Meet Ashleigh Cain

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashleigh Cain. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ashleigh, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Confidence is something I struggled with everyday. The constant self doubt was crippling and something that I absolutely still work on. As a fashion designer, I used to tell myself “I make beautiful things for beautiful people.” And then I never wore anything I made. One day, I decided that I had to start wearing my clothes to promote my art. And slowly but surely, every time I wore my designs I started to transform. It began as a whisper, but I noticed the eyes, and then how I carried myself a little bit taller. And then one day, I was a beautiful person. I was always worthy to wear my art but it took a little bit of time to realize it. And at the end of the day, it really is just clothes. Stop waiting until you are beautiful to feel worthy, start treating yourself with love and you will realize you have been beautiful the whole time.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Breathing new life is the essence of my brand Ashe Cain. Born and raised in Tennessee, I finds inspiration in Nashville on the backroads outside of the studio. And also in my materials. With a passion for sustainable and ethical fashion, I incorporate roadkill I find and process myself into eccentric designs. And yes, you read that right, I make clothing from ROADKILL. Mod alien describes the overall theme of my garments, drawing visions from the atomic age and unique creatures.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Having good technical skills, self-assuredness, and willingness have all been helpful attributes in my fashion design journey.
Of course, any endeavor you pick up, you should strive to hone your technical skills in. When I started sewing, my goal was to have impeccable construction. I didn’t want any of my garments to look homemade. So I practice and am always learning new sewing and patterning techniques. I advise any artist or designer to constantly try to outdo themselves and try new skills. Even things that may seem irrelevant to your craft can always be beneficial.
Being self-assured is also critical. Who knows your art, skill set, and worth better than yourself. I used to be such a people pleaser and it got me into a lot of trouble constantly saying yes. But now, I feel confident to tell people no.
And finally willingness. Put yourself out there. Try new things. You know yourself and work and you must be your own biggest advocate. Network, network, network. You never know when you will be at the right place at the right time. And believe in yourself. Everyone thought I was crazy and gross picking up roadkill to make clothing, but I knew I had to do it. And the support and beauty that has come from it has been astounding.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking for collaboration. I want my clothing on as many people as possible! There is something weirdly magical about my clothing, they saved my life. So I love to say “my closet is your closet.” If you are a photographer and need clothes for a shoot, or if you have an important party to go to, reach out! We need more weird bugs running around out there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ashecain.com/
• Instagram: @ashe.cain

Image Credits

JASMINE ARCHIE
ALEX PAREIGIS

JAMI-LYN FEHR
SYDNEY DUNCAN
TATIANA WALTON

MANDY REID
SAMANTHA TALL

JOSHIJAH SPENCE
GRACIE BONE
THEODORE BORMAN

JACQ JUSTICE
MACKENZIE MCLEAN
MEREDITH COALE
CASSADY SMITH