February 9, 2024 • 31 mins
Today, we dive into the world of Brooke Burch-Clothing Designer, Fibre Artist, Educator and Entrepreneur. From sustainability to the joy of creative expression, this episode explores the intersection of artistry, education and entrepreneurship.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good afternoon and welcome to everybody.
The podcast which sharesstories that highlight people in
life, that make the world aninteresting place, which
ultimately ties us all togetherin unique and wonderful ways.
And who am I, you might ask.
I would be the headwrappedsocialite Weith mom,
(00:23):
micro-influencer in the fashionand etiquette world.
But on this podcast, I will beintroducing you to some people
who I've had the opportunity tomeet along my journey, who have
helped enrich me and my life inbeautiful ways and who I hope
will do the same in yours.
Today, our guest is BrookeBirch clothing designer, fiber
(00:48):
artist, seamstress, educator andentrepreneur, with a passion
for fashion, retail and acommitment to sustainability in
the apparel industry.
Our guest is a true trailblazerIn our community.
She is one of the leadingseamstresses and entrepreneurs.
Just to see her bloom, herbusiness, makes my heart smile.
(01:12):
So, without further ado, Iwould like to introduce you all
to Brooke Birch.
Welcome, brooke, to today'sepisode.
Thank you so much for having me.
Brooke, can you tell thelisteners a little bit about who
you are?
I?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
am a local clothing designer and sewing instructor
here in Rochester.
I've been in business for alittle over a decade and I
recently acquired a new spacefor my studio only about six
months ago.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
How long has your studio space been in the works?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
You know, not very long.
I worked out of my apartmentfor about eight years and about
a year ago I ended up renting aspace from another local
business owner and I was able touse that space for a year to
build my business into what itis now.
So I got to expand into groupsewing classes and after that
was able to get a larger space.
(02:08):
So it's all really happened inless than two years, this great
expansion.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
That's wonderful.
So we're going to take thelisteners back a little bit to
your early beginnings.
So your journey from childhoodsewing to a bachelor's degree
and apparel design is incredible.
How did your early experiencesshape your passion for fashion
and the art?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Always love sewing.
I've always loved design, evenbefore I knew what it was.
I used to make drawings when Iwas probably five or six years
old and they all had wings,which was weird.
I used to draw little fairypeople all the time and I have
books of these.
I never threw them away, so Istill have these books with
(02:52):
fairy drawings.
And have you ever heard of theshow the Magic School Bus?
Do you remember the show WithMrs Frizzle.
Yes so she was like I loved thatshow.
She was super impactful, and soyou remember how she had a
different outfit for everyoccasion and I just thought that
was so unique.
I think that was the first timeI started noticing what
(03:13):
somebody was wearing For sure,really using that as a catalyst
for my early creativity.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Oh, I love it.
And so I love how youreferenced the Magic School Bus,
because, oh my goodness, I loveMrs Frizzle.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And Jess that you brought her up.
I haven't thought about MrsFrizzle and the Magic School Bus
since my kids were little,exactly.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So that just yeah, it was a good show.
It was a good show, reallycreative show for the time, and
the woman was a protagonist,which was really cool too.
So I would draw stuff like that, like with different images
like pizza and stuff on it, andadd wings.
I guess Having wings, they hadto have wings, otherwise it
didn't feel right.
And then you know, my parentsand family just supported me
(04:00):
along the way, especially my dad.
He got those laminated, hehelped me put those books
together and it just kind ofkept growing from there.
My grandma would buy me boxesof art supplies and I've always
loved art in general.
So art and design, drawing andpainting actually minored in
drawing and painting in college.
So it's always been somethingcreative, you know, since at
(04:23):
least the age of five.
Yeah, but didn't start sewinguntil on a sewing machine till I
was 11.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Interesting.
So can I ask you a question?
With your design and with yourart, do you like sketch out
things, or how does that processwork for you?
Actually, no, I don't.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I don't do that.
I prefer to make things.
I don't even like sketching,but it's funny because I teach
it as part of my curriculum,because I think it's important
to put your ideas on paper,mainly for a communication
aspect.
But I think that the making andthe process of making is the
most important part.
So I'd rather throw somethingon a mannequin, you know, I'd
(04:59):
rather cut, cut it up, cut upthe fabric and put it on someone
, rather than drawing.
Sometimes I'll do the drawingslater, if I need to, if I need
to document that for some reason.
Okay, yeah, I'm more, just getmy hands dirty.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Oh, I love it.
Yeah, so today we are actuallyon location and we're in
Brooke's beautiful studio spaceand, as she's referencing the
mannequins and how she drapesthings, first, things that I
noticed upon entering her spacesshe has a couple of mannequins
and one is draped with thisbeautiful print.
It's purple and fuchsia and hasthis big bow on it, and I'm
(05:35):
noticing that in the space aswell.
