Au Revoir & Bon Voyage Sophia!

September 13, 2022 By Leave a Comment

We said au revoir & bon voyage to our lovely Sewing Assistant & First Hand Sophia Gallegos! At the end of August she was on her way to the other side of the world to study Fashion Design in Amsterdam! We could not be more excited and proud of her! We celebrated her last day in the Atelier with a Fancy Dress Day and kanelbullar (Swedish cinnamon buns)!

We wanted to do a little Q&A with Sophia to reflect upon her years at the Atelier and to share more about her future plans. Find out more below:

 

Q: Sophia, can you share more about your experience working with Jennifer the last three years? 

A: I have absolutely loved working for Jennifer! I was a very inexperienced, self-taught sewer when I first got the job and Jennifer taught me a multitude of professional techniques which I’m so grateful for. Jennifer’s studio is so pretty and peaceful and everyone is so so kind which made work wonderful and I looked forward to it every week. I loved having afternoon tea every day and being able to learn how to sew in a safe and caring environment. I really appreciate how much Jennifer trusted my sewing ability as I often felt super nervous but her trust gave me reassurance that I could do it. 

Q: What was the most valuable lesson you learned?

A: The most important thing I learned was how to efficiently problem-solve. The studio gets very busy, especially during prom season and each dress has its own quirks. There’s not a lot of time to sit around and think, so you just have to be creative about how to alter the dress, and get it done. This skill makes me plan ahead and be able to find the most practical solution in my own designing and sewing without feeling stressed or flustered. Jennifer set such a good example as I rarely saw her get worried and no projects ever stumped her.

The photos above are from Sophia’s prom dress she designed this year!

Q: What was your favorite project you worked on over the years?

A: Definitely helping design the Mother Ginger costume for the Nutcracker. I had so much fun getting to be the designer for a moment as I did not have to do all of the sewing but I got to make the decisions. It was also so wonderful to help with a show again as I love how over the top the costumes are for live theater and the hectic but thrilling feeling of getting everything done before opening night.

Q: What are you most looking forward to as you enter a career in fashion design?

A: I’m really excited to be challenged by having to work around/with other fashion students who I can share ideas with and be inspired by. I also feel like I know very little about fashion history and how the industry works so I’m interested in becoming more educated so that my designs can become more complex. 

Q: Can you share a bit about your plans for the future?

A: This fall I am going to Amsterdam for three months for a gap year fashion program at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy! I’ve never been anywhere in Europe so I’m overwhelmingly excited to explore the city and be influenced by all the fashionable people there. In the spring I am going to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco which is a four year college that I am going to try for fashion design! After that, who knows, but whatever I am doing, I hope it will be fashionable!

It has been a pure joy having Sophia being a part of the Atelier the last few years. She has seen JOA grow in a number of ways and she has been a part of that growth every step of the way. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this talented and passionate fashion designer! We will miss your sun-shining, contagious energy! We are beyond excited for you to enter this new chapter! Congratulations Sophia! “Oh the places you’ll go!”

Filed Under: Community, Q&A, Sophia Style, Studio Style

In-Studio Stories: Fancy Dress Day!

July 6, 2022 By Leave a Comment

We have too much fun in the Atelier! We had to share one of our fancy dress days with you. Occasionally we choose a day in the week to get dressed up in our favorite outfits. It is so fun to dress your best on what could be just another day. 

 

Here is Jennifer, Lynne, Sophia, Micah, Patty, and Elaine dressed for fancy dress day.

Jennifer is wearing her own design made with chiffon fabric from Mood in LA. Lynne is wearing a plum sequin gown for dancing when she goes on cruises.  Sophia is wearing a Marilyn Monroe inspired gown that she purchased from Makawao Union Church’s thrift store for $8.  Micah is wearing his favorite mango colored jacket with one of Elaine’s hand-dyed scarves. Patty is wearing a ruched stretch black gown that is perfect for attending formal weddings.  Elaine is wearing her own design made with her hand-dyed silk, and a stunning beaded necklace.

Our team is so creative and unique. We love the different styles, creations, and aesthetics everyone shares in the studio! We are all about finding and experimenting with your personal style.

Check out some more photos from our fancy dress day below…

Filed Under: Community, In-Studio Stories, Studio Style

How To Be Bold With Your Style

June 2, 2021 By Leave a Comment

In a previous blog post, we talked about ways to discover your personal style, you can read about it here! Today, we wanted to talk more about finding ways to be bold with your style. Once you begin finding your style and aesthetics, your choices become much more intuitive and organic. You find a rhythm and tune to your daily outfits, but to continue to let your style flourish and stretch in all directions, you need to occasionally take risks with your outfits!

Maybe it is something you wouldn’t usually wear, makes you feel slightly uncomfortable, or is a pairing of garments you never considered before. This is brilliant! This threshold of uncertainty and anticipation is where your true artistry will begin to emerge and shape. Creatives are meant to challenge the norm and take risks. Give yourself permission to find the micro-risks in your personal style regularly. 

Try to start out with a bold outfit once or twice a month. Something beyond your comfort zone. Let yourself get creative with what you already have or pop into your local thrift store for some hidden gems to spice up an outfit. Then, as you get a bit more comfortable with this, challenge yourself to have a bold outfit once a week. When you get to this point, you will begin to notice your daily outfits changing too. Congratulations at this point you have just pushed your personal style to a new place! Try to keep track of your outfits with some pictures on your phone, it is exciting to look back on how your style has morphed through the weeks and months of this task.

