Growing up in Oakland, Ariel Mei Gilliam never envisioned a future filled with jewelry and jackets. Instead, her dreams were focused on jerseys and jump shots.
“Basketball was my first love. I always felt like basketball was going to be sort of my ticket or way out,” Gilliam said.
The ticket was a chance to escape a difficult childhood in poverty.
“My childhood was a rough upbringing, a single-parent household,” Gilliam said. “My mom was in an abusive relationship for 17 years.”
Just about the time her professional basketball dreams began to fade, however, a friend asked Gilliam to style an outfit for a photoshoot. Though Gilliam had always enjoyed fashion – she was voted best dressed in school – she never considered it a feasible career path.
“After she got dressed, I was like, ‘Wow, I just did what a stylist would do,’” Gilliam said. “I want to keep doing it. And that's where I pursued it.”
Gilliam not only pursued styling but also excelled at it working with international fashion brands, athletes and artists. Grateful for her success in a career she once thought unattainable, Gilliam is now dedicated to inspiring the next generation in Oakland to believe in themselves.
About a year ago, Gilliam pivoted her career from styling to teaching fashion enrichment classes through various organizations and nonprofits to young people. She teaches the basics of fabric and style, but her goal is to offer something bigger.
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“My point with my class is building confidence, self-esteem, allowing them to love themselves, and to receive love from me,” Gilliam said. “Because I know sometimes at home, children and people go through a lot of things behind closed doors. If I could be one person that can get joy from a hug, from love, my job is done.”
For Gilliam, whether a student pursues a career in fashion or not, she feels fulfilled with her work.
“I feel like it's my purpose and why I'm supposed to be here. I truly feel like everyone has a purpose here on earth,” Gilliam said. “I don't believe that I'm supposed to just be dressing people in clothes, and that's my purpose.”