She has tons and tons of fabric.
Can I ask you what exactly is afiber artist?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
That would be anybody who works with fabric or fabric
like materials, so it doesn'thave to be somebody who makes
clothing.
They could be a 2D artist.
They could be also considered amixed media artist.
You know, and I didn't really,and that's the first time I ever
have called myself a fiberartist- actually.
I love it.
(06:04):
Because of what I've learnedover the last couple of years
and the people that I've met, Ithought, okay, I fall into this
category and people are just socreative with the way they put
things to things I never wouldthink of.
They put fabrics together in aspecial way, they recycle
materials in a special way, andI just love to watch people do
that, and I've beenexperimenting with that as well.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Brooke, you have a passion for sustainability in
the apparel industry.
Can you share some initiativesor practices that you've
implemented in your work tocontribute to a more sustainable
and eco-friendly society?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Okay, I feel like I needed to make a list.
I should have made a list, butwe'll just start with the
teaching aspect.
Most of my materials aredonated, so I usually just put a
call out a couple weeks beforeeach sewing term starts and
usually people just bring allkinds of stuff in.
They just use it as a destashmoment.
They bring it in, I sortthrough it or have my interns
(07:02):
look through it and we organizeit.
What we can't use, we usuallygive to the students.
So right now I have this hugedonation of clothing, patterns
and fabric and things and theyget to pick through it this week
and take things for their owncollections.
I love that so that's one thingthat I do.
(07:22):
I have been taking my smallscraps and working with a
company called Four Days Ifyou've seen it floating around
on Facebook but it's a bigfabric recycling company.
They've got these differentbags that you can purchase from
their website.
When you get the bags, you fillit with whatever you want.
I think that they originallymeant for it to be clothing, but
(07:45):
they've noticed people sendingthem other stuff like fabric,
like me so now they're realizingokay, we've got a restructure,
they're making bags specificallyfor fabric scraps.
So they're starting to thinkmore along those lines and they
recycle it and make products fortheir website.
Oh, I love that so it kind ofcomes full circle that way, so I
can use my credit to getrecycled clothing and items from
(08:06):
their website.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Oh, that's awesome.
So are they globally, or isthis a local?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
business.
It's global.
I don't know if it's UnitedStates based only, but that's a
big one.
I also heard of another one Ihave yet to work with them yet,
though, but fab scrap.
They are, I think, out ofCalifornia, and they get fabric
from the apparel industry, likeoffcuts from them and bolts from
them that are off season thatthey're not going to use.
(08:32):
I know they've got one locationin California and you can
purchase online, I think, peryard, so they're just selling
kind of end of bolt, pieces ofthings, scraps of things that
they got from industriallocations.
So I don't know if I can donatemy things to them yet, but I'm
going to look into it.
Yeah, so there's all kinds ofstuff.
(08:52):
There's even, I think, at 125live.
They've got a quilters group, alot of quilters groups at local
churches that take donations,but also someone's making dog
beds out of mixed material scrap.
That's local, I think it'sthrough 125 live.
So, that's what I want to do,because I've been saving
everything.
I saved my thread, scrapeverything that we cut off the
(09:13):
edges of things.
So I'm saving that, so we'llsee if we can do something with
it.
That's good.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Okay, and so once you figure out what you're going to
do with those things, I wouldlove to come back and see what
you do with those, For sure, andthen the kids, I mean, and the
students I've got adults andkids.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
We use it for the projects.
So what we're doing is justrecycling things over and over
until it's all gone, untilthere's no more.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
I love it, I love it and that's one thing I've
noticed.
Some of my friends have takenclasses from you or have their
children, so put things onFacebook.
I'm like, oh, my goodness,that's such a cute bag that they
made and I love the excitementto Brooke that you have
surrounding not only yourbusiness, but you just lit up
when you started talking aboutyour students.
(09:55):
So, in your role as an educator, what aspects of fashion and
design do you find mostinteresting or most rewarding to
teach, and how do you inspirecreativity within your students?
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Um, I think.
Well, at least I hope.
I hope I inspire them early onin the teaching process.
I try to take a bit of thepressure off by not focusing on
machine threading, because weall know that's like one of the
like, most annoying parts ofsewing.
It's hard, it's dense, so webuild up on that over time.
Okay, so they get to sew.
(10:31):
They get to sew the first day.
Okay, you know, they get to goright into line where my first
project is a pillow and they getto pick the fabric they want
for it.
So that's automatically designfreedom.
Right, so you might have thepieces pre-cut but you get to
pick the colors you know.
So that's already giving themsome freedom.
Second project same thing,pre-cut, but they get to pick
(10:52):
the fabric.
And that one's even morecolorful.
That's the tote bag.
My students still bring theirbags to class with them because
they're really proud of it.
They spend a lot of time makingthat.
I've had people ask me and I'veonly had Min ask me this, which
I'm not sure.
