You don’t have to wait until you grow up to start living your dreams. 9-year-old Nevaeh Woods knows this personally. She’s an aspiring fashion designer who makes clothes for her Barbie dolls out of everyday items and they’re quite impressive! After her mother posted pictures of the clothes online, the designs caught the eye of the Barbie Mattel team.
According to Click On Detroit, she started making the doll clothes out of regular household items like old socks and ribbons. Neveah said “when [she grows] up, [she wants] to be a fashion designer.” The clothes were so good that her mother, Sha’kvia Woods, started posting the designs online. “I just took pictures of them, so I was really amazed. I shared it to Facebook and … when I made it public it just went viral.”
Photo Courtesy of @sashasewamazing/Instagram
The designs went noticed by people all over social media, and then Mattel saw it. The team ended up sending Neveah a box filled with Barbie dolls that the young designer could make clothes for. She took to Instagram to thank the Mattell team and to also share the contents of the box and a note they sent her that read, “Nevaeh! We heard you love designing clothes, here’s a couple new editions to add to your collection. Always remember, you can be anything!”
Her mother spoke to Because Of Them We Can about her daughters interest in fashion design. “Neveah has been interested in Barbie dolls and fashion design since age 5, she has also been very creative! She loved to dress up and change her Barbie dolls, try and match their outfit to the one she would be wearing for the day. But it was not until recently that she had the desire to begin creating the clothing on her own,” Woods said.
Photo Courtesy of @sashasewamazing/Instagram
Neveah said the co-sign from Barbie was really a boost of confidence for her. “It made me feel special because I’m achieving my goal to be a fashion designer and that’s what I really want to do. So I can be famous and make stuff and encourage people to follow their dreams,” she said.
Her mother plans to be as supportive as possible every step of the way.
“My hopes for Neveah would be to go as far as possible with her dream. It’s not often that kids find their calling at a young age. I’ve tried my best to continue to encourage her and nurture her gift,” Woods told Because Of Them We Can.
The 9-year-old is now turning her passion into a business with her company, “Sasha Sew Amazing.” She wants to continue to make doll clothing as well as clothing for people. Eventually she wants her designs showcased on a runway and she is working closely with the Mattel team to star in a Barbie commercial.
Congratulations Neveah! You are so talented and we can’t wait to see how far you go!