As a little girl, NC State alumna Kayla Brewer remembers playing with Barbie dolls for hours — but not because they were dolls. Brewer was far more interested in changing the doll’s outfits, and styling them in fun, unique ways. For Brewer, a love of fashion was not merely a passing adolescent phase, but the beginning of a long-term relationship in a field that proved to be just the right fit. Now, Brewer operates Voda Boutique, a women’s clothing and accessory boutique in downtown Raleigh.
Although Brewer’s interest in the fashion industry started at an early age, it was only when thinking about where to go to college that she contemplated turning her passion into a career. After her mother did some research and learned of NC State’s well-recognized College of Textiles, Brewer participated in STEP — The College of Textiles’s Summer Textile Exploration Program.
“I did that for a week before my senior year and really fell in love with the program at State, and so I went on and applied, got accepted and started school,” Brewer said.
Brewer studied fashion and textile management while at NC State, and gained even more real world experience in the field by interning at an online clothing boutique and working for a women’s clothing boutique in Cary, North Carolina. At that point, Brewer knew she wanted to open her own store, and each and every job opportunity and class within her area of study worked to prepare her for the mission of opening her own business.
Associate Head and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the College of Textiles Kristin Thoney-Barletta, works to provide College of Textiles students with opportunities to learn the ins and outs of an always-evolving field.
“We like to bring in guest speakers, and have our students interface with the industry through our Executive-in-Residence program, where at least once a semester we bring in an executive [who] meets with different classes and small groups of students to talk about their experience in the textile and apparel industry,” Thoney-Barletta said.
The program also offers entrepreneurship and management courses, providing students with useful skills needed to open a business. Even so, it clearly takes more than taking an entrepreneurship class to successfully run a business, as Thoney-Barletta shared.
“I think it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of persistence,” Thoney-Barletta said. “Taking advantage of a wide variety of opportunities is very helpful.”
For Brewer, this meant working as an assistant manager at a boutique in Charlotte after graduating, a career move that she credits much of her success to. After gaining crucial management experience, Brewer went about starting a boutique of her very own back in the City of Oaks. Her path to starting Voda Boutique, which opened in August, was one filled with ups and downs but, ultimately, was successful.
“It wasn’t easy, but I knew it was worth it so I powered through,” Brewer said. “A lot of the things I learned, I learned along the way.”
From jewel-toned velvet skirts to floral off-the-shoulder blouses, the Raleigh-based boutique hosts pieces fit for a wide range of occasions. When Brewer made her first purchase order for the store, she was unaware of her clientele and, as a result, ended up ordering clothing and accessory items that resembled her own personal style. Since Brewer grew up with fashion close to heart — whether it be watching fashion savvy YouTubers or admiring intricate dance costumes — her boutique’s aesthetic is effortlessly fresh.
“I think that Voda’s style is trendy, with a splash of boho and edgy, but can also be sophisticated,” Brewer said. “I try to have pieces in the store that can accommodate all ages and price points.”
As autumn brings heeled boots, chunky sweaters and oversized scarves back to life, Brewer has one go-to item that remains a personal favorite for the season.
“I’ve always thought a good outfit is accessorized with a jacket or that third piece of clothing,” Brewer said. “I don’t think that everyone’s felt that way but, in fall, you see bomber jackets to leather jackets to fur or suede jackets … they’re everywhere. It really can change an outfit to have that extra accessory.”
Brewer is living proof that students can, in fact, achieve their dreams through hard work, dedication and a little sparkle.
NC State alumna Kayla Brewer sits with her dog, Hank, on Wednesday in her Glenwood South Voda Boutique. The clothing studio has been open since June. According to Brewer, the name of the boutique, Voda, is Russian for ‘water.’
