What sparked your interest in fashion?
I never expected to get into fashion, I was 100% sure I was going to be a costume designer / maker. I do cosplay as a hobby, I learned to sew from making my costumes, and I fell in love with the art of making clothes. Going into junior high, I discovered alternative fashion, and for the first time I discovered that fashion can be more than just clothes but a way to express myself. I think it was clothes first, fashion second.
Do any of your childhood interests transfer into your work?
My mom always had the most whimsical cottagecore aesthetics, so I’m always inspired by the colors she used and the art she made. The things that I was surrounded by as a child were fantasy movies, pretty illustrated books about fairies, and cartoons like Steven Universe and Bee and Popycat also inspired me. I was obsessed with Japanese Harajuku fashion like decora and lolita styles; I try to create things that would make the younger me happy, a mission to heal my inner child.
What role does your design play in promoting a shift towards more thoughtful fashion habits?
It’s kind of silly coming from someone who sells clothes for a living, but I think we should be buying less. I make every item 1/1 so I know people will appreciate and not throw it away in a few months. I want to make things that will stay with people. I also think that it’s important to be transparent about where you get your materials. I try to always say whether an item is made out of second-hand fabric or new fabric. I will be honest with your followers about what they are getting.
How do you stay true to your values as a zero-waste designer when trends change so quickly?
The first thing is that I don’t think about what I do as “fashion”. To me, it is more art than fashion. I feel incredibly lucky to have found myself in a lovely corner of the internet where the people who follow me care about the uniqueness of the processes, and not if it’s “in style” or not. The most important thing for me is to stay true to myself and what I believe in. Even if it takes me double as much time collecting fabric and making my textiles than other designers, it’s worth it to me because it means I can continue to do my art without it becoming something that destroys and produces waste.
I’m still struggling a lot with the idea of making new clothes in a world where there is just so much STUFF. We don’t need more clothes, and it makes me lose purpose sometimes and question the ethics of being a fashion designer in this day and age. I hope that what I make can one day raise more awareness about the wasteful nature of the fashion industry and that there are other ways to approach fashion.
Are you currently working on any new projects?
Always. I’m working on 5 different projects at any given moment. I’m excited to lean toward the zero-waste aspect of it more, and create interesting new textiles and patterns out of discarded fabric scraps. It is a very time-consuming process but I have a lot of patience
and family and friends that help through it all, so more exciting things are coming in the next few months.
