Living the Dream

It began in the year 2000. Leopard print was having a major fashion moment, and 13 year old me was all about it. I wanted leopard print everything- clothes, shoes, furry phones, inflatable couches, binders, you name it. Then one day, I had an epiphany. I thought, “why do people wear fur against the outside of their skin, not against the inside, where it feels nice?” Sounds like the musings of a zany 13 year old now, but at the time, it awoke something deep inside me. That night, I designed my first article of clothing: a reversible leopard-zebra print jacket.

I never did make that jacket, but after that day, I began drawing, designing. Such silly pieces from that first sketchbook! I told my parents that I had found my calling, I would grow up and become the best fashion designer the world had ever seen. Over the next couple of weeks, my mom began to see my dedication. She had grown up sewing and making her own patterns, and she told me that if I wanted to learn how to sew, she would teach me.

It had been years since she had learned, and we needed some tools. We went out and bought needles, thread, a tape measure, thimbles, pin cushions, and the best tool of all- a pair of shiny fabric shears (shears not scissors, because shears have one smaller finger hole and one larger finger hole; while scissors have symmetrical holes). She explained that these were special shears only to be used for cutting fabric, nothing else. Together, we set out on our first project: a mint green, empire bodice dress for me to wear.

At first, she would not let me cut with the fabric shears- they were too special, the right to use them had to be earned. I watched as she carefully wielded this pristine tool, making precise cuts in the fabric with the sound of zhoom, zhoom, zhoom. After she was done, what was once fabric was now in the early stages of something new, something physical that was created, something beautiful. The shears unlocked the first stage of transformation.

After a couple weeks, I had learned the basis, and it was time. She let me cut out my first garment. Surprisingly, it was hard, harder than I imagined. It wasn’t like cutting paper, the fabric moved, shifted, had a mind of its own. It needed to be tamed, it didn’t yield to anyone, only an expert. Becoming the world’s best fashion designer was going to take a lot of practice with the shears.

So practice I did. The next couple years were a special time. Sharing something I loved with my mom, learning from her, bonding, and growing my skill set at the same time- these are memories I will always treasure. I began sewing a lot. It brought me such tremendous joy, and it was all I wanted to do with my time. There were days where I would sew for 18 hours straight, and the time would fly by.

That’s not to say there weren’t moments of frustration as well. If anything, these early sewing days were some of the most frustrating. You have these ideas in your head, and you go out to create them, but they don’t turn out well because you’re still learning, you don’t quite have the skills to pull it off. Mastery takes years in any field, and certainly in sewing.

Regardless, I was undeterred. I decided that if I wanted to be a fashion designer and have my own company one day, it would be best to get a business degree first. So after high school I studied Business Management at the University of Colorado Boulder, and then studied Fashion Design at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Slowly but surely, my goal was in sight, and I was taking steps to get there.

After FIDM I worked in the LA fashion industry for several years as a Pattern Maker and Sample Maker. It was fun and exciting, but often grueling, hard work with long hours. The fast pace made me learn quickly. Even though I had been sewing for 15+ years at this point, doing it professionally expanded my skills more in 5 years than I had in all 15. I was getting closer to my goal.

Finally, 2020 descended upon the world, and through the pandemic, we were all forced to slow down. With a little more time on my hands, I decided in June of last year that it was time. Time to branch out on my own, time to use my skills, time to start my company, time to show the world my designs and what I was made of. My life for the last 20 years had been culminating to this point, and it was here. I was ecstatic to finally start my company, which I named Alchemy & Sorcery.

I got out the shears my mom taught me with, and got to work. I still have them, they are one of my most prized possessions, and I use them on a daily basis. Through the years I have acquired over 20 pairs of scissors, different lengths and sizes, snips and pinking shears. To me, they are the symbol of sewing, of fashion design, of my brand of creativity. Scissors are the link between an idea in your head, and something tangible, beautiful, that you make. They provide the first step of transformation, of turning raw materials into a garment, a piece of art that can be worn. Mine also remind me of my mom, and the monumental amount of support she has shown me throughout my entire career and journey. I hope to one day pass these shears on to my children, and watch them fall in love with sewing just as I did all those years ago.

After several months of hard work, I launched my first collection in Fall/Winter 2020. Since then, I have never been happier. I feel so incredibly blessed to get to do what I love for a living, to get to create for a living. Sewing and making things brings me such joy, and in turn I want my clothes to bring joy to whoever wears them. I like designing bright, colorful, fun things. Pieces that are unique, and special, and that bring a smile to someone’s face if they wear them. The best feeling in the world is someone loving a garment you’ve created, and having that garment make them happy, make them feel confident. That feeling gives me all the inspiration I need to create.

For now, I’m on to my third and fourth collections, and am slowly growing my business. Some days I pinch myself to make sure it’s real- I get to design for a living! I’m so thankful for this journey, which feels like it’s just beginning.