"You can't become a fashion designer!”
At just 12 years old, I quickly realized that everyone around me agreed with the above statement. I was advised to pick a simpler career path, something more suited for a young woman.
As a young mother, the negativity around my dreams only intensified. “Now you can really forget about fashion designing. Only very few manage to do that anyway, and certainly not a young, headscarf-wearing, single mother with a migration background.”
But despite these discouragements, I passed the entrance exam and enrolled in fashion school a few years later. Even then, the voices persisted: “You have no future in Germany. It will be impossible for you to make your mark in this competitive industry.”
To all young women with big dreams and goals, who hear similar voices bringing them down, I would like to speak to you directly: Believe in yourself, even if nobody else does. Never let anyone talk you out of your big dreams. Only you know what you want.
The world has yet to fully embrace the idea that the willpower of a young student, woman, and mother, should not be underestimated. You are perfect just the way you are. You are a born queen. Today and every day.
This is the journey of Meriem Lebdiri, who refused to give up on her dreams. And in 15 years, I had my first fashion show in Washington. Then it was off to London for the top 10 designer nominations, and then Dubai.
Now, I have established my second fashion label under my own name, MERIEM LEBDIRI. And in exactly 20 years, I received an award for my work as a fashion designer from the German federal government.
So to my 12-year-old self, thank you for not giving up on your dream. I am Meriem Lebdiri, and I am a fashion designer.
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