I'm not sure if this iscorrelation.
They said, well, do they get acertificate?
And I'm like no, they get thejoy of finishing the project
(11:14):
Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
I'm like they don't need a certificate.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now I do have different levelsof sewing.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Okay, so you do kind of graduate from one to the
other, but you work at your ownpace.
I think that also takes thepressure off, so they never feel
like they're falling behind orthey're never bored because
they're being held back.
They get to move at their ownpace.
Yeah, so it's just really chill.
It's mixed age groups, so Iteach eight-year-olds right next
(11:40):
to six-year-old people.
Yeah, so it'smulti-generational and that's
been really fun.
That's great too.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Yeah, when you said that, it shows me that it
doesn't matter the age, right,it's like we're all, and I
always say we're all thisbeautiful world together.
When you lend a helping hand tosomebody else or somebody
watches you, you get inspired bythat person who's sitting next
to you Exactly, and it doesn'tmatter what the age is Exactly
Breaking down those barriers,because we're always I mean
(12:09):
while we're children at leastwe're always with our peer group
, we're always putting us withthe same age people.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I've got friends that are 20 years younger than me
and 20 years older than me and Ilove it Exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
There's so much to learn from other people and
their experiences.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Yes, so I think that's been really good.
They enjoy it.
They just enjoy that aspect ofit which is great In terms of
what I teach them and why Iteach that to them.
I teach them the core values ofsewing and then, as they
progress, we go to the corevalues of design.
Now, I don't think there's anyparticular right or wrong in
something, but there's a processyou have to go through in order
(12:47):
to come out with a finishedproduct.
So I just work towards that.
I let them have their designfreedom, but I know when to reel
them in and tell them what'sactually doable in the amount of
time that you have.
I'm like a consultant especiallywith my advanced students and I
have a lot of kids that havebeen with me for a long time, so
they are advanced students inthese classes and they get to
(13:07):
work on their own projects atthis point, Wow.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Yeah, and so do they call you and just make time slot
, or is it open?
Speaker 2 (13:15):
or no, it's mixed age and it's mixed level.
Okay, so I've got my times thatI've said I'm teaching classes.
They let me know which classthey could take.
They come once a week at thattime.
Oh, okay, so it's like I'vebeen separating by season.
So I'm going to have fall term.
This is winter term right now,and then in April, spring term
(13:36):
starts.
Okay, yeah, okay.
So they sign up for a group ofclasses.
This is a 12 class series, andthen my next one's going to be
an eight class series, but youjust keep going from where you
left off.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
So it's like a three to four month period that they
work within.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Exactly.
Okay, and some leave and comeback later.
Okay, some can only do summer,some can do the school year but
not summer.
So they just keep coming backand forth, which is great.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Brooke, like I said, I follow you on Facebook and I
love to see pictures of not onlyyou and your students, but you.
Every now and then we'll putpictures of your son.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Oh yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
So I would just like to know how do you balance
motherhood and your full timebusiness?
How do you find inspiration andmotivation in both aspects of
your life to continue to?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Yeah Well, I wanted to build my business in a way
that I could be a present parentand be able to run my business
on my own terms.
So that's what I've beenworking towards all these years.
My son is almost 10.
No, I can't I can't, I can'twhich is crazy, and he's been
right there along with me fromthe beginning, pretty much
(14:42):
Literally.
When we got our apartment wasme and him at table and a sewing
machine and a dream.
And a dream I would say likethat because literally I had my
baby in my arm and my sewingmachine on the table.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
And.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
I was like, okay, we're gonna do this.
So I think he really gave methe spirit that I needed to
propel myself.
Yeah, for sure, and sometimesit takes something big like that
you know, having a child orsomething to be really impactful
in your life to get you movingFor sure for sure.
And kids tend to do that to usyeah for sure.
(15:18):
So he's been great and I've gota lot more time for him.
Now that there's separationbetween the business and the
home life, it's so weird gettingup and not seeing clothing
racks in my apartment, likethat's weird.
But it's been great, it's beenreally good, and he spends a lot
of time here with me too.
I'm sure he has that creativebug with Enhanced yeah, he's
very creative and he is a littledelegator.
(15:40):
He likes to tell people what todo, not in a mean way he just
explains things to them.
So he's.
I think he's definitely takenthat from me because he would be
right there when I was teachingprivate lessons in my apartment
.
He heard it.
He probably could have taughtthe class.
He probably could have taughtthe class.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
That is a good boy.
That's great.
What advice would you have formothers, parents in the
workforce?
One piece of advice you couldleave them with.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
I would say I'll take the pandemic as a talking point
for this.
During the pandemic, we saw alot of things.
We saw a lot of people losetheir jobs.
I was able to stay in businessand kind of roll with the
punches and figure out somethingelse to do and use my trade
skills to my advantage.
