For Chicago designer Sheila Rashid, her journey through fashion started with a pencil.
Long before she was creating tailored pieces and dressing athletes, Rashid was a kid sketching characters inspired by brands like BAPE and ICECREAM. Her drawings were bold and playful: hamburgers, fries, drinks, even stars with microphones. These simple but expressive figures reflected her early creative instincts and soon evolved into something more tangible. In high school, she started hand-painting T-shirts and reworking hoodies, turning everyday pieces into wearable art.
That curiosity quickly deepened. Beyond designing, Rashid wanted to understand how garments were made from the ground up. She taught herself how to sew, create patterns, and master seam finishes, laying the technical foundation for what would become her signature attention to detail.
In 2010, she took a leap and created her first full collection (30 looks) and produced her own fashion show in Chicago. The response was overwhelming.
“The whole city came out,” Rashid said.
That moment solidified everything: this wasn’t just a passion; it was her path.
Chicago, in many ways, shaped her creative eye. Though she spent time in places like Atlanta growing up, returning to this city gave her a deeper appreciation for its style culture. From the hallways of Kenwood Academy, known for being fashion-forward and expressive, to the streets where personal style is a form of identity, Rashid absorbed it all.
“Chicagoans care about what they wear,” Rashid said. “It’s always been a runway in its own right.”
After her first show, she set her sights on New York City, moving there with little more than a suitcase and ambition. While working in retail, she immersed herself in the fashion scene, connecting with designers and stylists. Though her time in New York was brief, it was formative. By 2013, she returned to Chicago with a clearer sense of purpose, ready to build her brand on her own terms.
That brand has since become known for its androgynous, unisex approach. Rashid designs without boundaries, creating pieces that aren’t confined by gender. Her work blends luxury and streetwear, pairing contemporary silhouettes with classic tailoring techniques. Whether it’s denim or structured outerwear, her pieces are designed to feel both elevated and accessible.
Still, building a fashion brand in Chicago comes with its challenges. Unlike coastal fashion hubs, the city’s rhythm, and weather, can make consistency difficult.
“People are inside during the winter. It’s harder to network, harder to maintain that steady clientele,” Rashid said.
The ebb and flow of demand, paired with the realities of a largely blue-collar market, means adapting constantly.
And then there’s the misconception of the work itself. Rashid is intentional about quality, down to the thread. Every piece involves sketching, sourcing fabrics, sewing, and refining details, steps that aren’t always visible to the consumer.
“There’s so much that goes into it,” Rashid said. “That’s why people trust my work.”
That trust has been especially important in an era where many independent designers, particularly Black women, face scrutiny around production timelines. Outsourcing manufacturing can introduce delays that are often outside of a designer’s control. For Rashid, maintaining integrity while scaling has been a balancing act.
But her focus has always remained the same: how her clothes make people feel.
“I want people to feel confident,” Rashid said. “I hear from people all the time—they’ve been wearing the same pair of pants for weeks because they feel that good in them.”
Her denim, in particular, has become a staple, known for its durability and fit.
Now, Rashid is entering a new chapter. While her brand has been rooted in denim and streetwear, she’s expanding into tailored suiting, a natural evolution shaped by her work as a tailor.
“The jacket makes the suit,” Rashid said, emphasizing the precision and craftsmanship behind the new collection.
The upcoming release will showcase a different dimension of her brand, complete with a full story and visual identity.
Even as her work evolves, her vision remains grounded. She’s collaborated with major names, including a 2022 project with Jordan Brand, where she was one of a select group of Chicago designers to release a sneaker. She’s also styled athletes across the WNBA and NBA, hinting at a future where fashion and sports intersect even more deeply. A collaboration with a major sports team or league, she says, would be a full-circle moment.
When asked about legacy, Rashid keeps it intentional. She wants her work to last physically and emotionally.
“I want people to feel something. I want them to know I put time, effort, and love into every piece,” Rashid said. “I did it my way. I didn’t follow trends. I made my own lane.”
I think this is more powerful to end on a quote.