We Chat With Denim The Label Creator Dallas Otigba

An influencer, designer, and student all in one. There’s simply nothing Dallas Ogitba hasn’t done or doesn’t have plans on accomplishing in her life as a fashion muse inspiring many others. Originally from Washington, DC, she was a student of the arts from a young age, which opened the doors for many creative ventures including fashion. With her womenswear label Denimthelabel, Dallas looks to bring out the most confidence in people who wear her stylish pieces. “I want my brand to represent universal love in a way so when people wear it,” she shares.

“Not a lot of darker skin women are being represented in the light. That’s when I decided I was going to take my brand seriously in college, taking pictures every day,” she shares with us. “I also wanted to be a representation that we can also be in fashion and be deemed as pretty that a lot of people don’t see darker-skinned women as.” Denimthelabel‘s collections range from lashes to bikinis, with more to come down the line.

We spoke with Dallas in regards to carving her own lane out with Denimthelabel, representing women of color in the influencer world, and how style empowers her amongst other things! Read below.

Hi Dallas! Tell us a bit about yourself and how your brand began.

I’m Dallas, 21-years-old, currently living in Los Angeles. I’m originally from Washington, DC. I’ve always been a creative in a sense, I’ve been in art school since I was young. Basically, I’ve been into it since a young age so it opened the door to all the things you can do as a creative so I was very inspired by all the people doing their thing. My dad is an entrepreneur so it was always planted in my head to be your own boss. I’m all about having your own stuff.

What made you want to start a womenswear label?

It’s two different brands, one is me as an influencer and one is my business brand which is a tangible product. So for me as an influencer, I feel like a lot of people would ask me a lot of questions or feel inspired by me, and I wanted to be able to reach more people. Especially since not a lot of darker skin women are being represented in the light. That’s when I decided I was going to take my brand seriously in college, taking pictures every day. I also wanted to be a representation that we can also be in fashion and be deemed as pretty that a lot of people don’t see darker-skinned women as.

With my business, I was always into fashion. I started out with lashes at first because with the beauty aspect, it’s me as a person. Do you ever go to the store and say this would be cool if it was turned into this or take away that? I would have these ideas in my head so I was like let me draw these out. It’s in the beginning phases but hopefully, it forges into something big.

One of your first pieces for Denimthelabel was the Denim Bikini Set. Why is swimwear such an important part of a woman’s wardrobe?

So that’s really the point. I’ve designed more things before this, I just never felt comfortable releasing them yet. I felt because summer is a really perfect time for girls to feel the most comfortable. Just because they can have fun and be themselves after working the whole year. I feel like it was perfect timing and represents me as a brand.

Do you plan on expanding your collection down the line?

Yes, a whole lot of things! I don’t want to be a jack of trades and master of none, but my hand is currently in a lot of different things. I’m currently designing things that I’ll probably drop in the coming months. The funny thing about Denim, I was going to release my clothing under a whole different brand, but something inside of me said “you already have this brand so just work with this.” In the future, I’m going to create more things.

As an influencer, I can imagine how big of a role fashion plays in your life. How do clothes and style empower you as a woman?

I feel like fashion really lets me speak volumes without saying a word. I love that I can step into a room, especially since I’m shy. I feel like it lets me set my tone and speak without having to open my mouth. I think that’s why fashion has been the most influential and why I gravitate to the most. I like to speak out to things about that I feel strongly about and I feel like fashion is a way for me to be outspoken.

With that being said, how do you want other women to feel when they wear your pieces?

I really want anyone to feel just the most confident you’ll ever feel. I feel like whenever I wear a Black designer piece, it’s just a different language. I want my brand to represent universal love in a way so when people wear it, others are like “yeah, that’s that Denimthelabel.” You don’t have to think twice about should you wear this and still feel the same way.

What are your future plans for Denimthelabel in the upcoming years?

This one is always hard because I don’t want to put a limit on myself. I definitely see myself exploring way more and kind of pushing my boundaries when it comes to designing. I don’t want to sell myself short, but I hopefully want to build a team and expand more.