Hi, guys! My name is Achieng Agutu. Achi, for short. I am a fashion lover, a storyteller, a fine diner, a poet and a dancer. I am a 20-year-old from Kenya currently residing in Goshen, Indiana. I have a passion for my generation, especially women, embracing their purpose, their true selves and their ability to reach their full potential.

I recently launched a blog called “No Ordinary Noire” also know as NON. No Ordinary Noire is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog created to celebrate, empower and showcase the beauty that is women of color through personal style, self-care, self-love, and self-acceptance.  I believe that when you enhance your vibe, you empower your tribe.

I like to think of No Ordinary Noire as a fierce black woman who is seeking to manifest the greatest version of herself. An independent spirit and a rebel, in the midst of life transitions – whether that be graduating from college, moving to a new city, leaving bad habits behind, embracing the newly single life, switching up her self-care routines or starting a new career. She’s not afraid to make bold choices.

She is opinionated, funny, she loves herself, loves the skin that she is in and is not afraid to jump outside of her comfort zone. She loves fashion and design and is not afraid to try out different trends. She is highly ambitious, but for all the right reasons: to make an impact on others and inspire them to go after their dreams. The fierce NON woman is a beautiful work in progress.

I intentionally created this blog so that it can offer more than a singular view of beauty, living, and explorations. NON is a multifaceted space that serves as an entry point to help weave the wanderlust, the elegant, and the memorable in our day-to-day lives.

I strongly believe in cultivating your own magic and power through personal growth, and that is exactly what NON strives to do. This is a platform where passion runs deep, this is a platform where you can live and think outside of the box. NON is a place where a variety of unique experiences meet, so that they can invigorate the mind, body, and soul. This is space where I document the things that inspire me the most in hopes that they might also inspire you to explore a different way of living, loving and being so that you can live life to the fullest.

Follwing is an excerpt of one of my most recent posts, titled ‘September is for the stylish daredevil.’

This one goes out to all my beautiful sisters. Understand your worth and know your beauty; know your power and know your strength. Love yourself.

I’m tired…I’m tired of adhering to the dress code society has put in place for me.

Society: You can’t wear that, that’s too short. That is too tight! That is way too revealing. I can see your bra strap. Are you even wearing a bra? I see your nipples through your shirt. You’ll never get a job dressing like that. You look ghetto with hoop earrings. You’re too fat to wear that. You’re way too thin to pull that off. You’re way too dark skinned for that color to look good on you.

Me: Clothes aren’t going to change the world, the women wearing them will.

September is for the stylish daredevil. This month is for the woman who is tired of conforming to society’s rules of what to wear and what not to wear. This month is for the woman who wants to flaunt her curves, flaunt her curls and all the beauty she has been asked to cover up. This month is for the woman who dresses for herself and for no one else. This month is for the phenomenal woman. This month is for the woman who will change our world with her words. This month is for the woman; this month is for you…

To see more, subscribe to my blog at www.noordinarynoire.com

Join me in this collective journey into womanhood as I strut down this path, fiercely fashionable and highly confident, every high heeled step of the way.