KNOT JUST ANOTHER HOBBY
DeJané Cade pursues fashion and prepares to teach
Written by: Phillip Brown
Main Photo by: Kat Lawrence
Fashionista DeJané Angel Cade and her crochet creations are a viral sensation. The social media influencer is balancing an entrepreneurial venture with the demands of being a fifth-year Charlotte Teacher Early College student.
Cade’s Angel Love Crochet and Company is a source for luxury, hand-crafted garments. Founded in 2019, it blossomed during the Covid pandemic.
“Crocheting traditionally isn’t popular with clothing manufacturers. I didn’t see fashions in stores that I wanted, so I decided to design my own,” said Cade who learned the handcraft at age 11 from her mother, Jane Cade ’15. She started with blankets and baby clothing and from there really got creative.
Last spring, Cade designed and crafted her own junior prom dress — a peach-colored, one-shoulder mermaid gown with a floral rhinestone applique. This labor of love took 400-plus hours and four months to complete.
She posted photos and a short video to her social media accounts and attracted more than 10 million views.
“If you can display your talent in a seven-second video, it is more likely to go viral,” Cade said.
Tik Tok, in particular, has been a game changer for Cade, after an initial introduction to social media through Facebook by her older brother, Jamal Stewart ‘15, who posted her content. She now has more than 166,000 followers on TikTok and 46,000-plus on Instagram.
A viral social media post highlighting Cade’s self-crocheted prom dress led to an appearance on the nationally syndicated “Tamron Hall Show.”
“DeJané Cade uses a crochet hook and yarn to create the most luxurious DIY dresses that I’ve ever seen.”
-Tamron Hall
To date, Cade has created more than 200 gowns and other ensembles for clients. “Everything I make is with love. Knowing someone took the time to make the perfect garment that you cannot find anywhere else makes it special.”
Mellissa Hudson, a senior sales director with Mary Kay, agrees. “DeJané is a very conscientious designer, and it felt amazing to wear one of her pieces to the 2022 Mary Kay seminar in Dallas, Texas. I will forever cherish her art.”
TRAINING TO TEACH
A Charlotte native, Cade learned about Charlotte Teacher Early College as a middle-schooler. Housed at UNC Charlotte since 2017, CTEC is part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and it provides opportunities for high school students to earn college credit, free of charge, during their five years in the program. Mecklenburg County ninth and 10th graders can apply for admission.
“I knew there was a long waitlist, but I was really motivated to attend,” said Cade, who is following the path of her grandfather, John Connell Sr., who taught for decades in Liberia before immigrating to the United States in 2010 to escape the country’s civil war.
DeJané’s grandfather, John Connell Sr., a retired teacher, has inspired her desire to start a nonprofit organization that will support the building of a school in Monrovia, Liberia, his native country.
“Charlotte Teacher Early College places its students on the best pathway for future success in the profession,” she continued. “It’s a real advantage to not only complete high school but to take college courses. With the teachers, counselors and advisors available, it feels like you have your own team rooting for you.”
Cade, who will finish her fifth year at CTEC in May 2025, is earning college credit toward a bachelor's degree in elementary education through the Cato College of Education, which she anticipates completing in May 2026.
Susan Nichols, CTEC principal, noted, “Charlotte Teacher Early College students benefit from an engaging, small-school environment with a rigorous curriculum that includes Teaching as a Profession. This curriculum provides CTEC students with a comprehensive exploration of the teaching field to help them develop a strong foundation for pursuing careers in education.”
One of Cade’s favorite CTEC experiences has been tutoring her fellow students. She acknowledges the early college environment is demanding.
“Sometimes it feels as if you’re pushed past your limits, so I enjoy being a resource to my peers,” said Cade. “Guidance can be interpreted differently from a fellow student versus an adult. Someone a year or two older can provide the reassurance that everything is going to be okay.”
A GREATER MISSION
To Cade, UNC Charlotte felt like home before she arrived on campus. She comes from a family of 49ers, starting with her father, Dewayne Cade, who worked for the University’s Parking and Transportation Services Office for 13 years before retiring in 2023. Her mother, Jane Loveda Cade, returned to college to earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2015, graduating the same year her brother, Jamal, earned a bachelor's degree in Africana Studies.
DeJané is following in the Niner footsteps of her brother, Jamal Stewart, and mother Jane Cade who graduated together in May 2015.
Cade’s bubbly personality is as infectious as her enthusiasm to serve the greater good. She is passionate about her ancestral ties to Liberia, which, combined with her faith, fuels a desire to make a difference abroad.
“I would like to travel to Liberia where my mom grew up and teach those youngsters, providing them a sense of hope that they can create better lives for themselves,” said Cade. “Believing God has a plan for me has influenced my personal mission statement — to give back to my community. I am blessed to be able to create clothing with my own two hands, so I want to teach young girls and boys to crochet.”
On a grander scale, Cade envisions establishing a nonprofit organization that would build a school, employing a teaching staff, in Liberia’s capital of Monrovia.
“I get goosebumps just thinking about it,” Cade said. “I think to myself — you’ve got a lot of drive and ambition to try to change the world.”
Armed with crochet needles, Cade relies on faith, family, friends and fellow 49ers as she balances dual roles — entrepreneur and educator.
Additional crochet creations by DeJané Cade
Additional photos courtesy of DeJané Cade