Not-so-average: Tamiko White – Fashion Entrepreneur

Tamiko White describes herself as more than “one thing.” She says
she’s multilayered. With job titles that range from writer to hand
model, White is a fashion professional who has experienced all facets
of the industry.

And because of that, White considers herself a fashion and media
entrepreneur, whose most recent business venture calls for her to
throw on her business strategist hat. With White’s business, #NOWTrending, she provides creative entrepreneurs with support, branding
skills, branding systems, and community.

How did you get to work in fashion?

Born and raised in New York, White’s career started with
entrepreneurship. “I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” said White. “My
mother talks about things that I did when I was five years old – she
said that I always used to take foil and make jewelry, put it in a box
top under my bed and I’d be like ‘this is for my fashion business’.”

She studied fashion merchandising at The University of Maryland but
instead of working for a company after graduation, she decided to
become a model with the model agency Wilhelmina. White added that she
did a lot of showroom and fit modeling which led her to learning more
about the showroom and wholesale business.

As a result, she opened her own showroom in 2010. In addition to
modeling and owning a showroom, White is, and has been, an actress, a
writer, a creative consultant, a producer, a professor (at The Fashion
Institute of Technology from 2011-2013, and currently at The Misa
Hylton Fashion Academy), a trend forecaster and more.

“I don’t have a traditional linear trajectory meaning I didn’t go to
college, get a job and become a buyer; I literally figured it out on
my own – stumbling, making mistakes, bootstrapping,” explained White.
“So, entrepreneurship has always been my journey, it’s always been the
way I’ve done things, I’ve always been self-employed.”

What’s your current fashion job?

In 2021 White created #NOWTrending because she saw a shortage of
creativity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that after the pandemic there were hundreds of new startups operating in the fashion space that weren’t aware or didn’t understand the very specific business of fashion.

White added that she recently decided to help more than just fashion
brands “because now all businesses are following
the fashion cycle. The tone of fashion is dominating how we think about
all consumer products.”

#NOWTrending offers a 12-module course on business branding and
marketing strategies. At the end of the weekly sessions,
students/brands havehave over a hundred pieces of branded content as well as
access to a private Facebook community where White answers questions,
provides office hours, and updates on what is happening in the
industry.

What does an average word day look like?

As an entrepreneur, White’s typical workday starts with what some may
call self care – walking her dog, prayer and meditation, and yoga or
stretching. She then checks emails and her calendar.

After, she works with creative clients on their brand messaging and
initiatives. She writes content for her brand and tv/media projects,
and she then researches what is happening in the fashion, media,
politics, and popular culture industries.

“I love what I do because I love storytelling,” said White. “I love
the beautification of things. I love fashion, meaning I love art,
culture, music, clothes and accessories. I also love business
and seeing a creative idea come into fruition.”

A word of career advice

According to White, her career was a beautiful series of events that
opened doors. But, she added, these beautiful series of events only
happened because she followed her passions and what made her feel most
alive.

So, for those who wish to have a career like White’s, she advises you
to “follow what brings you joy, what you like to do.”