I think that it's never toolate to learn a new skill.
(16:29):
I think as parents, asproviders, you can't be too
dependent on one thing.
You've got to have multipleskills.
Maybe you're falling back onyour minor skills that you got
in college.
Maybe you're getting acertificate in something you've
never done before, just to makeit.
Just to make it.
In this world, I know a lot ofpeople are even doing side gigs.
(16:49):
I did Airbnb for a couple ofyears and it was great.
I loved it because I lovemeeting people.
It feels great, we all behanging out together.
So you got to do what you gotto do when you got to do it and
feel good about those choicesthat you make.
Thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
It was a gift.
I liked that as both a lover offashion and an entrepreneur.
What challenges andopportunities so do you see in
the evolving landscape offashion now?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
I feel like I've noticed a lot of trends emerging
and I guess I can still tie inwhat I'm thinking of at the
moment, right now, and that'srecycling.
I love it, but that's kind ofaffecting the apparel industry
as a whole, because I think thatespecially younger generations
are getting sick of fast fashion, and that has caused a lot of
(17:39):
things to happen.
It's caused a lot ofsecond-hand shops to arise.
It's caused a lot of smallboutiques to arise.
For the second-hand shops, it'sa little more random and you've
got a lot more merch, but thenyou've got these smaller
boutiques that are pre-curatingeverything.
They're either going huntingfor items themselves, people are
cutting things up and remakingthem.
(18:01):
You see it all over Instagram.
So I would say that's kind ofwhat's emerged, and it's almost
been like a trickle-up factorfrom the bottom to the top.
So now the top designers aretrying to make their clothes
look like they did in a recycle.
Isn't that something?
Yeah, it's been a whole thing.
So then I had to take a secondlook.
I'm like wait, girl.
(18:22):
I think what the heck man?
Y'all almost tricked me youalmost got me that time.
Yeah, so they're catching on tothe streetwear trends that
people in small groups andsubgroups are creating, and I
still feel like my job's stillgoing to be totally valid.
I'm a seamstress, so I don'twork corporately, so I think I
(18:46):
can use that to my advantagesomehow in recycling.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
So yeah, so can you tie that into the vintage rack
that you have?
Could you explain to ourlisteners what exactly your
vintage rack is?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
I know, and it's funny because I think vintage
rack is the most generic nameever.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I love it, though I love it.
It's exactly what it is, and itliterally started with one rack
.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
So in my apartment I'd have clients asking me do
you have something I can wearwith this dress, like a little
sugar?
I'm like no.
I'm like no, especially if Imade you something custom, I
don't just have things around.
So then I started thinking, ok,enough people are asking me
maybe I should look for thingslike that that go with the
formal wear.
(19:30):
So then I just kind of startedexperimenting.
I'd go to some estate sales andgarage sales and pick up things
that would go well with things Iwas working with.
And then the customers thatwere coming in they knew about
it, so they started to know thatthe rack was there and it was
really popular.
I'd even have people messagingme what you got in your rack
this week and I'm like you gotto come see, or I'll just pan
(19:53):
over so they can see in apicture or something.
But then I'm like, ok, thiscould be a thing, because I
didn't know anybody in Rochesterdoing vintage at the time.
So then I expanded the rack alittle bit like made a full rack
.
And then I remember that day,the day I was opening, so to
speak, I met a guy sellingvintage.
So he was there with his mom andhe's like he was there.
(20:14):
So funny.
They're my first customers, soI took a picture of them.
His name is Max Hayden.
Ok, Yep, he sells clothes atTreatum.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Ah, ok, yeah, OK.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
So he was like oh, I sell vintage and I was the first
man I ever met anybody inRochester selling vintage.
But he does more of a masculinekind of more streetwear vibe
which I'm just starting to catchon myself.
I normally collect dresses andstuff and so it just blew up
from there.
I had an outdoor sale, kind oflike in the midst of the
pandemic, so we did it outsideand I was like on a live feed.
(20:45):
That was like the first time Iwas like, hey guys, come on over
.
I was like on the porch at myapartment building.
It was a whole thing and I metsome of my customers I have till
this day I met my student, esmethere.
I've had Esme for six years now.
Oh my goodness, like I'veliterally been teaching her for
that long.
I met her at that outdoor salething, wow.
Yeah, so made a lot ofconnections through that,
(21:07):
started doing pop-ups Okay, so Iknew there was a real desire
for that type of clothing and wejust weren't seeing it here.
I started doing the MinneapolisVintage Market about a year ago
and I made so many connectionswith other vendors up there and
they have such a large vintagepresence up there that you can
find it anywhere.
(21:27):
Literally every time I go thereI go to a different store.
I like go purposely go lookingfor some like weird hole in the
wall store each time.
So, knowing that I wanted aflagship, this was the perfect
space for it.
Yeah, so I just got a littlespace where I can keep all the
clothes that I find.
