‘She Does This Too Often’: Parents Demand Answers After TikTok-Famous Chicago Designer Goes ‘Ghost’ With Their Money, and Their Kids’ Prom Dresses
Angry parents and students in Chicago want to know where their money went after they say they never received their prom dresses.
A group of parents told CBS Chicago they want to pursue charges against Makeda Evans, the owner of Makeda Designs.
Parents told CBS on Wednesday they were at the point of calling the police to file reports. They learned they would not receive the custom prom dresses they had waited months for.
Most of the parents said their child’s prom was this past weekend.
“If you ain’t have the, um, time to finish the person dress, you could’ve just been straight forward,” one student who was deprived of her prom dress told CBS.
Many families say they chose Makeda Designs because of Evans’ viral TikTok prom dresses.
“She said, ‘ Come back the first week in May, she’ll have both of them ready. When May came, which was last week, she started going ghost,” parent Tatiana Gray told NBC Chicago.
She told NBC she paid approximately $3,800 for two dresses for her daughter. Other families reported paying thousands of dollars for gowns.
Senior Teriyana Gage told CBS she paid for her dress over a year ago. She said she was supposed to pick it up hours before prom the week before, but it was still unfinished.
Gage told CBS she found a dress within an hour at a different store.
“And this is the only day that I have for prom, you don’t get another prom at all,” she said.
Amid the chaos outside the shop, Chicago Police told CBS that at least one person broke the shop’s window. Investigators added that multiple people entered and took items from inside. It’s unclear if any of the items were prom dresses.
It’s unclear if anyone will face charges.
Evans issued an apology on Facebook, saying she was experiencing a “serious mental health crisis” and had to admit herself to the hospital.
“Once I am well, I am committed to working things out with each of you,” Evans wrote. “Thank you for grace during this difficult time.”
Her apology did not go over well with many who claim she owes them money.
“At this point, just put your talent down for a while, take some time, get your mind right, this s—t is sad, and whatever plane you’re on, I’m praying for you,” responded Joslyn Harris.
“Y’all, what about these kids who only get one prom and have paid in full! She does this too often,” Tia Wilson added.
“Pray for these honorable kids that ain’t got a dress,” Moneybagg Mo wrote on Facebook. “I’m pissed she gave us a tacky dress that’s in surgery, we’re praying the dress comes out better, and now you’re screaming mental health.”
“If any of that is true, the money should’ve been refunded and not days before they left their room. I’m sure a mental breakdown was in full effect before these babies’ proms, and for no money to be refunded is insane,” Alysia Cobbs wrote.
Parent Roy Pierson said he believes Evans is making thousands off his daughter and the rest of the parents.
“The police were out here earlier, and I spoke to them, and they said they had been here three years ago, two years ago,” he said.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to Chicago police to see if there had been similar incidents at the shop around the same time.