In Charlotte, it’s fashionable to pursue careers in couture

COURTESY LATOYA POLK ROBINSON

Personal stylist Latoya Polk Robinson of Charlotte opened her shop Closet Invite in 2020.

Charlotte fashion culture has evolved to where Latoya Polk Robinson can take a leap of faith to pursue a career.

Robinson, a personal stylist, has loved fashion since she was 14. In 2020, she launched her business, Closet Invite. Although fashion is more prominent in cities like Milan, Paris, New York and Los Angeles, Charlotte now has talent that is opening doors for people looking to reach their potential on and off the catwalk.

“As I kept on seeking my purpose and praying to God, it kept bringing back my passion for my fashion and personal styling,” Robinson said. “I went back and got my business degree, but I was like, in the meantime, how can I pursue fashion? I had been following fashion stylists for years, but I was like, you know, they’re in LA or New York. So, how can I bring this to Charlotte?”

Robinson took a chance and used Charlotte’s relatively low-profile fashion scene to her advantage by taking a different approach to growing her passion into a business.

“I’ve been living in Charlotte for 12 years in July,” she said. “I didn’t move here to pursue fashion but once I decided to pursue it and saw we are still a good city for my mission, which is to help busy professional women be able to attract the people through their image and style. I said, ‘Oh, I can do that in Charlotte because I’m not looking to serve celebrities.’”

Robinson is just one example of the progressive fashion industry here as events such as next month’s Charlotte Fashion Week have inspired individuals to network and display their talents.

“I love Charlotte Fashion Week,” she said. “It is very busy but does keep me out of my comfort zone a little bit because I like personal styling like that’s one on one. Charlotte Fashion Week is fast paced. This year I’m looking forward to seeing new designers, and many in the Black community are not aware of Charlotte Fashion Week so to be able to get more awareness and help market it” is a plus.

Rita Miles, the creator of Charlotte Seen and curator of Charlotte Fashion Week, started in interior design but made a name for herself in fashion as the five-day showcase with seven events has grown to become one of the biggest fashion weeks in the southeastern U.S.

“I started in 2010,” Miles said. “We’re on our 166th show. We do 15 events a year, from our spring to our summer shows to our Charlotte Fashion Week to New York Fashion [Week], and then our holiday  events. The way that I relate runway and interior design is that I feel that fashion and style is not only on the runway, but also a lifestyle.”

From sold-out shows to alumni models and designers earning features in regional and national magazines, Charlotte Fashion Week has managed to grow the network of talent in Charlotte since the first show back in 2010. This year’s showcase is Sept. 26-30.

“I believe through consistency, the organization as well as the relationship-building, it has really built on itself,” Miles said. “We have 70,000 models and 1,000 designers in the database, and we still have entries each and every day coming in.”

Although the fashion industry’s future is uncertain, Charlotte talent is aiding the growth of local couture.

“I did a fashion show back in 2010,” Miles said. “First one and I was very honored. I go after the best, so my sponsor was Chanel, and it was called impact – with a small i. We thought we’re going to have like 300 people, right? We had over 1,000 — I did invite the local designers. I’m very happy to say the local designers are now in New York, Paris, and Milan.”   

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