Meet Havilah Smith of Shop Havilah Vashti
I’ve always been captivated by the fashion world at a very young age. I started modeling for Fredericks of Hollywood swimwear and an Orange County-based fashion designer at the age of 16 and quickly fell in love with the fashion world. I’d attend award shows and fashion events while finishing up my high school degree at my Charter School.
When I was around 18, my family took a sudden move to Montreal, QC causing me to put my modeling on the back burner. During this time, I decided to attend Concordia University for Business management with electives in mechanical engineering. It was during this time I realized how amazing the engineer world is and how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. With a new interest in mechanical design, once moving back to the states, I decided to obtain my certificate in drafting and design. Although I loved my new found interest in the mechanical engineering design world, I still had a passion for the fashion industry.
As any young adult, I became intrigued by the social media world which introduced me to Instagram. I started using this platform as a creative expression and later realized I can express my fashion interest also. I then later discovered “influencers” and quickly fell in love with the creative expression while creating their own brand. I decided I’d give it a go and start posting products and clothing I already owned but truly loved. Soon after I obtained my first paid collaboration with Dream Pair Shoes.
It wasn’t soon after I started working with bigger brands such as Kroger, Toms, ShoeDazzle, and more. With my clothing collection growing, I quickly needed to find a way to get rid of excess clothes I didn’t wear. I downloaded Poshmark and started selling items I no longer used and started growing my following on that platform. After reaching 10k followers, I decided to make a separate Instagram account to support this Poshmark account. To this day, my Poshmark is at 53k followers and counting. I aspire to one day open my own clothing line and to continue growing my Brand. Photographer: https://instagram.com/turnitupton
My motto in life is anything that’s worth pursuing doesn’t come easy. It’s been a hard road but I wouldn’t change it for the word. Learning as you go is so important because I feel the life lessons are easier to remember. The thing I always find difficult is figuring out my next step but with time, it always becomes clear.
I would say the main drive is as an influencer/blogger I’m known for my brand I’ve built. I love fashion so that’s a huge part of who I am. Although, as a professional trade, I’m an architectural designer, I still am heavily involved in the fashion world. I love supporting brands I truly relate to and also relay that to my shop, Shop Havilah Vashti. I’m currently in the process of exploring adding jewelry to my shop and obtaining a website so I won’t only be poshmark based.
For me success is not a destination but a journey. A lot of people overlook the small things such as health, outlook on life, and daily blessings. Success for me is waking up and enjoying what I do for a living while inspiring others. I definitely have my 5 year and 10 year goals but ti reach those goals it’s definitely a daily attitude and drive that’ll get you there.
