Inspired by “Project Runway,” KC fashion designer goes “full throttle,” on style
Sheraz Pompey had a love for fashion, style and clothing spanning back to his teenage years. He learned to express himself by creatively styling what he had. He often borrowed from siblings and pieced together unique outfits. A fashion design class that he enrolled in at Paseo High School transformed his resourcefulness into a true artistic pursuit. By the time he walked the stage at graduation, he was already designing and sewing his own garments, laying the groundwork for a path.
Instead of chasing success in bigger markets, Pompey stayed rooted in Kansas City and built his name one design at a time. A breakthrough came when he was asked to create a collection for a local fashion show, launching him into the spotlight and solidifying his decision to pursue clothing design professionally. Over a decade later, Pompey co-owns a boutique, The Blueprint KC, with his sister, in Grandview, where he crafts custom looks that defy fast fashion and trend-following.
Recently Pompey sat down with the Star’s culture and identity reporter J.M. Banks and talked about creating fashion inspired moments, telling stories and pushing Kansas City’s fashion culture forward through unapologetic originality.
Can you tell me a bit about your background and how you got started in fashion?
I’ve been in the fashion industry for 11 years. It all began my junior year at Paseo High School. I took a half-semester of fashion design with my teacher, Pamela Lucas, she still teaches today and has her own fashion brand.
Just from that half-semester in her class, I got the inspiration to become a fashion designer. Growing up, I wasn’t always able to afford new clothes or shoes, so I would piece together outfits. Sometimes I would even borrow clothes from my sister or brother just to create different styles.
We started with the basics like taking measurements and making patterns for toddlers’ pants. Then we moved on to adult clothing, and eventually we started designing for ourselves.
After you got involved in high school, at what point did you decide to pursue fashion as a career?
After high school, I started working full time. But I continued making clothes. Even during my senior year, I was still designing. I worked for UPS (human resource center) placing employees out on FMLA/ short term leave for two and a half years. While I worked there I started designing clothes part time.
One of my friends, Bonnie, who runs events and shows here in Kansas City, asked me to create a collection for her fashion show, Coldest Winter Ever, which was held at the Jackson Museum. She had seen some of the designs I had made.
That was my first show, my first time designing publicly and the first time I got noticed for my fashion. I said yes, not knowing what would come from it. From that collection, I started receiving a lot of rave reviews. People began asking me to create garments for them and that’s how it turned into a business. I was making my weekly paycheck from UPS off of one dress so I decided to take the risk and quit my full time job to run my business full time.
Initially, it was just for fun and a way to express my creativity. I made my own clothes to wear out and that became my style. It’s what I’m passionate about. That first fashion show was the moment it all started. I’ve been accepting orders ever since, that was 11 years ago.
Me and my sister own a boutique store in Grandview called Blueprint and I’m the in-house designer.
What items did you make for that first show and what was the inspiration behind that collection?
I remember that first line had a lot of bright, vibrant colors. I believe it was a spring collection. I was inspired by shows like Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model.
I wanted to show variety, so I made one dress in three different colors. I had three models walk out at the same time wearing the same dress in different colors. That was the wow moment of the show, you could even hear the crowd react in the video.
So while I was aiming to surprise people, I also wanted to show variety. In fashion shows, you have costume wear and ready-to-wear. I design ready-to-wear that can be worn straight off the runway.
How would you describe your design style?
I try to make something you’ve never seen before. I would describe it as creative and off-the-wall. I create one-of-one items, when I go out, I always make sure the outfit I designed is better than the last. I make pieces that no one else has and I think that puts me in the category of a trendsetter.
I don’t follow trends, I create them. People draw inspiration from what I design. Being a one-of-one designer has helped shape me into the custom designer I am today. I specialize in customization. By pushing and challenging myself every time, I set myself apart from other designers.
What kind of challenges have you faced as a local designer and how have you overcome them?
Some of the challenges include sourcing materials. Kansas City doesn’t have a large fashion industry. We don’t have many fabric vendors. We just lost Joann’s recently, which was one of the largest fabric retailers for the fashion community here.
Now I have to order almost everything, fabric, scissors, notions, online. Cities like Chicago, LA, and New York have fashion districts, we don’t. That’s still a challenge I deal with today.
Another challenge has been business growth. When I first started, I was seeing maybe five clients a month. Now, during prom season, I see 50 to 60 clients over two to three months.
Building a team has been difficult. Maintaining that growth has been hard.
For our store in Grandview, another challenge is getting foot traffic. Grandview is a little outside the city, so people have to travel. We have to work harder to get the word out and bring customers in.
Where do you get inspiration when you create original pieces?
When I’m working with clients, they usually bring me an inspiration picture for me to recreate, personalize, or completely change. Some clients let me freestyle, which I love.
I’ll ask questions like, “What do you usually wear?” or “Do you want to try something different?” I love when clients let me put them in something new, they’re often surprised in a good way.
Personally, I draw inspiration from shows like Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model, magazines, fashion shows, and big-name designers like Gucci, Balmain, and Alexander McQueen.
I also follow local designers and smaller creatives on Instagram, people like me. There’s so much inspiration out there, even outside of major brands.
With the clients you’re styling, who usually comes in, and what are the benefits of having a stylist create a look for you?
Most of my clients are high school students, especially for prom. My prom clients are usually between 16 and 18 years old, from sophomores to seniors.
