It is time to press pause. Whether you’re looking to catch up with America’s Next Top Model title holder or Monrowe's founder and designer, Dani Evans has already decided that there is more to life than fame, the next fashion drop, or glitzy parties. Her main ambition — aside from owning her truth and her humble progression to self-love — is to continue following her purpose: “to be a lighthouse in a dark industry; but the way in which the mission is unfolding is just now beginning.”

Her career got off to a flying start in 2006 when Little Rock’s fiercest face, Dani Evans, took the title of America’s Next Top Model. One year ago, we had the pleasure of keeping it real with the now New York super model and designer of custom brim line, Monrowe, to discuss her humble beginnings, why fashion is overrated and her obsession with a dope brim. While a lot has changed for Evans, as we sit down one year later, her authenticity and her truth is still very much at the fore, and of course so is a dope brim. More than just a beautiful face with the perfect pout and coveted cheek bones, Evans is an entrepreneur with big energy and an even more powerful manifestor. Since we last spoke, the model is candid with us, saying, “I’m most unapologetic for putting me first and staying true to my boundaries and core values.” 

Like many of us in the process of emerging from the mandated solitude of the 2020 pandemic, Evans fully immersed herself in the power and journey of self-love. “I was not concerned about staying busy during the onset of the pandemic,” begins the model, “I truly allowed myself to just be. To go inward and work on myself. To realign and define what those core desires and needs are that I want for myself. I look at this time in life as a serious defining moment for us all individually and collectively. Busy wasn’t a part of my intention whatsoever, other than being busy about the spiritual internal work within myself.” Utilizing the newfound free time, Evans forged a daily routine that aligned herself with the positive energy she craved. “My days consisted of waking up and working out. Having my quiet time — meditation, reading, Lacy Phillips workshops, connecting with my nephews on FaceTime — then cooking myself dinner. My quarantine was a beautiful transition with ebbs of uncertainty, but for the most part it was extremely rewarding, even in the painful moments,” reminisced the public figure. 

Curious as to how the unanticipated year affected her inspiration and creativity, we had to check on Monrowe, a beautiful, reminiscent take on the jazz era through custom built, timeless brims. “Monrowe has seriously taken shape in a more expansive way since the quarantine,” beams Evans. “We are now being sold in several stores within the next couple of months. We’re working on doing a collaboration with another big brand which I can’t go into details about right now, but it’s going to be exciting.” While Monrowe continues to flourish emerging and acclimating to the obstacles of this year, quarantine was not all success stories for Evans. “I felt quite emptied out from inspiration for several months during quarantine,” begins the model. “It felt like apathy for a while which wasn’t a fun experience; however, I allowed myself to feel all the feels without putting too much judgement into it. My inspiration and creativity comes in waves. It’s not a constant flow. So I allowed myself to rest in the previous process, realizing that the creativity hadn’t abandoned me. Once the shop in BK opened in June, I went so I could be around the hat making process again. Even though we weren’t running at full capacity, it was beneficial for me to be around the hat blocks and start reigniting that creativity again.” 

At this time, the designer chooses to stay true to the label’s core as a brim line, but Evans believes whole heartedly that Monrowe is destined for expansion at the right time down the line. “I move based on feelings. Not emotionally charged feelings, but sacral feels,” reveals the founder. “I’ll know exactly when it’s time to expand and into what. I allow my intuition to speak to me in that way. I have several ideas that are ready when I am to create them. What I can tell you is that it will for sure be just as lux as our brims.” We would expect nothing less from this top model, as since we met one year ago, her process remains tried and true, to listen to her inner self and trust in her intuition. Experiencing the same stress and anxiety as all of us, Evans chooses to listen to the stress of not only this year and allow it to take her back to the root of why she feels the way she feels. “Most times the feelings derive from a previous trigger that needs your attention and care to be properly healed,” heartens Evans. “It sucks, I’m not going to sugar coat the ‘work’ and make it seem like it’s sunflowers and butterflies in a beautiful field that smells like summer rain. It’s confronting and challenging, but there’s also this sense of being guided and protected once you begin to uncover a lot of underlying things that led to the stress and anxiety.” To simply answer our question of how she combats anxiety and the pressures of the industry, “yoga works too,” she adds with a laugh and a flash of her famous smile. 

Style may evolve over the years, but for Dani Evans she remains loyal to her personal apparel tastes, still coveting oversized pieces, silks, jumpers, her classic levi’s, and we can safely assume a dope pair of black boots and a daring brim. If you were to see her on the chilly streets of New York, you will see her owning the pavement in Prada combat boots, an oversized Isabel Marant flannel jacket, and tons of La Mer crème de la mer — the secret to maintaining her skin’s healthy natural glow even in these colder months. 

As our catch up conversation with the genuine soul that is Dani Evans comes to a close, the entrepreneur, model and industry revolutionist intends to continue her path as a lighthouse in a dark industry. Also gearing up to drop Monrowe’s Release III collection, the designer is excited to release a collection that was a long time in the making. “This new release is special in that most of the brims I created a while ago, but didn’t feel connected to release it during the time of creation. I do that often — I’ll create, but know it’s for a later time,” reveals Evans. “I have to sit with the crowns and see how I feel about them a week later, a month later, before feeling connected in a way to release them. I never create to keep up or impress. I create to satisfy myself. I think that notion has helped keep me from panicking in feeling like I need to release brims every season. I don’t follow seasons or fashion calendars. No one is going to tell me when I need to create and release.”