It isn’t always easy to take risks, but there was a quote I once heard in a film where they said “Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” Take those 20 seconds of courage to put on that bold new outfit and walk out your door. You won’t regret it!

Filed Under: Studio Style

Mālama Maui Nui’s Art of Trash 2021: Featuring Sophia Gallegos

April 21, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Our Sewing Assistant Sophia Gallegos participated in Mālama Maui Nui’s Art of Trash Virtual Trashion Show this year! She received ‘Honorable Mention’ for her fabulous College Junk Mail Paper Dress. We chatted more with Sophia to share some background about her outfit, her inspirations, and her reflections. The virtual event runs from April 3rd through the 30th via malamamauinui.org/ArtOfTrash. Check it out to see all of the other trashion outfits and vote for your favorite one!

 

Q: What was your trash art created out of?

A: I made my trash dress out of all of the college junk mail I received. I had a huge stack of it and I didn’t want all of the paper to just be thrown away so I used it to make a dress.

Q: What was your inspiration for creating your trash dress?

A: I had a design for a dress in my head that I wanted to make out of fabric but I didn’t really have the time to actually create it so I just did it out of paper.

Q: How did you go about creating this dress?

A: I basically just stapled everything together and the ruffles on the sleeves were definitely the most time consuming because they were like little paper pleats that each had to be stapled on in a row over the shoulder. I started with the bodice though, to make sure I got the fit right and then then the skirt was just a lot of accordion folds.

Q: Did this trash art fashion show inspire any future projects for you?

A: Yes! It’s so much fun to make dresses out of paper because it takes way less time than the actual thing and I already have more ideas, but I’m not sure if they will become reality or not.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

A: I made this dress when I was bored and because I didn’t want to waste trees, but I think it’s important to mention that recycling is an easy way to help the planet and one of those things that’s not a huge lifestyle change so I would encourage people to recycle and be a bit more aware of what they buy and what kind of trash it will leave behind. 

Thank you so much Sophia for sharing more about your paper dress with us! We can’t wait to see what other trash art you create in the future! And we hope this inspires others to be more environmentally-conscious about their trash and purchases. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the trash art at malamamauinui.org/ArtOfTrash and cast your vote for your favorite art piece and trash outfit!

Link to Virtual Trashion Show Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbqp7dY0d3s&t=152s 

Link to Sophia Gallegos Dress – https://www.malamamauinui.org/artoftrash-276951-252496-978123-421526-135714-681980-486088.html 

Link to vote – https://www.malamamauinui.org/artoftrash.html

Sophia on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/fierce_fashuhn/

Filed Under: Dressmaking, Q&A, Sophia Style, Studio Style, Sustainable Fashion

Discovering Your Style

April 7, 2021 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered what type of style you have? Or maybe you just feel like you don’t have a style? For some, personal style comes easy and naturally. There is an intuitive trust to follow what speaks to one’s creative heart. But to others, clothing is more practical and perhaps clothes are more about functionality not necessarily creative expression.

Discovering your unique style is another outlet to let your personality shine through every inch of your being. Once you begin experimenting with what aesthetics make your heart sing, you will find the pure joy and playfulness in creating an outfit each day. As we get older, we forget to play, we can take life too seriously and forget the fun that can exist in the most mundane tasks. Getting dressed in the morning can be a task of creating, painting, coloring your outfit for the day. Finding what speaks to you; what combination of fabrics, shapes, patterns do you want to merge, what vibe do you want to portray, who are you today?

If you don’t know where to start or you want to explore your style further, then you are in the right place. Here are some of our top tips for discovering your unique style and continuing to explore it:

    • Re-discover your own wardrobe – when we are in a rush in the mornings we often just grab a ‘go-to’ outfit or something simple. Set aside an afternoon to just revisit your clothes and PLAY! Put garments you have never put together before, combine colors and patterns, layer your clothes, or just randomly put together a few outfits. When you find some outfits you love, then take a picture of it so you can remember it for the future.
    • Create a Pinterest board – you can search endlessly on Pinterest for different fashion styles and ideas. The best part is that pinterest will start to give you suggestions for your board. Start to build a collection of images that inspire you, maybe its a particular aesthetic, or maybe it is multiple aesthetics and styles. This is great! You are building your own style.
    • Be bold – don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd. As you become more comfortable with your style, you will begin to feel more brave and bold in your choices. Challenge the current trends and norms of fashion. For all you know, you may be starting the next fashion trend!
    • Thrifting! – visit a secondhand store for even more fashion inspiration. Finding some vintage clothing is always a great way to revive your style and find some very unique pieces. 
    • Repeat & Restyle – If there are garments you adore, then great! Repeat! Wear these again, but find a way to restyle it! What else can you pair your favorite pants with? Can you create an entirely different aesthetic with a different top paired? 

We hope this empowers you to explore your own personal style further! And for even more fashion inspiration, tune in to our social media accounts every other Friday to catch our Studio Style Day. Our Sewing Assistants Sophia, Lisa and Elaine model their style and share their favorite outfits. Catch their previous outfits on our Facebook and Instagram! 

Filed Under: Restyling, Sophia Style, Studio Style