Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Detweiler.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My lil shop blossomed from my senior project in college back in 2016. I began college studying Art & Design, but halfway through decided to add Journalism as my second major. Studying journalism changed my entire perspective on life. My struggle as an art student was finding what purpose my art served. How could I make an impact with my art? What meaning does my art have & how can it cause the viewer to feel moved? Once I began learning about the ingrained sexism in American media through my journalism courses, I knew my art had to bring awareness to these issues that I never fully recognized and now felt so strongly about. The over-sexualization of women in the media throughout history and the inability to “reclaim the female body” was something that intrigued me, and the grey area between the power of the female nude versus the objectification of a naked body. My new found goal as an artist was to comment on how mass media has portrayed women throughout history and has created an idealization of what truly makes a woman sexy and powerful.
From here, I created a series of pieces called the “Pussy Pants” to comment on gender roles and how the media has created a false reality of what is valuable, beautiful and desirable. My goal was to create a fashion piece that made a bold statement & brought a sense of uneasiness to the viewer, forcing their thoughts to wonder, “why does staring at this sacred region make me feel so uncomfortable?” This project inspired me to really incorporate fashion into my artwork. I began making pieces for myself as I would venture off into the music scene & travel the world going to music festivals. Eventually so many groovy babes asked me about my sparkly pieces, I started taking custom orders. Once I started hunting for new fabrics, my mind was flooded with new ideas. Working with the intricate detailing on fabrics & seeing how it coincides with the curves of a body inspired me to make intricate pieces that stray away from the modern concept of clothing. Empowering women with my designs and allowing them to truly access their goddess warrior energy is the reason I keep creating. This led to my vision for my company Disco Lemonade and my collection of fairy armor.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The ups and downs of creating is an essential part of the process. I am very blessed with a wonderful family that has always supported my dreams of pursuing a creative career. The struggles have always stemmed from within and finding my own purpose in this life & seeking what is my ultimate truth. The more I dive into creating, the energy always returns the favor & comes back to me. Running your own business comes with a lot of personal strength and drive that sometimes can be difficult to access. In these times, nature calls my name and grounds me, reminding me of my purpose & how much joy and light creating has brought me. Being able to share my art with the world is truly such a blessing & I am forever grateful for every person who has ever told me to never stop, even when my mind was telling me to. Your mind can be a prison to your own personal growth, especially as a creator, but learning when to put it at ease and channel any bad energy out of your body is the key to growing into yourself & finding the purpose in your work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create sparkly fairy clothing for festival goers and performers. The reason I call my clothing “fairy armor” is because it’s sparkly & fairy like, yet powerful & makes you feel like, excuse my language, a “bad b*tch”. I began making shawls, bralettes and reworking vintage, which eventually led me to creating unique dresses, sets & wings. All of my pieces vary quite a bit depending on, I suppose, what I am feeling that day! From pastel, angelic energy to goth, techno steampunk vibes, every piece has a life of its own & there is really something for everyone in my shop.
Creating pieces that make you feel like your truest self while being the most mesmerizing, sparkly person in the room is what I specialize in. I want my queens to feel like they are breaking necks walking through the door or being a human disco ball grooving on the dance floor because each and every person is light energy and the clothes you wear should make you feel like you are the most magical being on earth. My designs speak for themselves, and I think that’s what sets my brand apart from others. Every piece has its own unique energy & I think that resonates with people. I aim to create pieces that make every Goddess feel like they can access how powerful they truly are by being their most authentic self. Art wearing art. 🙂
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Delving into a creative career can be risky in itself. I have always been the type of person to speak my mind even when it may not necessarily be “appropriate” or “trendy,” but I think that is what has given me the strength to create things that are abstract & different than anything out there. Throwing your art into the world of social media can be frightening & scary especially when cyberbullying and “cancel” culture are so prevalent. But the right people will find you. I am a firm believer in energy. The energy you put into things will always come back to, especially if you are putting yourself out there in the art world and truly showing your authentic self. Creating my business from scratch and throwing all of my resources into one basket was a risk, but the rewards were worth it. I have a community of beautiful people that support my work & better yet, I get to create for them. I get to create as my means of living & for that I am eternally grateful.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.discolemonade.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discolemonade.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discolemonade.co
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/discolem
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@discolem
Image Credits
Jacob Barri Yazeed Dinaully Amanda Adam
