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Banna Nega and Shelby Macklin are the it-girl-founders of Glazed NYC.

At surface level, their brand is a sophisticated clothing and accessory studio, but there’s much more to the story underneath.

This Black female-founded business looks to mesh culture, art, and fashion — as well as be a vehicle to give clients the ability to be their own designer.

The vision started to form during a harsh 2015 winter storm. Nega and Macklin found it burdensome to step out and look chic in the almost subzero temperatures and inclement weather. They knew there had to be some way to fashionably wear winter apparel.

That day, the idea for Glazed was born.

The duo began with creating ski masks and cold weather accessories, stemming from the “we have nothing cute to wear in this weather” focus. They continued expanding until they had the opportunity to move into their own space: Glazed Studio.

The physical studio gave Nega and Macklin area to expand their creative horizons. Once just making accessories, they decided it was time to level up their brand.

Glazed Studio is quickly gaining a reputation as a fashion oasis and one of the only ateliers where your clothes are transformed and designed into a piece made just for you, by you.

Nega and Macklin understand that not everyone wants to wear what other people are wearing. By letting their clients create a one-of-a-kind piece — like having their designers hand sew a dress into a skirt set — they set themselves apart from the fast fashion empires that have taken over the industry.

News 4 New York got the chance to talk to Nega and Macklin about their journey and what sets Glazed apart from the rest.

Liz: Tell me about Glazed. How and when it began, who created it, what makes it unique?

Macklin: Sure, so Banna [Nega] and I had created it together back in December 2015. We actually lived together at this time. There was a huge snowstorm in New York, and it was literally less than 5 degrees outside, and we were still outside trying to go out one night, and I think I got the idea of, ’why is there nothing cute to wear right now?’ I understand it’s freezing, but it shouldn’t be this hard to look cute and go out. So that’s where the whole concept of Glazed came from.

It’s basically rooted in bridging the gap between function and glamor. So, we started off making ski masks, it was all like cold weather accessories, then we kind of moved into just a focus of specifically headwear, like berets, and then we’ve expanded into bucket hats, scarves, and just like all accessories. Then, we got the opportunity this year to move into our own space, which is now Glazed Studio, and then that’s where we were like instead of like creating collections, why don’t we create with our community?

What inspired the name Glazed?

Macklin: The name? It’s kind of like the topping.

Like the cherry on top?

Macklin: Yeah, exactly!

Nega: Yes! We had a whole collection called “Cherry on Top.”

What would you say a consult looks like? Or a design day?

Macklin: So basically, right now it’s been super relaxed, which we love. Our client will just come in and we usually talk for the first 10-15 minutes about how their day was, how their week is going, how they’re doing and if they want something to drink. It’s very relaxed. We have music on in the studio, we have our Glazed TV visuals, and, you know, the energy of Myrtle Broadway. Then, we start to get into what they’re looking to have done, which is really exciting because some people will bring a huge bag of clothing that they want to rework and then others will just want their pants tailored. Especially for the larger orders, it’s so fun. The client will be like, ’I have these jeans I’m seeing as a different pair of pants, and I’m seeing this top as a skirt,’ and then we just brainstorm for the next hour, hour and a half. We’re coming up with completely original designs, we’re getting their measurements, we’re letting them know ’OK, so this piece is going to take this much time,’ and we’re giving them a quote of how much everything will be within the next day, so there’s a clear expectation of when [they’ll] get everything back and how much it’ll be. It’s just a lot of fun, [and] we haven’t had one appointment that was low energy. It’s a really fun experience.

How long does it take for a typical piece to be made?

Macklin: We’re saying 15 to 30 business days, but we can turn around quicker, like two weeks is the usual. But we like to give the extra padding of 30, depending on how intricate the design is. Our designers are extremely advanced. [Sometimes] they’re using couture level seams and sewing. It’s not all done on the machine, there’s a lot of handwork, and a lot of repairing, but typically 2 to 4 weeks.

Do you do any of the hands-on working of the pieces, or do you send it all off?

Macklin: Yeah, it’s all being sent off. We have a team of about 3-4 designers right now, who are either working in studio doing the consultation, focusing on pattern-making, focusing on creating the pieces, or just doing alterations. Everyone kind of has their own lane. But right now, we’re not sewing. I was taking classes last year but I’m not nearly good enough to tackle people’s clothing.

On your website you write: “Glazed NYC is a multidisciplinary studio excavating Black History within the realms of fashion, film, and music while utilizing design as a vehicle for storytelling and community building.” Tell me more about that. How does Glazed excavate Black history? How do your designs tell a story?

Nega: Well, I think telling history through our lens has been our way of connecting the past to the present. Having that connection is important so that we can create a better future ultimately together and really be more open about what has influenced us and our ethos, our style, and every aspect of it. Our collections have historically been centered around this history, like naming the actual pieces after specifically Black women who have paved the way for us in the creative spaces. It’s also just for us to be able to express ourselves creatively at the level that we do and to perpetuate that energy and pass that information forward, so that these figures aren’t hidden and really, you know, giving them their flowers.

For example, we had a studio muse series where we got really specific about what we’re doing – which is Glazed Studio and having an atelier – and we went into a deep dive of research at the library, at bookstores, obviously online as well, really excavating the history of Black ateliers and Black women and men who had their own studios and what their experiences were and a lot of them had amazing accomplishments. Their stories were so sad too because they experienced a lot of racism and monetary issues as well. So, I think it’s important to learn these stories, not only to pay homage but to learn from what challenges they faced and how we can do better. It’s so much more than representation, you know? We really want to dig into their stories and be open about the influence that we’ve received from them.

