Community Highlights: Meet Niya Rasberry of Little Saving Grace & Solsteeez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niya Rasberry

Hi Niya, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, it all started in Nashville, NC, where I was raised by my grandmother, Alma Ellis, from childhood until I was 15. She was a Scorpio like myself. I was born November 9, 1994, and she was born November 4, 1946. She was literally like my twin. From 6-7 years old, I was always artistic. I had my hands in it, whether arts and crafts, music, or film. Growing up, I owned a Barbie Camcorder, and I immediately grew to love film. I would record my family, create skits with my brother and friends, and film my day-to-day life. After the end of each week, I would sit my family down and play by the footage. This was one of the things my family learned early: that I was an eclectic artist.

I was/still a great singer, and I learned that in my early stages of life as well. My mother would always make me sing everywhere we went. I was in the church choir, and my mother also made me audition for American Idol at a young age. On top of being an artist, I was also an athlete. I ran cross country, tried out for basketball, and was a cheerleader, all while attending middle school (NCMS). By the time I got to high school (NCHS), I had been a cheerleader for 2 years before being one of the only freshmen on a varsity cheerleading team. Once I became a junior, I transferred to Millbrook High in Raleigh, NC. Before graduating as a wildcat, I played Lacrosse and joined the basketball dance team.

A year after graduating high school, I attended Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC. I went to school for about three years before deciding I wanted to make an impulsive decision to move to Miami. Before making this decision, I had a friend with whom I would communicate to learn more about the city. I applied to jobs there and heard back from a famous med spa in Sunny Isle Beach, Florida, called Perfection Plastic Surgery & Med Spa. So, the first thing I did was pack up all my things and hit the road. In my last year in college, I became unmotivated because I didn’t know exactly if I was there for myself or my mom.

Moving to Miami was the first leap to a bigger, more independent world. I explored many business avenues there, met many interesting people, and gained a broader mindset. Although Miami was a ball of fun, I soon realized being a broke college kid fresh out of school wasn’t enough to keep up in Miami. So I moved to Atlanta, GA, in 2019, which became “home” away from home. I learned so much about myself living there. So many opportunities opened up for me while there. Going back to being an artistic individual, it was only fitting that I met talented musicians, and we did great projects together. Someone that really taught me a lot about the music game was Travis Cherry. He is family to me and also a mentor. He educated me about the things I could do with my voice and put me in a room/space with many heavy hitters. From Mase, Raheem Davaugn, Case, Jazze Pha, and much more! Music is a natural gift to me, so although making records is something I’ll continue to do, waking up every day and using my voice is an accomplishment in itself.

Some nights, I would walk out to the studio at 8 am, and the sun and birds would greet me the following day. Locked in was an understatement. While rocking out with the musicians around me, I also found extreme pleasure in being fashionably on time to major events around Atlanta. As an independent artist, I would attend events where I hosted and networked to get people familiar with me. I’ve been to 5 different red carpet events in Atlanta, and all were taken aback by my style, confidence, and energy; paying attention to people’s reactions to my representation, my thought processes about ideas, and my rawness, I immediately knew where I was supposed to be. It’s like everything went a full circle back to the adolescent stages of my life. Being a young girl from Nashville, NC, she wasn’t like the people around her. She was quirky, nerdy, and highly into creating. I knew my ability as a creative director would surpass any and every expectation I had of myself.

While exploring, working, and finding my tribe of people, I gave birth to a unique, handsome baby boy in 2021, King Thomas. That was the moment I literally “leveled” up in my life. I became more in touch with my feminine side, emotions, critical thinking skills, and everything else you can think of. Becoming a mother is exactly what God wanted. My son is the center of my life, and everything else follows. Finding the balance between being a mom and yourself is not a walk in the park, but it will activate every part of your brain.

Mine activated so soon that 3 months after giving birth, I was at the drawing board writing a business plan for my ideas since high school. Researching the market and how I would set myself aside from the others. Sleepless nights and early mornings never stopped my dedication to living the life I wanted. Fast forward to 2024, I’ve returned to school to follow my dreams as a Creative Director, taking up Graphic Design/Marketing. I was working side by side with educated fashion designers to inspire me with my own 2 fashion brands: Little Saving Grace (@ourlittlesavinggrace)— an urban kid’s clothing brand where all cool kids shop. This endeavor is dedicated to my son’s future. This business will allow my son not to wait for a job offer but to create one. (2) Solsteeez is my contemporary chic fashion line, where I will house high-end denim and exclusive corset designs for your everyday runway.

My objective is to advance my artistic skills into business ideas for myself and others. Not only am I creating my own story in my life & for my brands, it’s one of my greatest joys to help create a visionary series for someone else’s brand and my own. Catch me on your favorite brand’s set, giving you an exclusive look at the magic behind my creation! 🩷

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It, by far, hasn’t been a smooth road. I was faced with diversity at a very young age. I wasn’t physically raised by either of my parents 100%. I lived with my grandmother till I was about 15 years old. So, I was angry about life at an early age, and I didn’t understand why. Before I graduated high school in 2013, my grandmother passed away. That shaped the way I viewed life, too, resulting in me making my life more complicated than it had to be sometimes. Moving to Atlanta was exciting, but being there alone with no blood family, I quickly became wrapped up in the nightlife and started to abuse alcohol, I would say. I almost ended my life on 2 different occasions, drinking and driving while there, and it made me care about myself more. To tell myself I deserved to be happy and safe and feel like I deserved blessings was something I needed to affirm in myself during that time.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Little Saving Grace & Solsteeez?

1. Little Saving Grace is a Toddler + Kid’s Clothing Brand that offers cozy unisex urban threads for children from 6 months to 10 years old. Affordable prices for incredible exclusive apparel. Online store. We will also provide children workshops locally and hope to go on a workshop tour for kids to join and explore their natural creative gifts (t-shirt making, painting, designing, photography, and so on). This business was created to create community and jobs for not only my son but for his peers as well. They are launching in 2024.
2. Solsteeez is for the posh rockstar girls. Who loves rocking their favorite denim jeans with a simple but statement piece top and the flyest heel they own? Because a little goes a long way over at Solsteeez. We offer detailed-cut signature denim, runway corsets, and everyday but contemporary garments. This is the brand you pin to your vision board because the looks you can pull from our inventory are timeless and can be worn at any event. I guaranteed. Releases 2024.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always following my big brother. I was climbing trees with my brother if I needed to learn to sew, paint, draw, and sing. I wasn’t a tomboy, but I was rough. Riding dirt bikes, four-wheelers, etc., were the highlights of my childhood. I also was highly tech-savvy. I would spend hours and hours on the family desktop programming the computer, creating slideshows, burning CDs, etc. This is also how I got into Creative Directing, teaching myself the ins and outs of digital technology.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourlittlesavinggrace?igsh=ODdkYTZ6bm1lNjFu&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@theniyarasberry?si=13vOIWkFQ_geVs2U
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/niyarasberry?igsh=MTZqNzUwN3ZndGlnZQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr