Nina Parker cannot be placed into a box.

Whether it is her work as a renowned journalist, or smashing glass ceilings in the fashion industry, Parker continues to outdo herself time and time again, and a part of that comes from her commitment to growth.

“I’m still evolving,” she told AfroTech.

Parker has never shied away from the strong desire to take her talents to this next level. After she got her start in local news, she pivoted whenever necessary, to set herself up for success.

A New Era

Seeing the business evolve and change has encouraged her to ensure that she continues to remain in alignment with the work she has been called to do.

“This business, especially when I first started was very vanity based. It was very based on what you look like as opposed to the content that you were putting out there,” she explained. “One of the reasons I enjoy things now is because I feel like with the digital world, content is more important than aesthetic.”

Retaining Ownership

Taking advantage of the “now,” Parker has been building her brand and taking things to new heights as she strives for longevity. As AfroTech previously reported, she even had the first exclusive plus-size line for Macy’s.

What’s more, taking a page or two from those who came before her, Parker knew that she wanted full ownership over the name she was building for herself.

“I was trying to figure out what I wanted to name my clothing line, and my business partner was like, ‘Umm, name it after yourself, name it after you,'” Parker shared. “So I got my name trademarked and I got the trademark certificate, which was like a birth certificate for me because a lot of people can have a name on their business, but never own it.”

Nina also explained: “If you know the story of like, Famous Amos, he signed his name away. So, there are people who can’t use their name [for] profit. And I didn’t want that to be something that I had to struggle with. That’s important. It’s your identity, it’s who you are. And because of that, it’s important that there’s a lot of care handled with that as well. So, it was really important for that to be something that I made sure it happened.”

Blavity TV

For the full interview, head over to Blavity TV to learn more about how Nina Parker is committed to building a legacy that impacts more people who look like her.