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?
My journey has been straight out of the Greek mythological tale of Sisyphus, who was doomed to roll a boulder up a hill only to have it roll down again, for all of eternity. Lol! This journey has been more of a struggle in self-discovery and undoing old stories I didn’t even know I had in me. Part of my struggle included going back to as young as 10 years old. My family had moved (from New Orleans to the suburbs of Memphis). It was a time I refer to as my “anti-culture” shock. New Orleans celebrates the coming together of all the weirdos in celebration of life. This town, everyone wanted you to be the same. My hair was too big, my voice was too loud, I was too different. It felt like I had a target on my back simply because of who I was. And in this creative journey, I had to realize that by opening myself up to the world, I was exposing that target once again. I’m not going to lie, some days, it still feels like it’s there. But it’s also pretty awesome to think back to me in a studio, first getting back into pattern drafting after not touching it since college, carefully sewing dresses for friends and taking 8 hours out of fear for not being perfect. Those same dresses, I can knock them out in 45 minutes to an hour now. No big deal.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
With the previously mentioned “holy trinity”, a pattern appeared every time I wore one of my vintage pieces. Someone would call out “hey! that looks great on you!” “oh wow! you’re bright today!” “I LOOOOOVE that dress!”. It always ended up with me and the other person laughing as we walked away and this feeling post-interaction would not leave my body. It wasn’t ego, it was some weird excitement from this simple exchange of a joyful moment with another person. No weight, no expectation, just share and keep going. My days were significantly better when I dressed bigger and brighter and I kept wondering, “is this something that can be “manufactured?”. Not in a commodified way (though obviously, I do need to make money to keep it going) but more so for the permission of trying something new, to get in touch with a version of you that may have been locked away, like that part of me that was made to feel small. It started with a pullover dress, a big caftan and a piece I was calling the “robetan” (aka robe and caftan). All one size. My favorite moment being a dear friend, who’s 5’0” in her 3” heels and her neighbor, who was 5’9” both wearing the same dress, same size, looking absolutely stunning. Another friend (who bought one of the first pieces) said to me “You have just NAILED the perfect silhouette. Looks so cute in all the fabrics!”. Between that and the number of buyers with the same dress, coming back for new fabrics, I knew I had something.

For me, it’s truly about the small numbers. It’s harder to grow (and I’m working on figuring that out) but, with the root inspiration being my vintage collection, I really wanted these pieces to be small in number so it felt more like a collectors item. Construction is number one for me. Everything I make, I test. I’ll sleep in it, run around in it, wash it. I test every fabric before construction so I know if there’s going to be shrinking or an issue. It’s so important to me that each piece purchased is truly loved. These are meant to be generational. I love the idea of the younger generation finding these dresses in 20-30 years and parading around in them no differently than me in my first vintage pieces. For that reason, fabric is always first. I’ll take longer to release drops simply because I haven’t found fabric that my gut tells me is right. And considering how much over-production exists in fashion, I’m totally ok with that.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I might be the worst person to ask, haha! I’ve actually had quite a few mentor types come into my life and I was too scared to take advantage simply because I didn’t think I was good enough. Great starting point, DON’T LET FEAR STOP YOU! If you come across someone who you feel could be a potential mentor, use your fear to propel you. “What advice would you give for someone who knows they can do x but is letting fear stop them?” Then take what they say and DO IT. There’s nothing worse than wasting someone’s time. If they’re gracious enough to give you advice, take that as currency, invest it in the doing and then show them the results. They’ll know you want it. With regard to networking, one thing I’m still learning is never be afraid to self-promote. Often times for me, simply wearing what I make starts the conversation. And never short-change yourself. What you may be insecure about, someone else might think is amazing! I’ll never forget a fellow designer friend, whom I’d always compare myself to (she comes from money and had a full system right out of the gate) introduced me to a well-established designer and gushed “she makes all her own pieces!”. Before I could shut myself down, the designer said “I started that way too” and smiled. Moral of the story, DON’T BE YOUR OWN NO.

Pricing:

  • Average prices are $250-$350.
  • Custom pieces are $350 and up.

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