Quela Mikell
Owner of Royal Jewelz Designs

"Self-esteem goes way up when you realize you can step up and say, 'This is who I am, this is what I have, and if you can't use it, well, fine, thank you and have a good day!'"
— Quela Mikell

Quela Mikell began sewing at the age of nine, when she and a friend would create fashionable outfits for her Barbie dolls using discarded materials like separated egg cartons and old nylon stockings. After receiving formal sewing training in high school and junior college, Quela worked as a quality control inspector in the garment industry. She eventually left her position to start a business that would recapture the creativity that sewing initially inspired.

When Quela came to Women's Initiative for business management training, she had already launched Royal Jewelz Loungewear, a line of unisex boxers, long pants, dashikis, kimonos, and bathrobes made of high-quality, 100% cotton African fabrics. "I thought that if my product is good and everybody wants it, I'll just go out there and sell it," Quela explains. She discovered that running a successful small business was a more complex endeavor. "It's knowing who your market is, how to find your market, what the market will bear and what's popular," she says.

Quela admits there were parts of her Women's Initiative training that were challenging, such as developing cash flow statements and a business plan. However, her small business consultant helped to push her over these hurdles, reminding Quela of all that she had accomplished and encouraging her to reach for more. Atlhough she graduated from the program in 2001, Quela continues to seek guidance from Women's Initiative in the form of business consultations to stay focused and develop realistic expectations.

Today Quela runs a successful "mobile retail unit," meaning that she sells her designs at fairs, festivals and other venues throughout the state of California. When customers at these events try on her full-length bathrobes in royal blue and purple, their posture improves and they get a bit of a swagger in their step. Such reactions demonstrate that Quela has succeeded in creating loungewear that is, in her own words, "not just a fashion statement — it is wearable art."


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