I'm open a few days a week andpeople have been liking it,
(21:49):
that's awesome.
You know, people have beendiscovering it, so For sure.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Yeah, so do you also put it on Instagram?
Like, do you take photos andput the pictures on Instagram so
that you could sell them?
Or if people have questions orinquiries about an item, they
can DM you.
Or do you have to come into thephysical?
They can if they see somethingthat they like.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
But I don't actually go through item by item.
I might make a reel of 10 to 15looks and they could ask that
way, but I do encourage them tocome in because I think it's
very important that you try itbefore you buy it.
Okay, you better try it on.
Some people don't like to dothat and they just want to buy
it, but I don't have a returnpolicy, so you can't bring it
back, you better try it onExactly.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
This is a real meaning of you buy it.
You buy it Exactly.
There's no return, no return,no exchanges.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
So you better really like it, and I think that
quality over quantity issomething that people need to
learn how to practice,especially with our
environmental issues going onjust really picking those pieces
that make you feel you know,they make you feel special and
they make you feel comfortable.
(22:59):
So you want to pick those typeof things to have in your
wardrobe, for sure, for sure.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Those items that stand the test of time.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Yeah, your commitment to bringing joy through
creativity, like I've said overand over, is quite inspiring.
How does the process of makingand designing your items
contribute to your overall wellbeing and also happiness for
yourself and for those aroundyou?
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I'll use the example of working out with my apartment
.
For many years, you know, I'dspend 14 hours a day sewing by
myself.
It was like solitaryconfinement.
I was like anytime anybodywalked in there I'd be talking
their head off because I hadn'tseen people for like two days,
you know.
So it's really nice to be ableto see people every single day.
(23:46):
You know, I get a few surprisepeople, but then I have the
people I expect to come in fortheir classes and I can follow
up with them, see how their daysand weeks were going.
And you've got to have thatinteraction with people.
Like that's like a humannecessity.
Yeah, you got to have that.
So that's already increased mymood, my energy.
This just made me appreciativeof what I do have and also more
(24:11):
aware of what I'm capable togive to people.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Yeah, I like that.
And one thing I will tell you,dear listeners, is that Brooks
Space is so inviting Like I'msitting here and it just fills
me with joy and I can see thejoy that it brings you and the
space is light and airy andyou're surrounded by things that
(24:37):
you love and that you're ableagain to give back to the
community and have themappreciate and love the art of
creativity within themselves too.
But this space is amazing.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
I don't even so.
So but now.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
I want to go in, so, so, so.
It makes me want to feel I'vehad people walk in here and be
like can I just be here with you?
Can I just hang out with you?
I'm like, if you want to Likeit just makes you feel safe.
I agree, yeah, and that's whatI wanted it to be a safe space.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Thank you you achieved that, my friend.
So since it is Black HistoryMonth, we're just going to
reflect a little bit on BlackHistory.
Can you share a pivotal moment,or quite possibly it could be
an individual from Black Historywho has inspired and influenced
your journey as a clothingdesigner, a fiber artist and an
(25:27):
educator?
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Oh wow, oh man, hmm, interesting, that's a good
question.
Hmm, somebody who's reallyimpacted me.
I think the Obamas in generalare amazing and I think that was
like when they were in officeand Michelle Obama was just like
(25:52):
such a figure and such afashion figure.
You know, I think watching herduring that time that's when I
was in college.
You know, so it just was like oh, you know, like we can become
great things, we can be leaders,you know, and it just kind of
reinforced the fact that I stillwanted to start my own business
(26:13):
.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Yeah, and you persevere and you just keep
working.
That's it.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, thank you for that.
What advice do you have foraspiring designers and
entrepreneurs looking to turntheir passion into successful
careers?
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Oh boy, that's a big one, wow.
Well, it's a big one for a fewdifferent things.
So when I went to college, Istudied the manufacturing side
of clothing.
So I was trained to work acorporate job at a business.
You know, target whomever,wherever you go, on a design
team of some sort.
When that was actually neverwhat I wanted to do.
(26:50):
I didn't really know until Iwas like doing it and yeah,
that's how hard life happens.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is right,you know, and you're constantly
being reviewed and stuff in thecorporate world, right.
So I was like that's not whereI want to be.
I didn't know exactly what Iwanted to do.
I would say to college studentsin general you don't always
have to know right away.
(27:11):
You don't have to go to collegeknowing what you're going to
study.
You might go to a college thatoffers a couple things that you
want to study and then just kindof see where you end up in that
.
You know, put some thought intoit, because I did not declare
until I was a sophomore incollege.
I thought maybe biology.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
You know that was like my other option.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
So I was like, hmm, okay, so let me just kind of
feel it out and I think thatnever think that you can only do
one thing.
That's very important.
You can do lots of things.
