New York-born Sarah Williams mixes her African heritage with her urban surroundings for her one of a kind accessories made from African fabrics.

New York – Confession: we are envious of Sarah Williams. She has the kind of regal presence that any young girl would love to own when in their 20s. We’re not just saying this to get freebies in the future (we kid Sarah), but we actually got the chance to meet her at the LeSportsac and Lily Pulitzer party a few weeks ago. And even when someone was shamelessly making his move on one of our writers in front of her, Sarah remained poised while we were gagging! Gagging because this fool just took out his iPhone to show a photo of himself, but that’s a whole different story, Blaynistas. Now it turned out, much to our delight, that Ms. Sarah Williams is a designer. Yes, this former med student has her own label called Free People’s Rebellion (fprebellion.com), featuring a collection of handmade accessories — necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, pocket squares, bows, and shoe laces — made from African fabrics with contemporary designs that are geared to those who will appreciate them.

The Liberian beauty, who has been designing for two years, tells us that her grandmother used to bring her lapas from Africa (fabrics used by African women to wrap around their body or made into clothing), but she didn’t want to wear the fabrics in their traditional forms. That’s when Sarah started making her own accessories out of those same fabrics, incorporating other materials in the creation like brass, silver, and gold plates. The designer also makes sure to give back to her parents’ birth country by having partial of the proceeds of each sale donated to the Children’s Comforting Yard, a charitable organization that provides care for the children in Logan Town, Liberia. Creative, smart, and generous? Now, Blaynistas, that’s what we call one bad chick. Read on for our exclusive interview with Ms. Sarah Williams and watch the short video of her recent fashion show.

 

You could have started out designing clothing with the African fabrics given to you by your grandmother instead you went with accessories.

I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with accessories. My clothing style is pretty simple so I’ve always used accessories to create some type of uniqueness to my look.

Free People’s Rebellion is a great name for a fashion label though, how did that name come to you?

It pays homage to the history of Liberia, which was formed by freed slaves in the U.S. who wanted to move back to Africa. It also describes my customer as well, someone who has a rebellious fashion sense and the free will to make a difference while simultaneously making a fashion statement.

And what is the design process for these beautiful accessories?

I don’t have a specific design process but I am inspired by my environment and the people around me. I am truly blessed to have some amazingly talented and inspirational people in my life. But I will say that I get a lot of ideas so it really helps me to start with an specific theme and stick with it and just edit from there.

 

One thing people will notice in the Look Book section of your official web site (fprebellion.com) is that you are pictured modeling your accessories. Was modeling your pieces something you intended to do from the start?

Modeling my stuff on the site was totally unintentional. Anyone that knows me knows that I never like the way I look in pictures. My friend who is a photographer (Kwesi Abbensetts) wanted to take some pics of my stuff, but I couldn’t get a model to do it so I did it myself. My intention was never to put it up on the site but didn’t want to waste great photos. Not that I’m great in them; it’s the photographer. Also, I would like to say that I love to use “real”people in my shoots and shows. Not to say models aren’t real people but all of the people you see modeling are my friends and none of them, including myself, are professional models except for Laura. (Laura Scott can be seen modeling for F.P.R’s current look book titled “Rebellious” shot by photographer Abbensetts.)

You had mentioned that you were on your track to pursuing a career in the public health field, how did you go from studying medicine to designing accessories?

I was always into fashion and did some styling gigs on the side while I was working at Mt. Sinai. During this time I was receiving compliments and inquiries on the accessories that I made so I crossed my fingers, said a few prayers, and applied to F.I.T [Fashion Institute of Technology]. Once I received the acceptance letter in the mail I saw it as a sign, and now I am at F.I.T. and pursuing my dream.

Would you ever go back to public health?

I don’t think I would. I’m on a pursuit of happiness mode and I don’t think its leading me to the path of becoming a doctor. Preventative medicine is still important to me, and if an opportunity presented itself, I will still talk and write on certain public health issues.

You said that your friends are very supportive of your new career path, but how did your parents handle your transition from med school to fashion school ? It pretty much may be every parent’s worst nightmare.

Now it took my parents some time to come around. My dad more so than my mom. Like most African parents they wanted me to be a doctor, and I was on that whole PhD track so I when I diverted this was not a good thing. But they now see the light. I most recently made a convert out of my dad when he came to my fashion show and saw my work firsthand.

*Check out this video footage of the fashion show — shot and edited by filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu – that had Sarah’s dad seeing the light!

Free People’s Rebellion Fashion Show from Nikyatu Jusu on Vimeo.

Alright now due to your love for accessories, we have to ask what style tips would you give to the Blaynistas who will be reading this on how to accessorize an outfit?

It’s all about statement pieces to accessorize your outfit. Don’t be shy to wear something bold and unique that shows off who you are and your personality. I recommend investing in a great necklace, pair of earrings, and ring. Accessories are versatile and recession proof. You can wear that $50 statement necklace or a pair of earrings twice a week if you’d like, but you sure cant do that with that new $50 trendy dress.

We’re always interested in knowing who are the designers people love so please entertain us with your own favorites.

Some of my favorite designers that I like to wear are Rachel Comey for her shoes, Michael Kors for his not so basic basics, and  BCBG for their evening dresses. The majority of all the rest of the items in my closet come from American Apparel, Zara, Urban Outfitters, Topshop, H&M, discounted showroom clothes, and thrift shops.

Before we end the interview, what advice could you give to aspiring designers who want to carve their own names in the fashion world or simply who want to take a somewhat similar career change as you did.

My advice would be to create a solid business plan. I know as artists we don’t want to have to deal with the financial and just want to focus on creating. Trust me I know, but we all don’t want to be starving artists forever, right?

And now less talk from us and more telling you where you can purchase your own Free People’s Rebellion accessories. While Sarah is in the process of setting up her own online store, people can purchase the accessories through her web site (fprebellion.com) or email her at info@fprebellion.com.

So, Blaynistas, become a rebel with a cause and show your support for Free People’s Rebellion by doing two things: follow Sarah on Twitter @fprebellion and become a fan of the label at Facebook by clicking here.

Images Courtesy of Free People’s Rebellion