Above: Mindy Kaling wearing Autumn Adeigbo.
POPSUGAR: Why did you decide to start your own label?
Autumn Adeigbo: My parents are Nigerian immigrants, and growing up in upstate New York, my Mom used to sew my clothing when she had the time. When I was 4, 5, and 6, I was always the little girl in class with the little puff sleeve, colorful printed dress. I definitely inherited my love of prints and clothing from my mom, because she loves them, too. Growing up, my favorite part of the day was just going into my closet and getting dressed. I liked the idea of who I could become through clothing.
PS: When did you know you wanted to become a designer?
AA: I was getting an undergraduate degree at Spelman College in economics, but I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I kind of admitted to myself one night, "If I can do anything in the world, it would be becoming a fashion designer." I was wearing a lot of DKNY at the time, and I thought, "OK, well where did Donna Karan go to school?" She went to Parsons, so I taught myself how to draw fashion figures at night after finishing my economics homework and submitted some of those drawings to Parsons. I got into their summer intensive program and eventually into their associate's program to get a degree in fashion design.
