Today we’d like to introduce you to Zeina Elchanti.
Hi Zeina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Since I was a teenager, I used to love shopping and finding new trends to try on. When I moved to USA 13 years ago, I got introduced to the American style and learned that each country/region has its own style and decided to mix/match styles to come up with how I like to look and how do I feel about my outfits. I always wanted to be in the fashion industry. However, my journey went otherwise. I studied to become a Mechanical Engineer which is way far from what I intended to be in. I got married and had two kids while I was still finishing my degree. I thought at the time that all my dreams of getting into fashion are impossible due to the nature of where I am at that time. With my husband and my mom on my side I was able to finish my degree successfully. they are my backbone. Then I figured that I have a family now I have to be more responsible with my decisions and it’s not easy to work with fashion since it’s so much time-consuming. So, I decided to work on my career and got an engineering job that was super flexible hours. 3 years ago, I had this talk with my husband and he started talking to me about how it is very important for someone to do something they enjoy. So, I realized that I never lost my passion to fashion, I still enjoy shopping and styling new things so why not show the world how I do it, what is my style, and who I am. So, I decided to start a new journey of showing the world how to style an outfit with modesty and to show everyone that nothing can stand in your dreams. My goal is to show everyone that no matter how old you are you can wear whatever you want. Always do what you love because life is short to do things you hate.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To say that it has been a smooth road, no it wasn’t. I was born and raised in the 90s in Lebanon. Life wasn’t as easy due to the culture and traditions back then. Once I moved to the USA, I started working on my ME degree and then got married the second year to my one and only love delaying my degree for 2 semesters… Then two years passed while I was still studying and then figured that I was pregnant with my boy so I took 2 semesters off. By the time my son was 2, I figured I was pregnant with my daughter and I had only 2 semesters left to graduate. So, I decided I will not take any more time off cause my degree has to be done no matter what. Finished my degree, got a job, and don’t forget that mom life is not easy. Doing all of those things together was a huge burden to me. I kept going and I decided to never stop working on myself. So, it was a long journey and still is to get where I am right now.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I travel around the world to discover new styles and discover fashion. I am known to be a fashion and travel blogger (engineer with style). I am proud of who I am right now, and I am also proud of my family. I think that getting to where I am right now is not easy but I should say that if it wasn’t for my husband and my mom who helped me and supported me in everything that I did I wouldn’t have reached here now. I did not reach my optimal goal in what I would like to be, however, I will keep working on my dreams to achieve everything I dream off. I think what sets me apart from a lot of people out there is that my style is way different than anyone else. I am very modest with my outfits. I like to show the minimum amount of skin, not because I am ashamed of anything or I do not like my body, but because I believe that a human body is so precious that should be treated as a gem to cherish and cover in order to keep its shine.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up as a single kid although I have 3 sisters. I am the youngest and by the time I was 9 years old, all my sisters were married outside the country. My single mom is the one who raised me and made who I am right now. I grew up wasn’t able to get everything that I want but was happy with what I had. I used to love shopping, so my allowance was all spent on buying outfits and accessories. However, seeing my mom doing everything for me to be happy and to be able to get everything that my friends have, was a burden to me. I was a calm and responsible kid. I used to always act older than my age and I think part of it that my life circumstances made me more mature. I loved drawing, cutting, and making a mess, which I see the same thing in my daughter now but on a larger scale lol. I used to love playing dress-up and styling my barbies with different outfits.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/zenastylz
- Instagram: @zenastylz
