Today we’d like to introduce you to Shani Rhodes-Comacho.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
All my life it’s been a dream of mine to work in the fashion industry. However, my parents always encouraged me to be practical and have a plan. So I went to college in upstate NY to practice veterinary medicine but dropped out in less than a year when I decided that school wasn’t the life path for me. I came back home and pursued a nail tech side hustle while working in retail, and interning as a fashion assistant in NYC.
During Covid, I made it a point that I wanted to start my clothing brand, so I did. Two years later, I started taking fashion styling seriously while still working on my clothing brand privately. I started taking inquiries for styling jobs and ended up going to ATL to style a fashion show for BrandFaithRuby recently. Shortly after I released my clothing brand INAHS by ShaniNyelle.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This journey so far has been very rocky for me and my journey is nowhere near complete. Life for most people has been rough, especially after the pandemic. Finding the right resources and coming up with enough money to fund the start-up of my clothing brand has been one of the most challenging things. I’m grateful that my family has been here to support and help me out because doing this by myself with no real or professional education or connections in this industry is not the easiest.
Aside from that, perfecting my clothing for INAHS has been another battle. This whole process plus life in general has brought on a great deal of stress, but if u can’t take the heat, u gotta get out of the kitchen! For me, getting out of this kitchen is not an option. This is the life for me and my passion outweighs my stress. So even though this journey will not be easy in any way, I don’t care because I will be the one to create my success.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am truly creative. I am an upcoming fashion stylist, fashion designer, and self-taught nail tech. Most people know me as a girl who loves fashion, modeling, and doing nails. I am most proud of myself because as many times as people try to deter me from pursuing my passions and try to tell me what I should be doing in life, I always ignore the noise and stay true to myself and what I see for my future.
I know who I am and I know where I want to get in life and that’s what keeps me going. I am authentically myself.
Everything that I do or produce, whether it’s my outfit, the background in my pictures, my clothing designs, or my business plans, 100% comes from my brain. I don’t follow trends, I create them and I hate being like the next person. Shani Nyelle is original and that’s what sets me apart from everyone else.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I’ve never had a mentor before. I always look to my mom for advice and help with anything. She’s the smartest, most genuine, self-made person that I know and she’s the one person to help u through ANY situation. Networking has probably been the number one thing, aside from my talent, to get me where I am today.
You never know who u will meet or talk to and the purpose that conversation will have. Any creative or business person has probably heard a million times “don’t be afraid to network”, and it’s true. Networking is very important, one conversation can lead to an idea, an opportunity, a new perspective, or simply change your life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://inahs.nyc/
- Instagram: @shani.nyelle
