For our final installment of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund mentor and designer finalist questions series, we checked in with the Sherri McMullen, owner of the chic McMullen boutiques in Oakland and Palo Alto, California. For this year’s Fashion Fund, McMullen serves as mentor to mother-daughter duo Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka of finalist House of Aama. We reached out to see what questions they had for one another.

Sherri McMullen to House of Aama’s Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka

Tell me how and why you started your design business?  

How has it been working together as mother and daughter and how do you divide your roles? 

I know some of your collection’s inspiration is derived from historical references and moments in Black culture.  Tell us about your Spring ’22 collection and the inspiration for it? 

What are your favorite pieces from the Spring ’22 collection? 

How do you stay inspired? 

House of Aama’s Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka to Sherri McMullen 

When and why did you open the McMullen boutique?

What types of items do you sell in your boutique?

What motivates your purchasing decisions for your boutique?

What designers are you excited about right now?

What are fashion, accessory and shoe trends that you see now and for Spring-Summer ’22?

Why open a boutique in Oakland, CA?