I think that you do need tohave focus in what you do, so
make sure that you're gaining asmuch knowledge about this area
of study that you are passionateabout.
(27:52):
So gain that knowledge.
Knowledge doesn't stop aftercollege.
Ooh, that rhymes.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
It is.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I didn't even know.
I was like, hey, okay.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
I think you might have another career too.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Exactly, I need to put that on a t-shirt.
We're putting that on shirts.
There you go.
Yes, we are ready, and I justthink that, when it comes to
entrepreneurship, there's noright or wrong way.
You're all on your own journeyand you will make mistakes along
the way.
(28:26):
That's how you rebound from themistakes that will change your
outcome.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Let me just tell you I honestly have had so much fun
sitting with you today and, likeI said in the beginning, even
though this is our officialfirst meeting of sorts, have
that genuine welcoming spirit.
I have thoroughly enjoyed thisconversation.
You've made me laugh.
(28:53):
I wish I had a tissue because Iwas like dabbing on my eyes,
like you are a serial, but justsuch a lovely person and a
lovely spirit.
I've had so much fun, like Isaid, sitting down today and
chatting with you about what youdo, how you inspire others, how
you inspire those within ourcommunity, and from your
(29:16):
commitment to sustainability toyour fashion sense, to your role
as an educator.
I guess the word that comes tomy mind if I could put a word
that would describe my encountertoday it is just joy.
It's joyful to be in yourpresence.
Thank you for allowing me tonot only interview you.
(29:39):
This has truly been an honorfor me.
Thank you so much, though.
Thank you for inspiring us all,brooke.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Yeah, absolutely.
And now that the interview isofficially over, I would like to
ask you a fun question.
Okay, if you could design anoutfit for a fictional character
in your favorite movie or TVshow, what would it be and who
would it be for?
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Oh, boy SpongeBob.
No, I'm kidding, I'm kiddingSpongeBob will slay, let's see.
Ooh, that's a good question.
I've always really liked sci-fiand futuristic type clothing,
but Like Star Trek, yeah, thattype of stuff, or like Black
(30:28):
Panther.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Like any of those you know?
Yeah, like the type of stuff.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
But gosh, because, okay, the person I'm thinking of
.
I usually do more women's wear,but I'm thinking of the Witcher
from the Witcher and it's a guy, but I feel like I could make
some sort of really awesomecloak for him with a piece of
(30:51):
beautiful body armor over thetop.
That would be really cool.
That's cool.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
It's really cool.
He needs to dress up a littlemore.
I like that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah yeah.
Good afternoon and welcome to everybody.
The podcast which sharesstories that highlight people in
life, that make the world aninteresting place, which
ultimately ties us all togetherin unique and wonderful ways.
And who am I, you might ask.
I would be the headwrappedsocialite Weith mom,
(00:23):
micro-influencer in the fashionand etiquette world.
But on this podcast, I will beintroducing you to some people
who I've had the opportunity tomeet along my journey, who have
helped enrich me and my life inbeautiful ways and who I hope
will do the same in yours.
Today, our guest is BrookeBirch clothing designer, fiber
(00:48):
artist, seamstress, educator andentrepreneur, with a passion
for fashion, retail and acommitment to sustainability in
the apparel industry.
Our guest is a true trailblazerIn our community.
She is one of the leadingseamstresses and entrepreneurs.
Just to see her bloom, herbusiness, makes my heart smile.
(01:12):
So, without further ado, Iwould like to introduce you all
to Brooke Birch.
Welcome, brooke, to today'sepisode.
Thank you so much for having me.
Brooke, can you tell thelisteners a little bit about who
you are?
I?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
am a local clothing designer and sewing instructor
here in Rochester.
I've been in business for alittle over a decade and I
recently acquired a new spacefor my studio only about six
months ago.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
How long has your studio space been in the works?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
You know, not very long.
I worked out of my apartmentfor about eight years and about
a year ago I ended up renting aspace from another local
business owner and I was able touse that space for a year to
build my business into what itis now.
So I got to expand into groupsewing classes and after that
was able to get a larger space.
(02:08):
So it's all really happened inless than two years, this great
expansion.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
That's wonderful.
So we're going to take thelisteners back a little bit to
your early beginnings.
So your journey from childhoodsewing to a bachelor's degree
and apparel design is incredible.
How did your early experiencesshape your passion for fashion
and the art?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Always love sewing.
I've always loved design, evenbefore I knew what it was.
I used to make drawings when Iwas probably five or six years
old and they all had wings,which was weird.
I used to draw little fairypeople all the time and I have
books of these.
I never threw them away, so Istill have these books with
(02:52):
fairy drawings.
And have you ever heard of theshow the Magic School Bus?
Do you remember the show WithMrs Frizzle.
Yes so she was like I loved thatshow.
She was super impactful, and soyou remember how she had a
different outfit for everyoccasion and I just thought that
was so unique.
