CINCINNATI — If you watched MTV's Video Music Awards, you saw designs from Woodward grad Kellie Ford.
"You don't have to be from LA to be that girl or that guy, I take pride in that," Ford said.
Ford wasn't immediately a fashion maven. If you ask her, she'll tell you she was forced to grow. From making her then 3-year-old son's birthday outfit to turning wedding gowns into prom dresses, she had humble beginnings.
"My Cincinnati people were my first clients and they let me mess them up," Ford said.
But anything's possible with a little internet access.
"I went to YouTube University and it just elevated from there," she said.
Ford's social media gives a glimpse into an average workday and the notoriety from her designs has gotten her name in rooms from coast to coast. It's how she got one of her first clients, Serayah — mostly known for her stint on the hit show "Empire."
"I had made a jacket for her and I posted it on Instagram and a celebrity stylist reached out to me and said she needed eight of those and I said, 'If you don't mind me asking what are they for?'" Ford said. "And she said, 'Diddy's dancers for the VMAs.'"
Ford had less than a week to get eight black leather jackets done. Then Diddy had a costuming epiphany. He wanted the jackets in red. So, Ford had three more days to redo the jackets and then get to New York. She said it was awe-inspiring to watch the dancers do a mean diddy bop in her creations.
"When I had the opportunity to sit back and think, 'That really just happened.' I was overwhelmed with emotion because I really felt like I manifested that moment, so it was overwhelming but I know I worked hard for that," Ford said. "I just want to put on for Cincinnati."
Until she gets her next big gig, Ford is working on bridal and prom projects. You can find her work on Instagram.
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