“Every girl has a hustle. Fashion is mine,” said Senior fashion design and merchandising major and Pretty Girl Mafia CEO, Erica McCamey.
The Detroit native felt like it was always in her blood to be an entrepreneur.
“I’m all about being a go-getter,” she said. It began her sophomore year while she was in her dorm, Pride Hall, looking online at the new trends in accessories. Growing up, she was naturally crafty. So on a trip back home to Detroit, she found a jewelry class and learned how to make accessories.
Pretty Girl Mafia offers trendy, custom, hand made bracelets, earrings, necklaces and any accessories trending at any given time. Making accessories became a hobby that evolved into a business. As for the name Pretty Girl Mafia, Mccamey gives the credit to her mom. Her mom called her and her friends the pretty girl mafia because they were always so fashionable. She saw that as the perfect name for her company and praises her mom today for being her first investor, and always reminding her to keep producing.
McCamey projected her target audience to be college aged women from ages 18 to 23, but after selling a few bracelets she realized she was reaching a much broader market. McCamey has made accessories for women of all ages, men, kids and has even made baby bracelets.
McCamey designs every accessory by hand. Using a few materials including beads, a clipboard, tape, glue, scissors, cardboard, and string.
The entreprenuer will expand beyond accessories. Mccamey’s plans include grand ideas like, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and creating a network for college aged women all about being young, confident and exploring entrepreneurship. “It is important as a young person in this economy that you know that you do not have to work for someone else. Find value in having a business to call your own and having multiple sources of income.”
McCamey thinks A&T has been receptive to her brand.
She went from a having a stand in her mothers nail salon to having booths at local events. She was a vendor at the “Straight kickin it” expo for Entourage last year and accredits her good friend Josh Hill for extending the invite to be a vendor at this years SUAB Block Party.
As her brand continues to expand she often reminds herself to go with her intuition and not worry if people will like her products.
Pretty Girl Mafia merchandise is available exclusively through email at [email protected]. Email your name, number, description of what you want, the quantity of you want, best time to contact you, and Erica will reply personally to go over the specifics of how you want your accessory designed.
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- Courtney Matthews, Assistant Online Editor