’m naturally an overthinker, and operating a business plus overthinking is just pure madness. I wanted everything to be perfect but it just doesn’t work that way.

I wanted things to look a certain way even if it was out of my budget which can cause problems. Losing countless dollars on inventory because I refuse to sell poor-quality clothing.

Also, just trying to manage my time being a wife with 5 kids. I don’t think I have slept much lol. I think the hardest struggle is the time I lose with my husband and kids which is the most important to me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I have been a woman of all sizes. This has allowed me to visit the standpoint of every woman when it comes to fashion and the type of clothes we wear. Blu Sequin LLC is a fashion collective carrying pieces for any taste or occasion. We carry sizes Small-4X.

We want all women to be stylish and confident no matter what size they are. You are guaranteed to stand out wearing our pieces no matter where you go! What sets us apart is the quality of the clothes we provide and the timeliness in which you receive them. The thing I am most proud of about Blu Sequin LLC is the ability to make a woman’s day based on the clothes we provide.

At the end of the day, it’s not about the money we make but how we make our customers feel. We offer tops, bottoms, dresses, jackets/outerwear, jumpsuits, and two-piece sets, and coming soon we will offer swimwear and our luxury line designed by myself called the “Blu Collection”.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Lucky for me, I have the best support system.

I would first like to say to my husband has been there through the highs and the lows of this journey. He would not let me give up at all.

My mom, called me all the time to keep me encouraged, and my friends who stayed on me and inspired me with their businesses gave me hope. Also, Kamerin the Co Founder of Blu Sequin may his soul rest in peace. He always said we would do great things even on the tough days he gave me hope that what we created will someday be iconic.

Contact Info:

• Email: blusequin@gmail.com
• Website: www.shopblusequin.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/shopblusequin
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shopblusequin

Image Credits
www.thankyousensei.com (@senseibrands)