College student Journey Carter has the usual concerns of an 18-year-old student such as maintaining her studies and planning for a bright future, yet the freshman at historically Black university Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, is also a fashion entrepreneur and owner of The Journey Collection brand. Carter’s fashion story began six years ago when she wanted to become an entrepreneur, inspired by her mother, Dr. Holly Carter.

The young Los Angeles–raised designer’s mission was to spread a message of encouraging people to embrace the qualities that make them different, unique and, even, a bit weird.