Recruited via Holmag Nominate

✨ My Fashion Vibe

Hey! My name is Celani Lightbourne, and I’m a 16-year-old with a serious drive for fashion. Honestly, I find myself obsessed with a bunch of different aesthetics and styles—you could say I’m always switching things up!

A few of my main faves are:

  • Japanese street style and Harajuku (think super colorful and expressive)
  • The Coquette/Doll aesthetic (totally sweet and playful)
  • And that super Elegant, Chic, and Preppy vibe.

I pull inspo from everywhere:
Japanese culture, the amazing outfits in K-pop, artists like Melanie Martinez, and high-end brands like Chanel, Dior, and Miu Miu. They all have a little something that feeds into my styles.

✂️ Making Fashion Happen

I’m the Vice President of my fashion club at school, which is actually run through FIDM (a major design school in California!). I wanted this role because I want everyone else to see that fashion is so much more than just clothes you throw on. It’s an art form!

People are always giving me compliments on my outfits and the pieces I design and make—I’ve even gotten orders for my crochet pieces from classmates! I love showing my designs to my friends because their reactions are the best—they’re always positive and totally “awestruck.” It’s cool to know my creativity can actually inspire my peers.

🚀 The Future is Fashion

After graduation, I’m aiming to jump right into a fashion college. My big dream schools are Parsons in New York or Paris. While I’m studying, I definitely plan on running my online store and, fingers crossed, opening a boutique in NYC one day.

My ultimate dream job? Being a fashion designer and entrepreneur with my own successful, high-end brand that doesn’t just follow trends but sets them for the next generations.

I’d be down to work for a major brand first to get that essential experience—the kind I can steal all the best parts from, innovate on, and pour right into my own label. But seriously, I want my own brand and team where we can collaborate closely to bring my wildest ideas to life.

🌟 Going for the Gold

My family, friends, and even my classmates are super supportive of my dream, which means the world. Sure, I get some people who are like, “Are you sure about that?” but I know what I want, and I’m totally ready to take that leap. Nothing worth having is easy, but as long as I believe in myself, I’ll be fine!

My advice to my peers is simple: Just go for it! Stop overthinking all the “what ifs.” Regret feels way worse than failure.

Some of my best memories so far: learning to sew with my grandmother when she helps me put pieces together, and that amazing time I got to work backstage with designers and stylists at the Miramar fashion show! I want to go global and be a designer known for influencing a ton of people.

In the next five years, I see myself with a fashion degree, running my own business, hosting killer fashion shows, and traveling the world. I want to soak up different cultures and life experiences to weave into my designs.

Oh, and the K-pop question is so hard! If I had to pick groups to design for, it would have to be BTS, BLACKPINK, or ENHYPEN.

You can check out my looks here:

Instagram: @ceoliaesthetic

TikTok: @ceoliaesthetic