Ciera Rogers (born February 25, 1989) is an American business owner and

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

Early life

Rogers was born and raised in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

to a mother of Creole heritage and a father of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

descent. Rogers grew up with her mother and sister and has openly talked about being homeless, living with relatives or living in government funded homes. Her mother Zoe Jackson is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and R&B singer-songwriter, inspired by

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

Sarah Vaughn Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Award ...

, and

Shirley Horn Shirley Valerie Horn (May 1, 1934 – October 20, 2005) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She collaborated with many jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and othe ...

. In 1997, she was a background vocalist for

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

Career

In 2009, Rogers received her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Communications from the University of Houston. From 2009 to 2012, Rogers worked as a Public Relations Specialist and Wardrobe Stylist in Houston, Texas. Her fashion work was featured in the October 2012 issue of ''Vogue Italia''. In 2012, Rogers moved to Los Angeles and opened her own online vintage store, taking inspiration from her mother who owns Fashion Plate, a vintage boutique in the Montrose area of Houston, Texas. Rogers is the creator and CEO of the clothing line Babes and Felines, which launched in 2013. She started Babes and Felines in response to her own frustration with the lack of figure-hugging clothing for curvy women. Ciera Rogers has been featured as "the designer to watch" in media outlets including Galore, Black Enterprise, NY Post, FOX News, Elle South Africa and others. She credits Quentin Tarantino as one of her biggest inspirations.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Ciera 1980s births Living people African-American fashion designers African-American female models Hip hop models American fashion designers American women fashion designers Artists from Houston American people of Creole descent