Dreamer to Doer: Maliyah Abenir

From designing dresses in high school to dressing Tate McRae and showing her collections internationally, Maliyah Abenir has spent more than a decade building a fashion career on her own terms.

For fashion designer Maliyah Abenir, a typical workday can involve drafting patterns, sewing garments, developing a new collection or creating custom looks for performers and celebrities. As the founder of her own label, Averynthe, she handles nearly every part of the design process herself.

Her work has appeared in Vogue three times, been featured in numerous magazines and reached international runways. She's dressed Canadian singer Tate McRae for an Apple Music interview, created looks for contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race and worked with celebrities in the Philippines.

But behind the finished garments and editorial features is a career that has required years of work, financial investment and a willingness to keep figuring things out.

Today, more than a decade after studying fashion at JCI, Maliyah is still doing what she set out to do as a teenager: designing clothes.

A plan that started early

Some people spend years figuring out what they want to do. Maliyah knew before she finished high school.

She had wanted to become a fashion designer since childhood and began exploring design while she was still a student. By graduation, she was already working on creative shoots and projects, building experience wherever she could.

She also had a personal ambition: to become the first fashion designer in her family.

"I knew head on that I was going to be a fashion designer. I wanted to be the first in my bloodline to be a fashion designer and I stuck with it."

After high school, Maliyah began researching fashion schools across Canada. Vancouver appealed to her, and in 2013, she enrolled in JCI's Fashion Business and Creative Arts program.

She still remembers her first day, sitting in a classroom overlooking Gastown's steam clock.

"I knew I was in the right place."

Learning the business behind the designs

At JCI, Maliyah found opportunities to develop her creative work while learning about the business of fashion.

Some of her favourite memories involve creating dresses for school projects and participating in photoshoots to market them. She also remembers her instructors, particularly Joan, whose direct approach left a lasting impression.

"She was amazing and I love how brutally honest she was," Maliyah recalls.

While designing was always her priority, the business side of her education became particularly useful as she began establishing herself professionally.

"What I learned from JCI that I use today is how to market yourself as a designer," she explains. "Having the right connections and learning how to use those connections can go a long way."

That understanding would become important as Maliyah moved toward building an independent label, where developing a collection is only one part of running a business.

During her time at JCI, she also secured an internship working as a design assistant. The opportunity introduced her to additional design techniques and gave her experience working alongside another designer.

It was an early opportunity to see what the profession looked like beyond the classroom.

Building a brand, one collection at a time

After JCI, Maliyah created Averynthe, her own fashion label.

Building an independent design business meant taking responsibility for the work behind every garment while developing her place in the industry. It also meant confronting some of the less glamorous realities of a creative career.

One of the biggest lessons was financial.

"I also figured how expensive being a fashion designer would be, and time consuming," she says.

Designing and producing clothing requires materials, equipment and considerable time. For an independent designer, those costs can add up quickly, especially when much of the production work is done personally.

Maliyah learned that budgeting was essential, something she wishes she'd understood better when she started.

Her career has also expanded beyond fashion design. Alongside Averynthe, she has taken on freelance makeup and hairstyling work, visual merchandising and social media content creation.

These different creative roles have become part of how she works, even as fashion design remains her focus.

There have been sacrifices along the way, and Maliyah doesn't pretend otherwise. She knows how demanding the industry can be, particularly when you're responsible for building something of your own.

But she has continued creating, developing her skills and finding opportunities to bring her designs to new audiences.

From independent label to international stages

Today, Averynthe has taken Maliyah's work into magazines, onto international runways and into the wardrobes of performers.

Among the experiences she's most proud of are her three appearances in Vogue, participating in international fashion shows and dressing Tate McRae for an Apple Music interview.

She's also created looks for RuPaul's Drag Race contestants and Filipino celebrities, building a portfolio that spans fashion, performance and entertainment.

Behind those projects, Maliyah continues to work as a largely one-person operation.

"I do my own sewing, pattern drafting, and everything for my brand. I'm a one person type of brand."

That independence means the technical skills are as important as the creative vision. Pattern drafting, in particular, has become one of the most valuable skills in her work.

"Pattern Drafting is the most important skill in design. Second is sewing skills."

For Maliyah, being a designer means understanding how a garment is constructed and having the ability to make it herself.

It's a practical side of fashion that can be easy to overlook when the finished work appears in a magazine or on a runway.

What's next for Averynthe?

Maliyah is currently developing her next collection, Renatus Lux 2027, which she describes as meaning "Rebirth."

It's the latest project in a career that continues to evolve through new collections, collaborations and creative opportunities.

More than a decade after starting fashion school, she still sees herself designing for years to come. Her commitment to the work hasn't changed, even as her understanding of the industry has grown.

Asked to describe her life right now in three words, she chooses: "Amazing, CREATING, Hustling."

It's a fitting description of an independent designer whose work continues to demand as much persistence as creativity.

The work behind the dream

For someone considering a career in fashion, Maliyah has straightforward advice: be prepared to work.

She remembers the workload at JCI being intense, and she sees that as a reflection of what the industry itself requires.

"You cannot be lazy in the design world. Fashion is another type of engineering, there's lots of work needed to be done."

It's a perspective shaped by years of drafting patterns, sewing garments, managing costs and building a business while taking on other creative work.

Maliyah knew what she wanted when she left high school, but she couldn't have known exactly what building that career would involve.

Now, after more than a decade in the industry, she has no plans to stop.

"If I was given another life, I'd still choose to be a fashion designer."

For Maliyah, the work is demanding, and it's still the work she wants to do.

Follow Maliyah's work

See Maliyah's latest collections, designs and creative projects on Instagram at @averyntheca

Interested in building your own career in fashion? Explore JCI's Fashion Industry & Design Development program and see what you could learn.