From Central VPA to Neiman Marcus: Afton Johnson

From a high school fashion show to Neiman Marcus, St. Louis designer Afton Johnson is building a legacy and preparing to pass it on.

The moment that changed everything happened in a high school auditorium.

The lights were bright. The music was loud. Students packed into the seats at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, watching the annual fashion show unfold on stage. Somewhere in the crowd, a young girl sat curiously watching her older sister on the runway.

“It was electrifying,” Afton Johnson remembers. “I was sitting there thinking, ‘That’s MY BIG SISTER!’ “

A synapse fired in her brain at that precise moment, one so electrifying that she remembers it distinctly to this day. While Afton absorbed the energy in the room, inhaled the models’ confidence, and palpably noted how the audience reacted to each look, the impact landed viscerally. “I remember thinking I wanted to make people feel how I felt right then.”

That feeling would become the foundation of a successful career.

The Teacher Who Refused to Let Her Quit

When she enrolled at Central VPA, she already knew what major she wanted. Fashion design. Except there was one problem: the major was full. “I couldn’t get in my freshman year,” she says. “But I knew I was getting in eventually.” So, she spent that year studying music and dance instead. Anything creative that would keep her close to the arts.

By sophomore year, she finally made it into the design program. At first, the learning curve was steep. “I wasn’t naturally good at it right away,” she says. “But something in me just wanted to do it.”

By senior year, she was designing wedding gowns.

One of those gowns, created with guidance from her instructor, Ms. Easter, was selected for display in the fashion district at Famous Barr downtown, a major moment for a young designer still in high school.

“That was when I really started thinking, okay… maybe this is real.”

Still, college didn’t feel certain.

No one in her immediate family had gone. She was preparing to move straight into the workforce instead. Ms. Easter had other plans. “She told me, ‘No. You’re going to school for fashion.’ “

Soon after, a representative from the Art Institute of Chicago visited the classroom. The timing felt serendipitous. “I went home that day with the application and told my parents I wanted to go to college.” Her parents were supportive and stood by Afton as she pursued her dreams.

Sewing With a Baby Beside Her

Her path eventually led her to Lindenwood University, where she studied fashion design. While she was still in school, she had her daughter. “I was literally in lab classes with a pumpkin seat and my baby sitting right there,” she says. “People loved her. She just came to class with me while I was sewing.”

Later, when her daughter became sick, she had to step away from school for a time. For many people, that might have ended the dream. For her, it simply changed the strategy. “I said, I’m still doing this,” she says.

She started focusing fully on building her design business in St. Louis through fashion shows, client development, and gradual reputation-building. Then, once social media arrived, word traveled faster. “Once Facebook came along, that helped with advertising,” she says. “Things just kept growing.”

Her Neiman Marcus Moment

This year marks her third appearance in the Black Creatives in the Lou designer showcase and her second time participating in the exhibition at Neiman Marcus St. Louis. Walking into the store and seeing her work styled by the store’s merchandising team was a moment of quiet disbelief. She stood still, taking it all in. “They style my pieces the same way they style Ralph Lauren and the other major designers,” she says. “That part really hit me.”

The showcase, curated and organized by Yolanda “Yoro” Newson, has become one of the most important platforms for Black creatives in the region. And for Afton, Yoro’s impact hits beyond the runways and shows. “The way Yoro advocates for creatives is incredible,” she says. “She’s always sending opportunities, connecting people, making sure we’re seen.”

The collective has also created something just as meaningful: a circle of artists pushing each other to higher heights. “We’ve watched each other grow over the years,” she says. “And every year the work gets better.”

Designing for the People Who Show Up

Today, her business is especially known for bespoke prom gowns, a lucrative niche she has embraced fully. Prom season brings a steady stream of young women looking for something designed specifically for them. Something they won’t see on a rack, or on anyone else.

And Afton’s vision for the future has begun to shift. Early in her career, she imagined working with celebrities and high-profile styling clients.

Now, she sees things differently. “I realized I actually love my regular clients,” she says. “The people who clock out of their nine-to-fives and come to me because they want something special.” The clients who save for their garments and return year after year are the foundation of her business. “They work hard for their money,” she says. “And I treat that with respect.”

“If I could be a footnote in someone else’s story, if someone says I helped teach them, and they went on to do amazing things, that would fulfill me.”

– Afton Johnson

The Next Chapter

Recently, Afton has been thinking about what comes after the next collection, the next season, the next showcase. She wants to share her knowledge of craft. “I feel like my purpose is to pass this on,” she says. From the sewing techniques to the design process, and the lessons she’s learned about business, relationships, and respect for clients, she hopes to pay it forward.

“If I could be a footnote in someone else’s story,” she says, “if someone says I helped teach them and they went on to do amazing things, that would fulfill me.” It’s a full-circle vision. Years ago, one teacher saw something in her and refused to let her walk away from it. Now, she hopes to do the same for someone else.

Sometimes, the most important moment in a designer’s career starts quietly, internally, in an auditorium seat, as the lights come up and you realize your life will never be the same.