Her Haitian roots shaped her bold style — now she’s helping others find theirs

Growing up, personal stylist Rasheena Liberté says her mother often mocked her eclectic style — bold color and pattern mixes influenced by her father’s Haitian culture. Over time, those combinations became her signature look.

That influence now shapes not only how she dresses but how she approaches fashion more broadly. At Nordstrom, Liberté met with The Haitian Times to discuss spring trends and how to refresh a wardrobe for the season with a distinctly Haitian flair.

Her approach is also rooted in personal loss. Liberté recently lost her father, whom she describes as a major influence on her sense of style and self-expression, after his extrajudicial deportation to Haiti. Though he was a citizen, the deportation cut off his access to life-saving medical care. He died shortly after.

That experience has deepened her connection to identity and self-expression — themes she carries into her work as a stylist.

As spring invites renewal, Liberté encourages people to start with what they already own — and who they are.

“When your style is based on who you are,” she said, “it can never be wrong.”

Editorial Note: The interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

The Haitian Times: What can people do to prepare their wardrobe for the spring? 

Rasheena Liberté: First, because I am a stylist, I have to tell them to look at their wardrobe and identify the gaps. What don’t I have? A shoe deficit? A coat deficit? A pants or shirt deficit? For spring, I would say go for a cool coat because spring is one of those times when your coat really matters. Once the weather warms up, the easiest way to stand out without overspending is by adding some cool spring jackets that can work across different aesthetics in your wardrobe. A cool trench, a cool bomber, a cool leather [jacket], a cool denim jacket. Same with shoes. If you have deficits in your shoe game, add some color. If you have red, white, black, and nude, add a shoe in a different color. That’s an easy way to incorporate spring into your wardrobe.

THT: What is one spring fashion tip for everyday people? 

Liberté: Spring is the best time to utilize your wardrobe. This is a great time to wear your skirts that never really get a moment. Take a risk and wear them paired with something more casual if they feel too dressy. It’s also a great time to bring out those in-between shoes. Play around with the shoes that you never wear. Accessorize with fun scarves and cool hats because the weather is in that in-between zone. 

My biggest tip, regardless of season, but especially for spring: don’t designate items to certain seasons. Sometimes you look at something and think it’s a winter piece because of the color, but it really just takes a contrasting color to brighten it. Pick up a color wheel. Look at the contrasting colors, the ones on the opposite side. Play with your winter pieces in new ways. You probably already have what you need. You just need to learn how to style it.

THT: What trends are you seeing for spring? 

Liberté: Do you remember culottes? They’re coming back. Flares are back in. Low-waist is coming back and I know people are going to have feelings about that because high-waist has been so good for a lot of us. But low-waist and mid-rise are making their return. They’re walking away from barrel jeans and bringing back some skinny jeans after everything they put us through about skinny jeans. I hope everyone didn’t throw those out. 

Draping is also coming back, draped tops and draped dresses. And something that’s not necessarily a trend but a shift: people are starting to dress up again. Places are requiring a little more professionalism, more business attire. I think we became too casual. We were in a sweatpants era for a long time. I’ve seen an uptick in people coming in saying they want to look more elevated, dress their age, and have more elevated daily looks.

THT: How does your Haitian heritage play a part in your style and the life you’re creating for yourself?

Liberté: My dad is literally one of the flyest people I know. And growing up, my mom would get frustrated when it was time for me to get dressed because I was so particular. I love to mix and match my colors. And she was like, things are supposed to match. She always said, “It’s the Haitian in your blood.” My mom’s Jamaican, so she was always like, “It’s your Haitian blood — you just don’t like to match.” And honestly, I generally didn’t like matching. It adds so much depth to my style. I love the colors, the vibrancy. 

My dad was always positive, always full of life, very colorful and I feel like that’s where my colorful side comes from. That risk-taking, joyful energy. It reminds me of the vibrant culture and the food. So I’m very big on mixing and matching prints, mixing textures, and doing things that don’t work conventionally. 

THT: How would you describe yourself and your business?

Liberté: I would say [I’m]  a personal style educator. When I started styling people for everyday life, I realized how much it was like doing people’s homework for them. You don’t appreciate it as much and then [they would] become reliant on me. I don’t want that. I want you to feel independent. I want you to maybe reach out quarterly or annually when your style is developing and you want some validation on what to buy. 

One time, a client asked me what type of socks she should wear. I was like, no one’s going to see your socks. And that’s when I knew I had to take a step back. So I would say I’m a personal style educator because I’m helping you with your style while teaching you. I’m going to give you the lifelong tools you need to continue to replicate what I’ve done for you. Because every time you need to get dressed, you can’t call me.

THT: You’ve previously stated that you want to introduce people to parts of themselves. Could you elaborate on that?

Liberté: When someone wants to work on their style, I start with three characteristics about themselves that are not in relation to how they show up for other people. That is usually a hard question because a lot of people think about themselves in terms of how helpful they are to the world around them: the type of parent they are, the type of worker they are. They think about all of those aspects of their life, which is important. But when it comes to who you are at your core — when you’re at home by yourself, and it’s quiet and no one’s there — what do you like? 

Think about what your best day ever looks like. If you had one day to do whatever you want, what would you do? That’s where I want people to draw from. What I’ve learned is that [clients] want my confidence. 

If I show them their confidence through their style, then they’ll feel how I feel.

The post Her Haitian roots shaped her bold style — now she’s helping others find theirs appeared first on The Haitian Times.