About Us

 Hey y'all! My name is Leilani Clendenin.

I started Colored by Lani 5 years ago, when I was 16. What started off as me painting my favorite cartoons on shirts, shoes and jackets, turned into me deciding to DIY my entire closet. When I graduated high school and prepared for college, I realized that I wouldn't have time to do my hair as often anymore and needed something that would fit my 4C fro (a simple scarf wasn't gonna cut it, and I did not know how to tie headwraps yet).

I've always been inspired by African wear- specifically Ankara prints and the Adinkra symbols found on them, as well as the fashion of the Black diaspora as a whole. Scrolling through YouTube I saw a video on sewing custom bonnets and with these and my other DIY projects, here we are!

In reference to the name of CBL: "Colored" was a term on display during the Jim Crow era to oppress people of the Black Diaspora and many others. This word, outside of this context, is associated with art- and black people are just that! ART.  Colored by Lani aims to reclaim this term by using it to express the  beauty of black people through fashion/art.

This website is a manifestation of the people, shows, music, colors, and more that have inspired me or influenced who I am today. It is a space for me to create for others and make for the community that has made me. Enough people have  believed in me and encouraged me to this point of creating a business- that through prayer and patience is growing into more than I could have ever dreamt.

To you dear customer reading this now, thank you for your support through this journey. I pray that what you gain from these items is deeper understanding of self and the culture, comfort, confidence, and a new reason to smile! 

From the bottom of my heart, Thank you

-Leilani Clendenin, CEO