Another big part of my clientele is evening wear, birthday dresses for women in their early 20s to late 40s. I also specialize in wedding attire, including wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, mother-of-the-bride outfits, and suits for grooms and groomsmen.
So I see a wide variety of clients throughout the year. From birthday dresses to weddings—you name it, I design it. And for me, it’s fun.
Recently, Terrell Ray announced plans to launch a Met Gala-inspired event here in Kansas City. As a stylist, what are your thoughts?
Yes, I actually spoke with him yesterday when he was getting ready to announce it. He called me for some fashion advice because of the magnitude of the event.
I’m definitely going to attend. I love fashion, and I’ll be designing my own outfit for it. For events like the People’s Choice Awards, I always make my own looks, and I win Best Dressed every year.
So with this being Met Gala-inspired, I can go full throttle on creativity. It’s a chance to go all out and not feel like it’s too much, because it’s fashion.
I’m excited to design for myself and also for others in the city. I expect to be busy with clients requesting custom looks. This is a huge opportunity for designers to showcase their work and really push boundaries.
Do you have any ideas yet on what you are going to be wearing to the KC Met Gala?
Oh, well, part of the theme is City of Fountains, so my inspiration as soon as I heard that was the Plaza Fountain. I started thinking about the different shapes. I draw from that.
I’m a water sign, and I live here. I don’t know if you’re into astrology, but I am, so being a water sign resonates with me, water is peaceful to me.
So first off, the color blue. I’m definitely going to be wearing blue. As far as the design, I’m thinking of ways to create movement that mimics water. That could mean unique draping on the suit, maybe something flowing around the arms. There are a lot of directions I want to go with it, but for sure, I’ll be in blue and representing the flow of water, basically recreating the feeling of fountains. When you see me, you’ll see some form of that.
This year you hosted the black carpet the black carpet at The Kansas City People’s Choice Awards, can you tell me about that experience?
Because I’ve been in the fashion industry for 11 years, I feel like I know a lot about fashion, different styles, materials, all the way down to things like interfacing in suits. I’m very familiar with those details.
I’ve always been honored whenever I’m invited to something where I get to talk fashion with other people. It’s fun for me, figuring out where people find their inspiration and what makes them put certain looks together.
Because when you wear a garment, you don’t just wear it, it wears you too. It’s always interesting to hear what people are thinking when they create or wear an outfit.
Also, putting together my outfit and my best friend Gabby’s outfit, we were co-hosts. Her husband is one of the Chiefs players. I asked her if she wanted to do it with me. We talked and practiced a bit so we’d be comfortable and could bounce off each other naturally.
Since it was the People’s Choice Awards, I thought: what am I going to design that’s going to be over the top but also draw people in, something that makes them want to stop for an interview when they see us?
We chose the color gold, something eye-catching, a head-turner, and a color neither of us had worn to the awards before. I had never worn gold to the People’s Choice Awards.
I went for something off-the-wall but still classic, just a showstopper. I designed it with a kind of armor feel. I wanted us to look like Greek gods, just really powerful and attention-grabbing.
People would come up and say, “Oh, I love your outfit,” and from there, the interviews would start naturally. So it made it easier for me to host and connect with everyone.
What do you think people most often misunderstand about your work?
I think people don’t always understand what happens behind the scenes. What it takes to stay motivated and to keep doing what you do, especially in the service industry where it’s easy to forget about yourself.
There are so many small, stressful things that happen during the design process. You could break a needle, mess up a stitch, sew a pleat wrong, or catch a ripple in the fabric that throws everything off. You might have to rip seams out and start over.
If you measure something incorrectly or cut a pattern wrong, you could end up remaking the entire thing. So one small mistake can lead to hours of rework.
It gets really stressful in the middle of the process when you’re trying to bring your client’s vision to life. But once the garment is done and your client is happy, that’s when you know the stress was worth it.
How important is it for young Black creatives to see designers like you succeeding in Kansas City’s local fashion scene?
I feel like it’s very important because we don’t have a large fashion scene here.
Whenever a designer in Kansas City takes that leap of faith to show their creations, it’s bold, especially being a young Black designer.
Kansas City’s fashion industry is small and honestly very Caucasian-driven. Most of the fashion work is in theater and stage productions. There’s a costume company on 63rd, but they mainly design for plays and performances.
We don’t have a lot of designers here getting exposure or put into spaces where they can really be seen. You have to work extra hard. You have to go viral on social media to be noticed.
We’re not in LA, where you can wear an outfit, walk down the street, and be discovered by a top designer or celebrity.
So for Black creatives here, you really have to grind. It’s not always about people liking your work, it’s about expressing yourself and being different.
It’s amazing to see young Black designers take risks. It makes Kansas City known for more than just sports. It shows we have creativity and style too.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into fashion?
I would say don’t ever give up. That’s the first thing, because I never did, even with all the challenges I’ve faced. Second, take risks. Quit the full-time job if you can afford to. I was working full time and designing until I was able to make enough money from designing to do it full time.
Get advice. It’s never too late to take classes or gain more information to improve your skills. I still take classes to this day. I reach out to other designers. I even ask my sewing teacher from 10 years ago for help or advice on garments when I’m unsure.
It’s also about who you know. In Kansas City, connections can lead you to higher-paying clients or opportunities with celebrities. I’ve worked with a few Chiefs players, and those came through people I knew.
So my advice is: don’t give up, always keep learning, build your skills, and take that leap. Take risks. That’s how you grow in this industry, especially here.
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This story was originally published August 16, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
