Women Who Werk: Karima Renee

Meet Karima Renee, Fashion Stylist & Curve Champion

Who are you? Your Age? From?

Karima Renee, queen of all things feminine and glamorous. I live in a platform shoe, love anything vintage and most things sweet. I could probably live off ice cream, cupcakes and macaroons. Oh yea and I’m natural.

I’m 27 from Philly but my heart will forever be in Brooklyn

What do you do?

I’m a Fashion Stylist & founder of Skinny Minority a Fashion Lifestyle Brand. Our niche is curvy and plus size women. I’m also a part time fashion blogger, but I’m really just a stylist who blogs.

What dreams are you working toward?

In 2012 we are working on becoming more of a lifestyle brand, composing Fashion, Fitness and Food. We don’t believe in forfeiting food for fashion however, in order for women to live their best lives and be fabulous you must be fit. Glamour comes from the inside out.

We are launching our online boutique this March focusing on fashionable Workout Tees. The shirt will celebrate a healthy body image for curvy/plus fashionistas. We’re looking to have a full line of fitness apparel by the end of the year. Then after that a calorie conscious desert truck!!!

What motivates you to succeed?

Fashion Editor Nina Garcia once said that “whatever you do in life should have meaning, it should touch the lives of others.” That statement really made me think and from that point on I wanted my career in fashion to influence girls. I’m motived through my readers, every time someone says “you have motived me” or “what you are doing is inspiring” that solidifies that I’m doing the right thing.

Everything we do at Skinny Minority is for the benefit of the women and girls who support us. Skinny Minority is for the girl that loves fashion and maybe even needs to have more self love. I’m always motived knowing we are the consumer.

What has been your biggest obstacle?

This is a loaded question. I’ve had people attempt to sue me, I’ve been disappointed, people have stepped down from Skinny Minority and I’ve even had to deal with fraudulent companies. But in all these things there has been a lesson that has prepared me for the next chapter. I don’t like to focus on the negative, so I won’t elaborate on the incidents I stated above.

However, I think the biggest struggle for any entrepreneur is funding. Skinny Minority is funded solely thru myself and my immediate family. Being an entrepreneur means making a lot of sacrifices and being 100% committed, especially financially. I tell myself “It will pay off, the luxuries will come later.”