BAGLADY OF STYLE: ANYA AYOUNG CHEE

Anya in my BagLady Basics Cocoon T-Shirt Dress

Name: Anya Ayoung Chee
Current City: Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
Occupation: Fashion Designer, Entrepreneur, Activist

​How would you describe your style?
Easy, Tropical, Urban, Bohemian, Eclectic
 
If you had to wear one outfit everyday, what would it be?
Wow not too sure I could wear one outfit everyday… But if I had to, it would be a shirt dress in a vibrant print.
 
How do your cultural roots affect your style?
Being from a very diverse, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural island, I tend to mix references and aesthetics to create a singular look that's as easy to wear and effortless as possible, to suit our tropical environment and lifestyle. 

Who or what influences/inspires your style?
Textures and patterns in everyday life (architectural details, natural patterns, urban surfaces); uniforms both formal and informal (ie. what people wear daily by choice or by force); traditional and indigenous dress from all over the world; carnival and costuming from all over the world; people with effortless, sometimes unconscious style.

Describe your current life in three words. Surpising, Euphoric, Focused.

You are very dedicated to the development of the arts and the youth of Trinidad and Tobago, can you tell us about some of the projects that you are currently involved in, and how you decided to devote your time towards these initiatives?

About a year ago I co-founded an organization called Together WI, a creative collective that designs and develops social awareness campaigns. We've produced several campaigns focused on social issues affecting Trinidad and the wider Caribbean such as sexual harassment and gender based violence, criminal justice reform and women's rights. Our intention is to stimulate productive and lively public conversation about these issues by creating messaging that's shared on all forms of social and traditional media. We use these campaigns as platforms to raise awareness about not for profit organizations and NGO's that are actively working on the ground in the various areas of need that we choose to address. My interest in this form of social activism is born from an undying love for Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean as a whole, and my genuine belief in the power of the individual to effect change in our communities.

​How do you effectively balance pursuing all of your passions? 
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I try to pay close attention to the interests and activities that bring me the most joy, and then I focus on those with as much discipline and precision possible. I'm always aiming to zero in on what I truly care about and find collaborators to work with on the projects that most intrigue me. As I continue to hone these interests I find that certain projects overlap my various (and sometimes disparate) passions. The projects that best combine several of my interests into one, tend to take precedence.

BagLady Basics Cocoon T-Shirt Dress in Curacao

​Where does your desire to help others come from, and what advice would you give to individuals who wish to make a difference in their communities?

I suppose I don’t have a drive to help people so much as to empower people to achieve their dreams, no matter what their circumstances may be. I believe in the power of the individual in society to create change. I believe that we each can play an impactful role in our communities and in our world by doing whatever is our core skill or passion, alongside one another, with the purest of intentions, to create the world we imagine. Perhaps this drive has come from observing my mother create avenues for this type of empowerment in under-served communities for most of my adult life. At the core of my consciousness I have a desire to live my life purposefully and for me there is no better way to do that than to live my dreams fully, and hopefully create avenues for many others to do the same.
 
You've achieved a lot on both international and local scale, can you tell us one thing that you are very proud of accomplishing?

I am most proud of manifesting my current life with my husband and our baby on the way. Of all the things I have ever achieved, this new chapter is the most exhilarating, and miraculous, of anything I have ever done or accomplished. 

​​Describe your life 10 years ago in three words. Adventurous, Exhilarating, Challenging.

​​What do you enjoy most about your current life?
I most enjoy being and becoming my truest self, through my work as a designer and entrepreneur, and my work as an activist, through my partnership with Wyatt and my journey into motherhood; I feel as though I am stepping into my own shoes and owning my story more than ever before.
 
Have you faced any obstacles as an entrepreneur, if so how did you overcome them?
Many. In fact I think the journey of an entrepreneur is laden with obstacles to the degree that this is what defines an entrepreneurial life. In order to overcome these obstacles I have learned to pay attention to my inner voice, and to use as many spiritual tools to remain conscious of that voice. The obstacles are at their most powerful when I lose touch with my instincts, and conversely, when I am calm, centred, joyful and grateful, things tend to go more smoothly, and life conspires to assist me in achieving my goals and intentions.

​"The obstacles are at their most powerful when I lose touch with my instincts, and conversely, when I am calm, centred, joyful and grateful, things tend to go more smoothly, and life conspires to assist me in achieving my goals and intentions."

​​Have you ever had to make any hard sacrifices in order to pursue your dreams/career?
(If so, feel free to give an account of such a time) No I have never considered any decisions I have made for my career a sacrifice. I watched my father be a surgeon and a businessman as I grew up and I knew I wanted to have the sort of autonomy and success that he had. I knew that my dream was to be a breadwinner if I ever had a family and I knew that meant that my work would most often take precedence. My greatest joy is born from the fact that I have been able to earn a living while doing what I love, and because of that, I have never felt as though I was choosing anything other that what I truly yearned for. 

​ What does being a BagLady mean to you?
Being a BagLady means choosing effortless style over everything else. 

What do you like most about our garments?
I love the ease and comfort of your designs, the feeling of being swaddled by your clothes, and the minimalist, understated style that they emanate.

​​Which countries have you visited?
Italy, Cuba, London, Holland, France, Spain, South Africa, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, United States, Canada, Suriname, Curacao, Jamaica, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, St Lucia, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Mexico, Ireland.
 
Have your travels shaped your style in anyway?
Immensely. In fact, I decided to become a designer when I visited Tokyo for the first time. I had always loved fashion but it was that first trip to Japan that exposed me to the possibilities that great design allows for… not just through clothes, but in environmental design and packaging, architecture and window displays, culinary experiences and on and on… On that trip I fell in love with the idea that we can conceptualize and create every detail of our lives. And each time I travel I notice something unique about a place and its indigenous ways of being, whether through their form of dress or their historic buildings, I am constantly inspired by people and history and the way we create beauty in our world. My style is always evolving, probably more influenced by the stages of my life I go through than the places I visit, but inevitably I am a confluence of everything I have seen and experienced in my life, and travel is and has always been an essential element of that journey.

​​What would you say to your 18 year old self?
​ Trust your inner voice! 

​ 
What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
On the final runway after being very close to eliminated from Project Runway, one of the judges, Nina Garcia, said to me, “Anya, you are the only one here from the Caribbean, with a Caribbean voice and point-of-view… Use it. Be that girl and own it.” In the last hours that we had to create our final collection I did exactly that… I threw away all concern for what I thought I was supposed to be and instead made new pieces that reflected my most authentic aesthetic. It was from that place that I won Project Runway, and from that place I continue to navigate my journey as a designer and as an entrepreneur, and now as a wife and mother. 

​ 
 Do you have any final advice for our readers?
​ Find the courage to be your most authentic self. And risk being yourself FULLY! 

*Be sure to follow Anya on Instagram (@anyaayoungheee) as well as visit her website (anyaayoungchee.com) to keep abreast of her philanthropic projects, fabulous dress and costume designs. 

Photography by Wyatt Gallery
@wyattgallery