“Being an artist is the inner workings of your mind.” 

That is what senior N.C. A&T Zacarri Brown said when describing the importance of creating and the meaning of true artistry.

At just 21 years old Brown is the founder of her clothing brand KILLA Klothing. She continues to create eye-catching pieces and accessories that explore the world and depths of fashion.

On Feb. 9, Brown dropped her newest line of clothing. The line features many eclectic and streetwear types of apparel.

The Charlotte, North Carolina native went to a school that enforced uniform attire, and she didn’t see much creativity where she was from. 

Such an environment fueled Brown’s desire to “want to be more creative.” She wanted to push outside the creative boundaries she saw others in.

“As I got older I was like, I like creating, I would always draw and be creative, or make something out of nothing,” explained Brown.

With her drive to be different and the desire to invent, she created KILLA Klothing. Since then she’s developed her skills to learn how to take scraps of fabric and transform them into works of art.

Nyla Richards, a fashion merchandising and design student who see designs from KILLA Klothing before, explained how she admired Brown’s creativity and the grunge style of her new line.

“I like it because it looks like something you would see on Depop or Pinterest for a lot of money, it’s different from others clothing I’ve seen,” said Richards.

KILLA is an acronym inspired by A$AP Rocky the Fashion Killer, the acronym means Konnect In Life, Love Amongst. 

Brown sees her brand as something that pushes the ideal to make an active effort to connect with others and be respectful and kind towards one another, or to put it simply in her own words, to “love thy neighbor.”

She also recognizes how ironic her brand name is because at face value it seems violent but it’s in fact the opposite and promotes peace. 

“In reality, it’s a metaphor for beauty in chaos, and more in-depth on the collection, the numerology behind nine means spiritual enlightenment and completion,” Brown shared.

Brown highlights the creation process as something vital; relating it to a feeling of becoming powerful and acting as an escape.

“If I’m not in a good mood, I already know that I can go make something and it’s going to cheer me up,” she explained.

Every piece from KILLA Klothing is recycled and Brown stresses the importance of ethically sourced clothing and sustainability, as well as taking care of the environment.

“A lot of people are in it [the fashion industry] just to be in it, they’re not in it to help the environment, I’ve learned about how detrimental clothing, and the waste produced is,” said Brown. “You can tell what the next trend is just by looking at the water, and that’s not OK.” 

As she continues on this creative journey, Brown shared that her support circle, her family, keeps her accountable and pushes her to continue making strides in her work.

“Work but you’re not finished, show them everything until you’re done,” Brown said.

To stay up to date with new drops by KILLA be sure to follow the clothing line on Instagram.