Glazed started before the pandemic. How has the pandemic affected you, your creations, turnaround time, and communicating with your clients overall?

Nega: I think during the pandemic it really offered space for us to get into our inspiration about the people and the movements that we wanted to pay homage to and that really influenced us. So, we partnered with Locally Grown, which is an amazing media platform, and we had a Glazed TV channel where we put in all of our information, interviews that have inspired us, musical performances, dance performance, films, and a Glazed movie of the week.

Could you take me through the process of creating a piece or what you go through to design something for a client?

Macklin: It really depends, so now that we’re not really creating a collection, each one is specific to what the client is looking for.

So, say it’s just an alteration for pants. The client would come in, and we have a space in the studio where they can actually put on the pants, like a dressing area. They can try on the pants, show us where it’s not hitting, and in studio we’ll clip where it needs to be adjusted. There’s been times where we’ve [said], ’Wouldn’t it be cool with your jeans, instead of ending at the same length, maybe this side extends, and this side is shorter?’ We create – like even down to the alterations – something new and different for this pair of pants, and we’ll clip it on the spot and then we give them a mock-up of what the pants would look like. And that’s the same for if they wanted to do a completely new item. Once they confirm it, it will go into production. And then it’s the same for reconstruction. If someone gives us a dress, they can turn the dress into a skirt.

Every appointment is different, but we follow the same protocol of having them okay it first, making sure each person sees exactly what the design will look like, and giving them a quote upfront about the cost. This way, there’s no surprises because we like to have as much transparency as possible so they’re understanding that it’s not going to be the same as just going out and shopping. You’re creating this from scratch.

What were both of your favorite pieces you’ve ever designed for Glazed?

Macklin: I think it’s so hard because there’s been so many. I have to give a disclaimer because there’s been a lot that I love but right now I would say it’s the Bailey bucket hat. It’s our bucket hat that has ruching all around it at the top. I just find it extremely classic, especially the black satin version. It’s easy to wear, you can wear it day or night, and it’s perfect for a bad hair day. I have worn it for that. I’ve worn out my Bailey bucket and the girls and our clients love the hat so that’s my favorite.

Nega: I had a moment – I’m very family-oriented and just kind of obsessed with my parents and my family – when this woman brought in her grandma’s dress, which was like this gorgeous silk that was made in India, like a beautiful, printed dress, but it just wasn’t her style. She brought it in and [said], ’I don’t really know what to do with this,’ and we decided to make it into a spaghetti strap dress that she could wear to a wedding she was going to. The process was amazing because it was one of our first clients and it was really cool to see our design team step up to the plate. It was a very intricate piece and so delicate, but the designers really loved the challenge. We had a fitting with her in between the piece being done and just seeing the process as well as seeing her really happy at the end of it was honestly so beautiful. That’s my favorite piece that we’ve probably ever done.

Did you plan on doing design when you were younger? Did you go to school for design?

Macklin: I’ve always loved fashion design and always knew that I would do something with fashion. I tried sewing in 7th grade and I wasn’t patient, so unfortunately, I stopped. Then once it came time to go to school, I was like okay let me do fashion merchandising because I don’t have the patience for sewing, but I do want to be involved in fashion. So, I did study fashion merchandising, and now that we have the studio and even before we had [it], I always regretted not being consistent with it when I was younger because now, I’d do anything to just have all the skills to be able to sew. I was taking some sewing courses during quarantine a little bit and now I’m just learning everything at the studio which is such a blessing.

Nega: I went to school for fashion marketing actually and I was the President of DECA [a student organization for future leaders and entrepreneurs] at my high school. DECA was like my thing in high school, and it was funny because I felt like that was the only thing I was really good at. I did sports and other things, but it was just something that I felt naturally good at. I went to LIM [College] for fashion marketing and that’s where I met Shelby in an entrepreneurship class, funny enough. So, my mom’s dad started a factory in the 60s in Eritrea [East Africa] where my parents are from and they made logos, patches, uniforms, for all different people in Eritrea. I grew up going there in the summers and hanging out with my grandpa and looking at fashion books, helping them with orders… so I got really into the business side of it being there in my childhood.

I wanted to be a fashion designer, but then I realized I couldn’t draw, and I couldn’t sew. I was like, ’You know what? I just want to be like my grandpa and do something that’s more behind the scenes.’ I’ve always felt more comfortable like that.

What are your goals for Glazed? What’s next and what goals have you already reached?

Macklin: Us having the studio is probably the biggest goal that we’ve reached as of late. We’ve talked about having our own space since we started Glazed so this has been so amazing to see come to life because our friends helped us create it and we threw a huge launch party that so many people showed up to. It was a legendary party. We’ve got so much support and we’ve had so many appointments since then so that’s definitely our first big accomplishment.

In the future we would love to just expand on what we have already, [by] having a larger version of Glazed studio but more of like a community space where there can be co-working space and a library. I think people use our Instagram now as a resource for inspiration, but we want to have a physical space inspired by our book collection, our visuals that we’re doing, and then we can also see a garden in the back where people can garden together and create together. We see a stage where people can have performances, just like a whole space of inspiration and design and then upstairs would be the atelier with the design studio. So that’s the big goal, to have a way bigger space where we can just offer so much more.Read more at:unique formal dresses | long evening dresses