Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1540272
October/November 2025 | maconmagazine.com 67 MFW: Nov. 2-8 –Program information and VIP tickets at maconfashionweek.com. For more, listen to the designers on our podcast, In Conversation with Macon Magazine. Monique Nicole Pitts-Taylor, wearing pants she created next to her own dress. Tell me about yourself. I actually went to school for it. I studied at Clark Atlanta University. I have a bachelor's degree. I have two, one in business and another in fashion design and merchandising, and I love it so much. Me and my dad had a plan. I fell in love with the fashion department [at Clark], and so I called my dad and said, "Hey, ...I'm not gonna do marketing anymore. I just want to do fashion." He said, "That wasn't the plan. You can't do it." So I really had to prove I can do it. I had to find a way to keep the plan with him, but then pursue my passion. That's how I end up with two degrees. I got an opportunity to study abroad, so I spent some time in London, in Paris. What influences you? It's just anything that's really beautiful … I like timeless pieces. I just want it to always represent good times, beauty, and good memories for people. That's the goal. I want my clients to walk in the room confident, and that sets the tone for the night. My mom Angela Pitts and my sister Arnitra Salter … They always encouraged me and empowered me to believe in myself. Can you share any challenges? I'm also a mom, I'm a wife, I'm a lot of things. And so really the biggest challenge is not to quit. One of the main struggles that all women struggle is how to balance it all and how to keep yourself as a priority. My passion has to be a priority. When life happens, the first thing I think to do is focus on everyone else. And that means putting my clothes to the side. I've learned I cannot do that because designing is therapy for me. It helps me express myself. And when I do not do it, I can see the difference, and I suffer and therefore people around me suffer as well. It's really my expression. It's really my voice. Why shoud we host a Macon Fashion Week? When studying abroad, … being a fashion designer was very much so possible. But coming back home, it was like, "Oh, you can't do that." I feel Macon Fashion Week will encourage those current designers and the up and coming that it is possible. That you can be a creative, and you can work, and make a good living. Contact: @mnicoleinc mnicoleinc mnicole.com MONIQUE NICOLE PITTS-TAYLOR