Life & Work with Carolyn Drakes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn Drakes. 

Hi Carolyn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been in health care over twenty years, it’s all I ever expected to in regard to my career. I have always loved Art and Design of any kind, especially Fashion, but I never thought in million years that I’d be a designer. I mean I’m still very humble about calling myself a designer to this day. I got into design on a whim. A friend of mine approached me about starting a handmade earring line and that led me to places like YouTube and Pinterest and I was inspired by literally everything! I came across a beautiful blouse that tied around the neck and my imagination went wild! I had bought myself a sewing machine that had been sitting in my basement unboxed forever, one of those home shopping network buys. I ordered myself some fabric and started making bows and to my surprise everyone loved them. I also got into up-cycling, that’s taking a new or used garment and redesigning it, which is what led me to design fedoras. It all really just happed naturally, I think because my own personal style is a little over the top it makes it easy to mix and match patterns and colors to make the perfect bowtie. I have been doing this for four years. I got my first wholesale client this year so you can find TheTieQueen original bowtie designs at BrJhai Shoes 8109 Mall Parkway Stonecrest GA. I hope to one day have my own brick and mortar; I already have ideas for the look of the space! I love interior design as well. I don’t know what all my future holds but I am ready and excited to see where things go. 

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?
Wow, I don’t know where to even start with this question. My life has been a unique one to say the least with many “obstacles”. I grew up in one of the roughest aeras in Chicago during the ’80s, my mother fell victim to drug abuse and unspeakably violent domestic abuse. it was very difficult for me growing up. The thing my mother drilled into me most was independence; she’d always say you need to know how to take care of yourself girl because I may not make it to see your sixteenth birthday. She said this very often almost on a daily basis. My mother died on July 9, 1993 at 11:37 am on my sixteenth birthday in my arms on our apartment floor after overdosing on drugs given to her by my stepfather. I was a teen mom and the stigma that comes with that on top of losing my mother was almost too much, but I didn’t give up because I wanted a better life for my two sons, so I went back to school got certified as a CNA then an NCMA and at the age of 42 I became TheTieQueen! 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I love working with paints and jewels, mixing and matching patterns. I am most known for my handmade bowties and fedoras. I also design jackets and coats. This year I started offering my customers styling services and bringing in ready-to-wear garments from other venders, currently, my boutique is online and in-person styling/shopping by appointment only. I am still and will always be in healthcare which I also love. In 2019 I opened Loving Care Elder services, round-the-clock care for those in the community that can’t afford the high cost of a nursing or rehab facilities, Loving Care was closed due to the pandemic. I plan to reopen next year, what can I say I’m a jack of all trades! 

What makes you happy?
I will be a grandmother this year. My children have grown up happy, safe, and healthy and I’m doing what I love so this is happiness for me. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carolynsstylestudio.co
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thetiequeen
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/StyleStudioByTheTieQueen
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCHj5QNnlpg83KX8wu5ZmodQ

Image Credits
Carolyn Drakes