Fashion Designer Turned Fashion Blogger
On February 22, 2019 within the Fashion Department in Santa Monica College (SMC) where Porscha Woodard learns, and works on the basics of pattern design. Professor Sofi Khachmanyan teaches the class Fashion 6A, where she helps the students on a very close level. Porscha poses for the camera before starting her work load. Ali Janet/Corsair Photo
It's 5 AM and Santa Monica College (SMC) Fashion major and mompreneur Porscha Woodard is starting her day walking into her kitchen, and feeding her recently adopted kitten Princess Jasmine, preparing lunch for herself and her daughter Isis, showering, getting dressed, and heading out to congested LA traffic where she sits for about forty-five minutes to an hour.
This has been Woodard’s daily routine for a couple years now: a routine that has enabled her to run a personal business, manage her daughters acting career, and attend college classes all while maintaining a 3.2 GPA.
Fascinated with the glitz and glamour of the fashion world Woodard set out to create her very first business at the age of twenty. Establishing “Porscha Starr” a lingerie brand that was significantly successful infiltrating runways and catering to top celebrities. Working as head of the brand with no college degree alongside a group of designers, Woodard was enjoying every minute of it. Until she wasn’t. After a separation, her daughters birth, and suffering from postpartum depression Woodard says,” honestly, I lost the drive.” Her daughter changed her perspective,” I didn’t really want that lifestyle around her, because I look at her like a princess,” although she still loves lingerie and considers it “beautiful” she didn’t want to continue being so close to a sex-sale industry.
Despite the success, Woodard closed that chapter in her life and decided to come back to school to formally learn the craft of fashion and business more in-depth. “ I was motivated by the hands-on side of the business with fashion, and also my daughter was a lot of motivation,” says Woodard. She confesses she has “always had a drive for fashion”, but lacked knowledge in the actual design aspect. “I never really knew the hands-on side of it, like how to design, cut, sew that whole deal, but I always had the business aspect of it,” continues Woodard. Her biggest inspiration is her grandmother,” she is almost seventy and looks like a million bucks all the time,” she remarks with a smile on her face.
“My grandmother was a seamstress she used to make like wedding dresses, and some of the most beautiful prom gowns,” says Woodard and continues,” I was like a little kid two-three years old, and always watching her picking up her pins and needles.”
Today Woodard is focusing all of her energy in her new business “Mommy and Me Swag” taking her from fashion designer to successful fashion-mommy blogger. Starting this new endeavor back in March of 2018 the site will be soon celebrating its one year anniversary and continues to steadily grow. Her change of direction came from wanting to report on the latest fashion, hair products, and discussing mother and daughter relationships saying,” Mothers and daughters have really difficult relationships, including myself with my own mother so it's very personal.” The part she enjoys the most about this business is the interaction with other mothers online experiencing motherhood along with them and their daughters.
Whether she is running to her daughter's next audition, next gymnastics class, her college course, or just being a mom Porscha Woodard never gives up and embodies with pride a strong female character and a rich African-American heritage. “ The best thing I can tell you is fight, because the moment you give up its over, you have to continue to fight you gotta get up every morning and still make it happen to come to school, go to work, go to those auditions, run that business, be a mom you gotta continue to fight,” is Woodard’s suggestion for women with or without children who are going through hard times. She admits that SMC has helped shape her as an entrepreneur and person and will be transferring to a four-year university this coming fall.