I think that was the first timeI started noticing what
(03:13):
somebody was wearing For sure,really using that as a catalyst
for my early creativity.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Oh, I love it.
And so I love how youreferenced the Magic School Bus,
because, oh my goodness, I loveMrs Frizzle.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And Jess that you brought her up.
I haven't thought about MrsFrizzle and the Magic School Bus
since my kids were little,exactly.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So that just yeah, it was a good show.
It was a good show, reallycreative show for the time, and
the woman was a protagonist,which was really cool too.
So I would draw stuff like that, like with different images
like pizza and stuff on it, andadd wings.
I guess Having wings, they hadto have wings, otherwise it
didn't feel right.
And then you know, my parentsand family just supported me
(04:00):
along the way, especially my dad.
He got those laminated, hehelped me put those books
together and it just kind ofkept growing from there.
My grandma would buy me boxesof art supplies and I've always
loved art in general.
So art and design, drawing andpainting actually minored in
drawing and painting in college.
So it's always been somethingcreative, you know, since at
(04:23):
least the age of five.
Yeah, but didn't start sewinguntil on a sewing machine till I
was 11.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Interesting.
So can I ask you a question?
With your design and with yourart, do you like sketch out
things, or how does that processwork for you?
Actually, no, I don't.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I don't do that.
I prefer to make things.
I don't even like sketching,but it's funny because I teach
it as part of my curriculum,because I think it's important
to put your ideas on paper,mainly for a communication
aspect.
But I think that the making andthe process of making is the
most important part.
So I'd rather throw somethingon a mannequin, you know, I'd
(04:59):
rather cut, cut it up, cut upthe fabric and put it on someone
, rather than drawing.
Sometimes I'll do the drawingslater, if I need to, if I need
to document that for some reason.
Okay, yeah, I'm more, just getmy hands dirty.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Oh, I love it.
Yeah, so today we are actuallyon location and we're in
Brooke's beautiful studio spaceand, as she's referencing the
mannequins and how she drapesthings, first, things that I
noticed upon entering her spacesshe has a couple of mannequins
and one is draped with thisbeautiful print.
It's purple and fuchsia and hasthis big bow on it, and I'm
(05:35):
noticing that in the space aswell.
She has tons and tons of fabric.
Can I ask you what exactly is afiber artist?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
That would be anybody who works with fabric or fabric
like materials, so it doesn'thave to be somebody who makes
clothing.
They could be a 2D artist.
They could be also considered amixed media artist.
You know, and I didn't really,and that's the first time I ever
have called myself a fiberartist- actually.
I love it.
(06:04):
Because of what I've learnedover the last couple of years
and the people that I've met, Ithought, okay, I fall into this
category and people are just socreative with the way they put
things to things I never wouldthink of.
They put fabrics together in aspecial way, they recycle
materials in a special way, andI just love to watch people do
that, and I've beenexperimenting with that as well.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Brooke, you have a passion for sustainability in
the apparel industry.
Can you share some initiativesor practices that you've
implemented in your work tocontribute to a more sustainable
and eco-friendly society?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Okay, I feel like I needed to make a list.
I should have made a list, butwe'll just start with the
teaching aspect.
Most of my materials aredonated, so I usually just put a
call out a couple weeks beforeeach sewing term starts and
usually people just bring allkinds of stuff in.
They just use it as a destashmoment.
They bring it in, I sortthrough it or have my interns
(07:02):
look through it and we organizeit.
What we can't use, we usuallygive to the students.
So right now I have this hugedonation of clothing, patterns
and fabric and things and theyget to pick through it this week
and take things for their owncollections.
I love that so that's one thingthat I do.
(07:22):
I have been taking my smallscraps and working with a
company called Four Days Ifyou've seen it floating around
on Facebook but it's a bigfabric recycling company.
They've got these differentbags that you can purchase from
their website.
When you get the bags, you fillit with whatever you want.
I think that they originallymeant for it to be clothing, but
(07:45):
they've noticed people sendingthem other stuff like fabric,
like me so now they're realizingokay, we've got a restructure,
they're making bags specificallyfor fabric scraps.
So they're starting to thinkmore along those lines and they
recycle it and make products fortheir website.
Oh, I love that so it kind ofcomes full circle that way, so I
can use my credit to getrecycled clothing and items from
(08:06):
their website.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Oh, that's awesome.
So are they globally, or isthis a local?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
business.
It's global.
I don't know if it's UnitedStates based only, but that's a
big one.
I also heard of another one Ihave yet to work with them yet,
though, but fab scrap.
They are, I think, out ofCalifornia, and they get fabric
from the apparel industry, likeoffcuts from them and bolts from
them that are off season thatthey're not going to use.
(08:32):
I know they've got one locationin California and you can
purchase online, I think, peryard, so they're just selling
kind of end of bolt, pieces ofthings, scraps of things that
they got from industriallocations.
