Skip to main content

Zoe the Amazing

The moment I heard about Zoe Damacela, I knew I had to blog about her. In an age where most kids are happy to put the blame for bad behaviour or making a mess out of their lives on an underprivileged or troubled upbringing, this young lass has turned adversity into the bedrock of her success.

Zoe is on the cover of the October issue of Seventeen Magazine. She's the winner of Seventeen Magazine's Pretty Amazing real-girl cover contest. And amazing she certainly is. By the standards of today's youths at least!

Raised in a single parent household, Zoe's mum was constantly struggling to make ends meet. At one point she was even homeless! Suffice to say, growing up Zoe never had the kind of things most girls her age had. She was even mocked for it. Not surprising considering the culture of peer pressure we live in.

But what was amazing about Zoe is that, she never let it get to her. At age eight she wanted a scooter, but her mum could only afford half the cost. So the enterprising young girl gathered her art supplies and started making greeting cards which she sold to raise money for the scooter she so badly wanted. Pretty cool huh? I wish I had such enterprising ideas at that age!

At 14 the artistically inclined teenager was gifted with a sewing machine. She took sewing classes and started making clothes for herself and her friends. She soon started selling custom made clothes, but felt she lacked the skills to successfully manage her budding business. So at an age when most girls would be chilling out and having fun, Zoe enrolled in an entrepreneurship course so she could create her own business plan.

Her business plan for Zoe Damacela Apparel clinched the top spot at the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Chicago Citywide Business Plan Competition and won second place in the NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.

She met President Obama with other National Challenge finalists.
The 19 year old who is currently attending Northwestern University where she is studying history with a minor in both Italian and costume design, runs her custom made and ready to wear clothing company out of her dorm room. She also donates her clothes to charity fashion shows and homeless shelters.


Zoe plans to eventually obtain her MBA and open her own store. Her goal is to improve lives through entrepreneurship and fashion. For one so young, she's made an amazing head start. I bet we will be hearing more of Zoe in the future.

Zoe on the web


She was also interviewed on the Tyra Banks Show. And guess what? Tyra has pledged to mentor Zoe!


Check out her Facebook page to get updates on Zoe.


Zoe takes orders through her website where she showcases a selection of her designs.


She also blogs about her designs and keeps her followers updated on her activities.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Seksualiti" Will Survive

The other day my mum who was reading news alerts on her mobile asked me, "Hei have you heard about this festival - ' Seksualiti Merdeka '......?" And I was like: "Seksualiti what....??" Then I promptly googled it and oh then I knew! My first reaction? I was mighty impressed that we actually have such a festival here and wondered how come I never knew about it before this. I'm sure a lot of you out there are hearing about Seksualiti Merdeka for the first time too. But imagine this guys, if the powers that be didn't go all frothy at the mouth and decide to ban it, would the majority of us even know about this annual sexuality rights festival that has been around since 2008? Now not only city folks know all about Seksualiti Merdeka, even those in Baling......where is that again? Are up in arms about this event which they fear will encourage more gayness in society......well people will always delude themselves silly if they want to. So what...
4 comments
Read more

Stylish After 50

There is no age limit to being stylish and fashionable. One's fashion sense does not melt away into the sunset after 50. Plus there's absolutely no rule that says a woman in her 60s or 70s who has grandchildren must stop wearing make-up, painting her nails and wearing lovely clothes. Way too often have I heard the common refrain: " So old already why must dress up, who is going to look at us?" or "Already a grandmother, why want to do all this some more...." Said in typical Malaysian lingo of course! First of all, I don't get the concept of dressing up for other people. When you look good, you feel good, it is as simple as that. It is not about the number of people who might stop by to lavish you with compliments. It is about making a statement about who you are - someone who believes in looking good by wearing clothes that compliment her. Forget the white streaks in your hair, those faint lines on your face. Clothes, shoes and accessories don...
10 comments
Read more

Curly Haired Indian

 Last Friday I walked into a shop at Amcorp Mall that sells hair products and accessories. As I entered, I heard a customer whining to the sales staff at the counter about her hair. Said customer was a middle-aged Indian woman with long freezy hair down her back. When she noticed me, she gave me a look and told the staff at the counter: " You see lar, we Indians all have this kind of hair only." I was quite amused that she was putting me in the same category as her, considering that I don't have a huge lump of friz bobbing down my back. If only someone had given this woman some sage advice about managing her thick mane, maybe she wouldn't be whining and hankering after silky-smooth stresses - which she naturally cannot have unless she resorts to rebonding and rebonding till death, by which time she might no longer have any hair left. If only someone had told her that maybe she should not have her hair that long! And that perhaps she should trim it a little...
7 comments
Read more