When you got it, you got it. And at 5 months old, Brooklyn Anderson “was just different,” recalls her mom, Lasonya Alexander. Alexander says her 5-year-old daughter’s sassy spunk, confidence in front of the camera, and love of accessories have led to her walking down runways in Detroit and New York City and several other exciting opportunities.
It began in 2020 when Alexander created a company for the 1-year-old, the youngest of four, called Brooklyn’s Fun Accessories. Alexander started off selling hair bows before expanding the company’s offerings to products like sunglasses, lip gloss, and purses. In 2021, while she and her daughter were sitting at their vendor table at a fashion show in Detroit held by Kold Kreationz, founder Kenya Powell approached Alexander and asked if Brooklyn could model her own products down the runway in front of about 50 people.
“She loved it,” Alexander says. “She was shy for a minute, but once she got on the runway, that was that.”
Since then, Brooklyn has participated in over 15 fashion shows, including Indie Fashion’s kids show and The Personality Show. “She amazes me each time; she does something different every time,” Alexander says, adding that Brooklyn is always trying to improve her walk. “She likes to watch fashion shows of people walking on YouTube. … She would look at someone walk and just practice.”
When Brooklyn walks down the runway, she often likes to put both hands on her hips because “that’s how you do it,” she says.
However, of all the shows Brooklyn has done, strutting down the runway at New York Fashion Week in September 2023 was “a dream come true.” After submitting Brooklyn’s portfolio to Bella Bebe, a clothing company for toddlers, kids, and teens, she was chosen as one of the models and was flown out to NYC with her mother to show the Big Apple what she was made of.
“The biggest goal was to get her there, and we got her there,” Alexander says, adding it was their first time visiting the city. “I’m still on cloud nine about that right now.”
Brooklyn’s favorite part about New York Fashion Week? “The hotel,” Alexander says, laughing as Brooklyn nods in agreement. A few months later, a photo of Brooklyn on the runway at NYFW, wearing a Victorianesque red dress with sparkly tights and holding a lace umbrella, appeared on a billboard in NYC’s Times Square. Thanks to Bella Bebe, they were able to see the billboard live via Zoom. “She was screaming,” Alexander says. “She started running around the living room.”
On the business end of things, they took their purse game to the next level and officially trademarked “Hey Pretty Girl” in May 2023. The slogan, which Brooklyn came up with, appears on purses of different sizes, colors, and styles, including a round cross-body and a tote bag. The purses are available on the company’s website, brooklynsfunaccessories.com, and at the Pink Diamond Beauty Mall in Detroit.
And coming this month is a documentary, filmed by Forever Exposure Studios, about Brooklyn’s fashion career so far called Dreams Do Come True. Filming began in November 2023, and the plan is to have it premiere in a local theater.
Working full time at Pandora as a supervisor, Alexander still finds time to seek out fashion-related opportunities for her daughter, and in May, she launched the Mini Modeling Mentor Program for children who can’t afford expensive modeling classes. Her classes are free, and in June, Brooklyn and Alexander held a personality photo shoot with about 11 kids, with the help of Forever Exposure Studios. Alexander hopes to eventually start a nonprofit organization.
“I understand the struggle when it comes to financing and trying to get your child started into fashion,” Alexander says. “It takes a lot of patience. It takes a lot of money.”
However, Brooklyn’s and Alexander’s lives aren’t all business, and her mother stresses that she’s still a kid at heart who enjoys being outside and riding her bike. And if there’s a fashion show or an outfit that Brooklyn doesn’t like, “we don’t do it.”
As Brooklyn continues her fashion journey, Alexander hopes she will one day work with the likes of Naomi Campbell and succeed in the high-fashion industry. Next month, Brooklyn will attend Los Angeles Fashion Week, and they’re both “super excited.”
This story originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on Sept. 6.
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