Meet Christian Allana | Fashion Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christian Allana and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christian Allana, how do you think about risk?
I used to be afraid to take risk and put myself out there. I’ve learned that when it comes to having a business that you never know what will work unless you try or test new ideas and thoughts. This year, as we move into 2024 my goal was to take risks at it comes to my business. My goal is take risk when showing content and my most vunerable parts of being a small business owner. I want to be very transparent and share the real behind the scences….the good, back and ugly and how frustrating things can be. But also sheding light on the success I’ve gained from not being afraid to share my experiences. I am learning and realizing that I want people to get to know me on a personal level and to really see the face behind my brand.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an accomplished apparel designer with over a decade of experience in the apparel design and retail industry. My years of experience have help to cultivate a rich background in creativity, expertise, and innovation. My experience comes from women’s and children’s wear in corporate design, while I maintain my small business on the side. My brand name is Christian Allana…which is me of course! I specialize in women’s eveningwear, bridal and prom, while infusing in some ready to wear pieces. My signature style of my brand incorporates specialty and textured fabrics and bold prints infused with edgy and athletic details. I love using intricate beaded appliques on simple and unexpected silhouettes. I’ve also extended my design influence on a broader audience through my role as a SheinX designer, offering my designs on a budget-friendly platform. I am most excited about being a part of Shein’s “Dreaming of Spring” Collection that just launched! This has been my third drop with the retailer.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve been really into brunch places lately. If my friend were to come in town, I would take them to one of these spots. Brunching is my new thing to do on Saturday or Sunday mornings! I love Atlanta Breakfast Club, Toast on Lenox and Copeland’s.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shoutout Veatrice Conely, the owner of Unveiled Bridal Boutique in Chattanooga, TN. I would like to give her a special shoutout because she hosted my very first prom pop up shop this year! This was my first time creating signature prom gowns for the upcoming prom season. She reached out to collaborate with me to bring some newness to the prom scene in Chattanooga. I am orginally a native of Chattanooga, TN, so I was honored to be asked to collborate on an event back in my home city. I wanted my event to feel very personal and exclusive to the prom client and she was able to deliever the I wanted for my pop up.

I enjoyed working with Veatrice because of her love to collabborate and bring other black women businesses together. In working with her, I learned she also works alongside other organizations withini the Chattanooga Communicty to help and mentor young women and foster an enviroment of women empowerment within entrepunership. She owns her own bridal studio and is also looking to showcase other designers to bring a fresh new perspective to the city.

Website: www.christianallana.com

Instagram: christianallana

Facebook: christianallana

Image Credits
1.) Brian Christian Photography 2.) Shein