A Conversation with Skylar Marshai
By Chioma Nwana
Skylar Marshai of As You Are Intimates just wants you to feel sexy.
What did your journey to the creation of As You Are Intimates look like? How did you know this was what you wanted?
As You Are came to be what it is now from a combination of things. The first being that I wanted to—as a designer—work my purpose into my passion, which God thankfully allowed me to do. My purpose being to uplift and inspire women to be the best version of themselves and my passion being fashion design and business management. From there stemmed a variety of reasons that As You Are would become what it is today, a brand that allows women to first feel like the best version of themselves in order to then be that.
Not many designers your age are going the lingerie route. How did you find yourself here?
I feel like lingerie forces you to face yourself. As an article of clothing, it is extremely exposing and evokes a sense of vulnerability to the body. I felt that if I was to make an impact in regards to self love and body positivity, then lingerie would be the way to go. I also knew intimates would provide an outlet that would be just as challenging as it is amazing, allowing some room for growth and change.
Many would argue that sexiness is an integral component of intimate wear, but the word has so many definitions. What is “sexy” to you?
Sexy ranges, for sure. It's all about who wears it and how they choose to express it. My favorite version of sexy is when it's a bold statement you make with your body—one that screams, “This is who I am, no I won’t change it, and damn, I love it.”
Is As You Are reflective of who you are? Do you make a conscious effort to integrate aspects of yourself into your brand?
For sure! Self love is something that I pushed myself to embrace a couple of years ago. Ever since then, it’s been an amazing journey. I don't think anyone can love you like you can love you. I’m hoping to weave some of that same motivation to just love on yourself into this brand.
Running a successful brand doesn’t come without its fair share of trials, errors, and mistakes. Are there any hard-hitting lessons that you’ve learned along the way?
It’s hard. Even when it’s good, it’s hard. I took a large leap with AYA, and sometimes it kicks me for doing so. The goal is to provide lingerie for women of all shapes, sizes, and shades, but it’s easier said than done. Lingerie companies stick to a specific size range for a reason: it’s cheaper, and it’s easier. Being a small business already poses a huge risk, and posing the idea of an intimates brand that wants to not only change the game, but wants to also attempt to do that coming fresh out of the gate, is extremely challenging.
In addition to reflecting yourself through As You Are, you also highlight your enthusiasm for fashion through your personal style on Instagram. Can you speak to that? Where are you shopping?
Honestly, I shop everywhere! I swear I’m addicted. I’m a little ashamed. Fashion is my forte though—it’s my passion! Right now, my favorite place to shop has been Zara, as I’ve found that their aesthetic compliments my own so well. Some many will say, "But everyone shops there!" A lot of it is about mixing and matching! I also love any thrift store or boutique I come across. There’s nothing like an article of clothing no one else has—and for $5 and under too? You just can't beat that.
And of course, what can we expect from you this year?
Growth. Beyond anything else, I really want to dig in with As You Are and continue molding this company into what it will eventually be: hopefully an intimates company that not only changes the industry, but also the way women feel about themselves. At the moment, the next step is to scale up and get some help making my pieces because right now it’s all me, and that can get really overwhelming. Fingers crossed! I also hope to have my pieces in a few boutiques by the end of 2017, so let’s hope it’s a good year to me!