How Do You Define Design?

A b o u t N i c o l e

Seeing the world through a different lens is what I live for. Finding design in history, objects, buildings and nature where design might have not even been there to begin with. As a designer we constantly have to be aware of new trends and hot topics that are in, but to be a true designer you can’t follow the trends, you create them.

I am Nicole Begay and I have been studying and

dreaming of becoming a designer that creates words and statements through fashion! Every form of art is an expression and fashion is how I express myself.

I started sewing when I was very young, my mom sewed our Halloween costumes as some moms do to save money, and one year she made me Princess Belle. I remember this so vividly because she showed me what she was doing but I was still young enough to where I was not allowed to touch the machine. But after the dress was done I was amazed by it! To this day it is my all time favorite costume. I remember feeling so beautiful.

I want all women and men to feel a spark of light inside them when they put on something I alter or something I created and make them feel the most like themselves.

Although this was the first time I became interested in sewing and design, my real journey did not start until high school! I finally got a sewing machine one year when I was younger and my first project ever was a Captain America costume. I remember doing surprisingly well for my first time and it was not even for me! After that I started creating jean pants into skirts so my family and church family could have somewhere to go to get modest skirts!

From there I became confident this is what I wanted to do. Not only do I love sewing and creating projects but I loved styling clothes! Little did I know I would have a blog now, I didn't even know what a blog was then. My junior year of high school I finally got into a fashion program at another school. I attended high school in the morning and fashion school in the afternoon and typically worked a part time job somewhere to fund my need for clothes.

I finished fashion school with lots of awards, I won Gold/ 1st place in fashion category in the state and I won silver at nationals using the same design. I was blown away that fashion design (my dream job) took me all the way to San Diego to compete in nationals! At the end of each year the school I attended put on a fashion show where the 2nd year students would put together a collection. In this small competition between my other fashionistas and I, I won second place before I graduated! Those two years were the best time of my life, I met my girlfriends for life there, I developed my talent into something I knew I couldn't live without and I felt confident in what I was doing.

After I graduated I went on to get my associate in arts degree at MCC going into social work, then business, then retail and consumer sciences and moved on to UofA in Tucson. Through all the schooling I was trying to complete, I lost sight of my real passion. I moved away from design, I stopped sewing because school and work was enough to balance. But last year during this pandemic I took a year off of school and I now work a full time job that I love! And although I have yet to finish my degree from UofA I have now decided to go back to what I am truly passionate about and start nicolee.designs for real. This time I will not give up.

A b o u t T h e B u s i n e s s

Nicolee.Designs started when I was sewing pants into skirts. I started having regular clients who needed alterations, even some guys that needed their pants hemmed that I knew from high school! I decided since I was doing it I might as well put a name to it. I am not sure when I came up with Nicolee Designs but it always stuck with me. I have always had many ideas of what I wanted to do and designing and fashion just feels right.

My dream for Nicolee Designs is to be a safe space for women and men to express themselves freely without judgement. Showing those who share the same passion to invest in your self confidence. Nicolee Designs is not just a service for alterations and services but a creative outlet for me and so many others to come together and lift each other up.

Nicolee Designs is a sustainable business because we also want to support reusing materials instead of giving into fast fashion. We want to bring to light that fast fashion comes and goes but quality and being yourself is here for the long haul.

Nicolee Designs is also Nicole (aka me) finding herself and bringing you all along with me. I am on the road to self discovery and I think it is the most interesting thing to see someone grow and see someone flourish when they talk about their passion. I may be a small business and a small YouTuber and small designer but someday I want to look back at all this and remember how small I was and how big I can get!

Fashion: I got into fashion because of the beauty of creating something out of nothing. Like you can grab any type of material and drape it over a dress form and make sure it has holes for your arms and call it a shirt! That is art to me. Finding something everyone knows as a typical T-shirt and making something so unique it becomes art.

Function: Along with everything else in life, we want things to be easy and functional. Fashion is not only about art and making clothes that makes you scratch your head in confusion when you watch fashion week but it has to be functional. Nicoleee designs is dedicated to creating fashion that not only speaks to you from an artistic standpoint but also a functional one. Something you can wear to the grocery store and a wedding! (maybe that is too dramatic of a comparison but you know what I mean).

Beauty: Fashion is not only about the garments we wear but about you, it may feel uncomfortable at first but if you left the house knowing and feeling great and you got eyes on you then own that! Own that you are being creative with your style choices and let your personality and true beauty shine.

I want to feel confident and comfortable when I am home too, I am always wearing clothes that spark joy- as Marie Condo says!

Rebranding is a mark of a new era for Nicolee Designs. We got new team members and are committing 110% effort and time into this business to bring you all new designs, services, products, and advice for styling! Thank you for sticking with me, or just now joining me, either way let’s have a great time learning and taking this journey together!