Every artist has a muse, and 9-year-olds are no exception.
Kayla Ogunsemore’s muse has platinum blonde hair and twinkling hazel eyes. He sits patiently through fittings and photoshoots, wearing everything from Batman masks to Russian fur caps.
Tangle, a 5-year-old golden retriever, is the face of Kayla’s debut fashion line, Brown Sugar Kids. Named after Kayla’s childhood nickname, “Brown Sugar,” the collection includes eight designs, each featuring Tangle in a different costume.
Kayla’s parents, Wendy and Olugbenro “Olu” Ogunsemore, are the founders of Brown Sugar Kids’ parent company, the clothing brand Trustee Apparel, based in Edmonds.
“The world doesn’t need another shirt,” Wendy Ogunsemore said of their motivation for starting Trustee. “The world needs more conversations.”
Kayla’s line was a way to wear her passion for helping animals on her sleeves.
“I love all animals and I really wanted to help them,” she said.
After she was turned away from volunteering at a local animal shelter because of minimum age requirements, Kayla found her own way to help animals: donating a portion of her line’s proceeds to local animal shelters.
“Tangle inspires me,” Kayla said. “He’s so soft, and cheers me up when I’m sad.”
As Kayla’s best friend, Tangle was the best choice to represent Brown Sugar Kids. Tangle waits for her at the door when she gets home from school. They go for walks together. At the end of the day, they snuggle up together in Kayla’s bed.
“I get my best ideas when I sleep,” said Kayla. “I dream up cute new costumes for Tangle to wear.”
Sometimes she even wears Tangle to bed. Brown Sugar Kids, like Trustee Apparel, prints on a special polyester blend, resulting in a pajama-like softness and breathability similar to top selling athletic brands.
“When we first got the shirts, the kids really wanted to sleep in them,” mom Wendy said of the ultra soft fabric.
Kayla has two brothers, Malakai, 6, and Isaiah, 3, who serve as her models. They don’t complain when Kayla raids their closets for clothes to put on Tangle. They even offer suggestions for her next shoot.
“They like sports,” Kayla said of her brothers. “But they help me come up with new ideas.”
She’s always brainstorming for her next session with Tangle. Creativity is in the Ogunsemore bloodline. Kayla’s great-grandfather was a photographer, and other relatives include sculptors, painters and fabric weavers.
Olu Ogunsemore is an acclaimed photographer who spent his childhood in the U.S. and Nigeria.
He’s inspired by the rich colors of Nigerian fashion and the dynamic sartorial scene in New York City.
His mother encouraged him to take pride in his own artistic ideas. “She always told me to write down everything,” he said. “Your art and your ideas are your currency.”
Kayla’s ideas are kept in a red spiral notebook, with the words “Brown Sugar Empire” written in bold Sharpie on the cover. Inside, she sketches new designs with Tangle.
Kayla has dreams to expand her brand’s repertoire soon. “Next I want to use cats, dogs and baby animals.” Other children submit pictures of their own dogs to her on Instagram.
While Kayla and her photographer dad are growing their collection creatively, her mom taps into her marketing experience to grow the business behind the scenes.
Wendy Ogunsemore was raised in Samish Island. She moved to New York City after graduating from the University of Washington.
A job in media marketing had her running in the same circles as Kayla’s father. The two married and moved to Edmonds 10 years ago.
Their combined experience in marketing and photography makes them a strong partnership in a competitive industry. They want to pass that diverse skill set on to Kayla.
“It was important for us to support the creative process for her, and for her to see how to turn that creative into a business that you’re proud of,” Wendy said. “There’s definitely some girl power in there, too.”
For now, the creative aspect of the business is what drives Kayla. She browses Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration from fellow artists.
Kayla’s favorite part of the business is photographing Tangle with her dad. Olu positions the lights, and then it’s up to Kayla to direct Tangle and take the pictures that are printed on the shirts.
They wake up early to work on shoots together.
“I’ll wake up and find them in the living room,” said Wendy. It reminds her of their wilder New York days. “I’d wake up to him working and find all these random people in our living room, and he’s doing a photoshoot.”
Olu still flies to New York for photography gigs and family visits. Sometimes, the whole family gets to tag along.
Kayla’s must-see recommendation for your next trip to the Big Apple: the swanky two-story Toys R Us.
The Brown Sugar Empress deserves no less.
The story was changed to note the correct breed of Tangle the dog.
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