Kyria Cooper has always been interested in fashion.
“I always knew what I wanted to do,” she said. “I’ve never had to second-guess what I wanted to do in life; I always knew.”
The 22-year-old graduated in May from Delta State University with a bachelor's degree in family and consumer sciences with a concentration in fashion merchandising. While in college, she started her own clothing design business, The Kyria Collection, which she continues to operate and has plans for expanding.
The Kyria Collection features Cooper’s unique and creative designs, from handsewn items to custom-painted jeans. Already a local sensation, Cooper is on the road to becoming a breakout star in the fashion industry. She wields a sewing machine like a seasoned pro. But that wasn’t always the case.
“I remember when I started off; I used to stick myself with the needle,” Cooper recalled. “And now it’s like I just know how to do it with my eyes closed. I know a sewing machine.”
Cooper learned how to sew during her sophomore year of high school. At her father’s encouragement, Cooper enrolled in ArtPlace Mississippi’s sewing program, led by instructor and textile artist Yolande Van Heerden.
“The thing about it was, I always wanted to do it, but I didn’t know where to start,” said Cooper.
Her father, Gregory Cooper Sr., owner of Greenwood business Hope’s Treasure Chest, knew Van Heerden and about the sewing class and thought the program would be a great fit for his daughter.
“He thought it would be a good idea that I should come over here to enhance my skills,” said the Amanda Elzy High School graduate.
ArtPlace’s after-school sewing program, now called Project Runway Greenwood, introduces students to the fundamentals of working with a sewing machine, how use patterns and how to make clothing, among other items.
“I see a little bit of myself in the students,” said Van Heerden. “Because when I was their age, nobody showed me how to sew but my mother did have a sewing machine, and I went and played on it and constantly broke it and then she would have to fix it.”
She felt joy in those moments trying to learn to sew, and that’s one of Van Heerden’s goals with the class – to share that joy of sewing, of each student creating a one-of-kind item.
Cooper remembers the class being hard at first, particularly learning how to use the sewing machine.
“I used to cut prick my finger a lot,” she said. “I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know if want to do this,’ and then I just had to get used to using it.”
One of funniest parts of the class is that the students quickly begin creating. Cooper made pillowcases, a makeup bag, a romper, dresses and more. She learned how to use pattern instructions for making clothes.
“I really enjoyed my time here,” she said.
The first item Cooper sewed was a keychain.
“I was so happy,” she said.
She made two for herself and one for her mother, Tammy Collins of Greenwood.
After successfully sewing keychains, Cooper love of sewing began.
“I was like, ‘I like this,’ and you could choose whatever pattern you wanted,” she said. “I could make it the way I wanted it to look, and you can’t find that in the store.”
Then came her first piece of clothing.
“It was hard,” Cooper admitted. “It was hard, because the first thing I made was a dress, and it had pockets in it. I had never done anything like that, anyway clothing-wise.”
She had to learn to use pattern instructions, how to measure herself, figure out sizing, cut fabric, sew a zipper, how to place pockets and how to do back stitching.
“It was a long process,” said Cooper. “It was a lot of stuff, but it was worth it in the end -- it was very much worth it in the end.”
Cooper and eight other sewing students wore their designs in ArtPlace’s first fashion show, which capped the end of the class.
She attended the program throughout high school. At the end of the class during her senior year, she was even awarded her very own sewing machine.
But it was during her second year of sewing program that Cooper had an experience that made a lasting impression on her.
Van Heerden took her students on a field trip to Delta State’s fashion merchandising department.
“My goal of the sewing program is to try and encourage as many students to go to school, not necessarily to study anything with sewing, but it’s a way to get in there in the school,” said the sewing instructor. “It will just open up to a range of possibilities.”
Cooper still remembers that visit vividly.
“When we got there, they had these T-shirts set out for us and paint, and they told us we could make the shirt however we wanted the shirt to look,” she said.
The students got a tour of the campus and learned all about the fashion merchandising program.
At the time, Cooper was a junior and had not made up her mind about where she would attend college. After that visit to DSU, she said, “It was at the top of my list. At that time, I had others I was still looking at for school, but it was at the top of my list.”
As she was making a decision about college during her senior year, Cooper thought back to the at field trip.
“I kind of liked that it was a small setting, and I don’t like to be in big classrooms. I liked the instructor, and the students were so helpful, and I liked being around people like that,” she said.
Plus, the school wasn’t too far from home, and she knew what to expect.
“So I decided to just go there,” she said.
Cooper’s sewing experience she acquired at ArtPlace put her a step ahead as a freshman at Delta State.
“When I got to college, I already knew how to sew,” she said. “Other students who were in the major with me, some couldn’t sew, so I was the helper in the classroom. It was good to already know what I needed to do, so it was smooth sailing for me.”
One of her first fashion projects in college is also one of her most memorable.
The students were challenged with coming up with their own creative designs using an “environment” theme.
“I actually made a leaf outfit,” said Cooper.
She created an ensemble using real leaves. The dress she made from the leaves was hand-painted.
“I had never done anything like that before, and we had to do something outside of the box, and it was like the outfit had to be surrounded by the environment,” she said.
She worked on her design during class, which met twice a week for two hours. She finished it in three weeks, and it was modeled in a school fashion show, which Van Heerden attended.
“That was real exciting; everyone did their own different styles,” Cooper said.
Seeing the model wear her design in the fashion show, Cooper thought, “This is something I would really like to do for real. I can get used to that.”
In February, during Cooper’s final semester of college, some of the DSU fashion merchandising students attended the biggest international fashion event – New York Fashion Week.
“We got to participate in fashion shows, and we got to help backstage,” said Cooper. “I was so shocked that I was there because that was always something that was on my bucket list to do, to go to New York Fashion Week. I never thought that I would do it in college.”
The students got to dress the models and help set up for the fashion shows. They got to help with hair and makeup and received tips – and samples – from the luxury makeup brand, Charlotte Tilbury.
It was an experience Cooper will never forget, and one she hopes to have again in the future.
The recent college graduate’s goal is to expand her current business, The Kyria Collection, which she started in 2020. Currently, she takes orders through social media, mainly Facebook and Instagram.
“I love when I get a notification saying I was tagged in something, because I know they’ve put the outfit on, and I love to see it,” said Cooper. “It looks good when I do it, but it looks even better when I see them wear it. It makes me want to keep doing it.”
She has plans for a website and to soon move to Southaven, where she’d like to have a storefront location for her business.
“Kyria was always a really good student. She never played around, she never goofed around, and that is also a testament to her success in college,” said Van Heerden. “She just focused and got the job done, and she will continue with that same attitude and have a successful business. It’s so nice to see her come full circle.”
Cooper still thinks back to those first days at ArtPlace with a smile, from pricking her finger on the sewing needle to where she is now – studying fashion in college, participating in New York Fashion Week, earning a bachelor’s degree and having her own custom clothing business.
“I feel like everything happens for a reason, and it’s like I always knew I would take this path,” Cooper said.
