Timeekah Murphy: The Face Behind Luxury Streetwear Brand, Alani Taylor
If you were following the Grammys over a week ago, you may have come across pictures and videos of DaBaby hosting his own mini Grammy Red Carpet with his daughter, Princess. Children were not allowed to attend the show this year due to COVID-19 measures, but didn’t stop DaBaby and his daughter from staging a photoshoot of their own. Princess wore an adorable Cinderella-style yellow gown embellished with sparkles. The dress was custom-designed by Alani Taylor’s Timeekah Murphy, who was able to create the dress within a few hours on the day of. The story behind the creation of this dress is unique, but the story of the designer behind the dress may be more so.
Timeekah Murphy is the owner of Alani Taylor, a luxury streetwear brand that launched in 2016. You may have already seen some of her designs since her work has already been featured on A-listers. She was also recently awarded a $25K grant by Fashion Nova and Meg Thee Stallion for their “Women on Top” campaign. From designing the white lace and rope gown for Beyoncé in Black is King, to designing the handmade red rope dress for Cardi B. worn at the 2019 MTV VMAs, Murphy has an impressive and bustling portfolio.
Her fashion story begins in 2010, when she taught herself how to sew while serving in the military. Fashion was not something that she grew up with, but was rather something that “fell in her lap.” Even as a novice to the field, Murphy knew that she wanted to be a “going against the grain type of designer.” To her, fashion is freedom and not bound by rules. Through her designs, Murphy has gone beyond genders, labels, and trends. She instead designs based on the confidence she wants to bring out in others, both men and women. Stylewise, she loves mixing colors and patterns, especially ones that most people would not put together in an outfit, to create androgynous, statement looks.
