A small-town girl named Aarika Michel has been making some impressive waves throughout the fashion industry lately considering her relatively humble upbringing. This just goes to prove just how far a tenacious spirit can take anyone.
CHICAGO - Aarika Michel wore Tommy Hilfiger athletic shoes when she played basketball in junior high school.
The red, white and blue label was cool in the early years of the millennium, and Michel, 27, knew it.
“Everyone thought I was crazy,” she says, referring to friends and classmates in her hometown of Forman, N.D.
Years after wearing those Tommy shoes, Michel left Forman to pursue a career in fashion, and she’s worked her way up to visual and creative manager for Topshop and Topman (British fashion brands with stores worldwide) in Chicago.
Michel’s friends say she’s always been ahead of the fashion curve, even since junior high school, so they weren’t surprised when she moved to New York City and then Chicago. Read More
