EXCLUSIVE: YouTube Influencer Aaliyah Jay Opens Up About Reinventing Her 'Twisted Saints' Clothing Line
After an unfavorable first attempt, fashion and beauty influencer Aaliyah Jay has launched her rebranded clothing line, Twisted Saints, and found her creative voice in the process.
Twisted Saints is a fashion line for the confident individual whose style is fearless and bold. Aaliyah Jay reminds her fanbase when wearing Twisted Saints the world is theirs for the taking.
"In a Twisted Saints world, everyone can be their true self while still dressing the part," Aaliyah Jay told BET. "There are no boundaries to fashion in a Twisted Saint world. There are no limits."
In honor of pushing limits and bounds, the former swimwear line introduced three new clothing items, a sheer patterned mesh top, leather pants, and a cut-out bodycon dress. The revamped Twisted Saints was born from Aaliyah Jay's love for high fashion and streetwear.
"I still want to [make] swimwear, but I wanted to be able to include my sense of fashion in my brand with my own designs and made-up styles," said Jay, content creator and YouTuber.
Her fashion sense is heavily influenced by her New York City upbringing. Although she was born in Boston, Jay says her New York City roots are noticeable wherever she goes.
"New York's fashion influences truly everyone," said Jay. "As of recently, I have been really inspired by street style fashion. There is nowhere like New York; it is such a fashion city."
However, Aaliyah Jay's love for fashion goes beyond the boroughs of New York. She creates unique fashion history videos on her YouTube channel, alongside her vlogs, beauty tutorials, and fashion commentary. Her videos on Zelda Wynn Valdes, the creator of the Playboy Bunny costume, and Maurizio Gucci have garnered over 100 thousand views combined. Aaliyah's deep dive into fashion history taught her about multiple trends and their resurgence.
"It's so important to know your history in every area that inspires you because it allows you to have knowledge of where trends come from, and when you have the knowledge, you have respect," said Jay.
With the respect and trust of her 1.5 million YouTube subscribers and a social reach of 5.4 million, Aaliyah said her supporters are in love with Twisted Saints' rebranding.
"My supporters know the struggle that I went through with finding myself and trying to create my brand," said Jay. "They've seen my downfall, so to finally see me back on my feet and going after my goal, they are so excited! They love the aesthetic, and they love being able to see me express myself more since finding myself."
In a storytime video before the Twisted Saints launch, Aaliyah shares her excitement of designing each piece and solidifying her voice and path in the process.
"Twisted saints truly showed me that I don't have to care about what anyone thinks," said Aaliyah Jay. "I love having a mind of my own, and I love just doing and wearing what I want. Twisted Saints has given me the push and battery to really express myself, and I truly can't wait to solidify my voice more in the fashion industry."
As her dreams of becoming a fashion designer are manifesting, Jay attributes her hobby of posting videos to her YouTube platform for making her the businesswoman she is today.
"At the time, I didn't realize I was growing a fanbase; I was truly just posting because it was fun," said Jay. "After a while, I realized how popular I had become and that I was becoming an actual businesswoman. It's crazy to think that I've dreamed of being a businesswoman my whole life, and somehow YouTube was the pathway."
Aaliyah Jay believes there is no perfect time or moment to chase your dreams. Even if you have full confidence, she encourages future entrepreneurs to take steps towards their goals daily.
"Life is too short not to go after the person you see as your higher self," said Jay. "Do it and do it well. [Disregard] what others say and don't second guess anything. The worst thing that can happen is it doesn't work out, but you'll have more knowledge. [Knowledge] that will open doors on a new path that you probably wouldn't have been on if you didn't make the first step."
Taking her own advice, Aaliyah is not against expanding Twisted Saints with a beauty line in the future. However, currently, she is focused on growing Twisted Saints' fashion line and is excited to introduce "a lot of color" into your wardrobe this summer.
"My goal is to create an empire and have a little bit of everything, but for now, I want to dominate the fashion world."