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AMERICUS, GA (WALB) – A 21-year-old girl from Americus has been chosen to participate in LA Fashion Week. An opportunity that only comes five times a year.
Colby Felton walked the streets of America growing up and now she’s taking her talent to the runway.
“My inspiration since I was eight years old and I saw The Devil Wears Prada, I swear, my eight-year-old self gained[confidence]in third grade. I would always do dinner fashion shows with pots and pans and plastic bags while my mom was cooking or in the kitchen from six to eight,” Colby said.
Colby is the only girl selected to attend LA Fashion Week without a signed agent. She has a stage name and goes by ColbannaLaRue.
“She was herself when she went to school, but she always picked on what she wore. She was picked on by teachers, teachers and kids because of her body shape and the clothes she wore,” said Dia Felton, Colby’s mother.
Dia says she is proud of Colby and has seen his passion since she was a child.
“It made me feel really happy. I will always support what Colby wants to do. She is an independent, one of those few girls who can do anything and everything. She’s very smart and I’ve always been behind her 100%,” Felton said.
Colby said she had to overcome a mental disability to get to where she is today.
She says Colby is big on exposure. After presenting her work several times, she knew she could do it. She did a lot of freelance work before being cast and hopes to be signed by major agencies.
Colby was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in seventh grade and has had to deal with some issues along the way.
“Severe bullying, in school. I was bullied from seventh grade until graduation and it was hard. It created a split personality and I felt very lonely at the time,” she says.
Colby coped with her illness in part by creating a stage name.
“I call Colby the ‘Colby creator’ as opposed to creating an alter ego and Colbana Larue Colby. So, ColbannaLaRue is like Colby’s ego. So when Colby feels a little down or insecure or something like that, Colbana Larue is there to pick her up,” Felton said.
As a young minority from a small town, it’s important to know your worth and not give up. By the end of Fashion Week, Colby hopes to be signed by top agencies such as Los Angeles-based IMG and Elite Modeling Agency.
“Coming from a small town as a little black woman, you have to work four times harder to get where you’re going. No matter what people say, keep dreaming,” said Dia.
One piece of advice Colby wants other young women to know is to be consistent and try new things, because you never know who’s watching.
And if you want to support Felton so she can travel to other places on her modeling journey, you can visit the GoFundMe page here.
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