So I don't know if I can donatemy things to them yet, but I'm
going to look into it.
Yeah, so there's all kinds ofstuff.
(08:52):
There's even, I think, at 125live.
They've got a quilters group, alot of quilters groups at local
churches that take donations,but also someone's making dog
beds out of mixed material scrap.
That's local, I think it'sthrough 125 live.
So, that's what I want to do,because I've been saving
everything.
I saved my thread, scrapeverything that we cut off the
(09:13):
edges of things.
So I'm saving that, so we'llsee if we can do something with
it.
That's good.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Okay, and so once you figure out what you're going to
do with those things, I wouldlove to come back and see what
you do with those, For sure, andthen the kids, I mean, and the
students I've got adults andkids.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
We use it for the projects.
So what we're doing is justrecycling things over and over
until it's all gone, untilthere's no more.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
I love it, I love it and that's one thing I've
noticed.
Some of my friends have takenclasses from you or have their
children, so put things onFacebook.
I'm like, oh, my goodness,that's such a cute bag that they
made and I love the excitementto Brooke that you have
surrounding not only yourbusiness, but you just lit up
when you started talking aboutyour students.
(09:55):
So, in your role as an educator, what aspects of fashion and
design do you find mostinteresting or most rewarding to
teach, and how do you inspirecreativity within your students?
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Um, I think.
Well, at least I hope.
I hope I inspire them early onin the teaching process.
I try to take a bit of thepressure off by not focusing on
machine threading, because weall know that's like one of the
like, most annoying parts ofsewing.
It's hard, it's dense, so webuild up on that over time.
Okay, so they get to sew.
(10:31):
They get to sew the first day.
Okay, you know, they get to goright into line where my first
project is a pillow and they getto pick the fabric they want
for it.
So that's automatically designfreedom.
Right, so you might have thepieces pre-cut but you get to
pick the colors you know.
So that's already giving themsome freedom.
Second project same thing,pre-cut, but they get to pick
(10:52):
the fabric.
And that one's even morecolorful.
That's the tote bag.
My students still bring theirbags to class with them because
they're really proud of it.
They spend a lot of time makingthat.
I've had people ask me and I'veonly had Min ask me this, which
I'm not sure.
I'm not sure if this iscorrelation.
They said, well, do they get acertificate?
And I'm like no, they get thejoy of finishing the project
(11:14):
Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
I'm like they don't need a certificate.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now I do have different levelsof sewing.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Okay, so you do kind of graduate from one to the
other, but you work at your ownpace.
I think that also takes thepressure off, so they never feel
like they're falling behind orthey're never bored because
they're being held back.
They get to move at their ownpace.
Yeah, so it's just really chill.
It's mixed age groups, so Iteach eight-year-olds right next
(11:40):
to six-year-old people.
Yeah, so it'smulti-generational and that's
been really fun.
That's great too.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Yeah, when you said that, it shows me that it
doesn't matter the age, right,it's like we're all, and I
always say we're all thisbeautiful world together.
When you lend a helping hand tosomebody else or somebody
watches you, you get inspired bythat person who's sitting next
to you Exactly, and it doesn'tmatter what the age is Exactly
Breaking down those barriers,because we're always I mean
(12:09):
while we're children at leastwe're always with our peer group
, we're always putting us withthe same age people.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I've got friends that are 20 years younger than me
and 20 years older than me and Ilove it Exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
There's so much to learn from other people and
their experiences.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Yes, so I think that's been really good.
They enjoy it.
They just enjoy that aspect ofit which is great In terms of
what I teach them and why Iteach that to them.
I teach them the core values ofsewing and then, as they
progress, we go to the corevalues of design.
Now, I don't think there's anyparticular right or wrong in
something, but there's a processyou have to go through in order
(12:47):
to come out with a finishedproduct.
So I just work towards that.
I let them have their designfreedom, but I know when to reel
them in and tell them what'sactually doable in the amount of
time that you have.
I'm like a consultant especiallywith my advanced students and I
have a lot of kids that havebeen with me for a long time, so
they are advanced students inthese classes and they get to
(13:07):
work on their own projects atthis point, Wow.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Yeah, and so do they call you and just make time slot
, or is it open?
Speaker 2 (13:15):
or no, it's mixed age and it's mixed level.
Okay, so I've got my times thatI've said I'm teaching classes.
They let me know which classthey could take.
They come once a week at thattime.
Oh, okay, so it's like I'vebeen separating by season.
So I'm going to have fall term.
This is winter term right now,and then in April, spring term
(13:36):
starts.
Okay, yeah, okay.
So they sign up for a group ofclasses.
This is a 12 class series, andthen my next one's going to be
an eight class series, but youjust keep going from where you
left off.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
So it's like a three to four month period that they
work within.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Exactly.
Okay, and some leave and comeback later.
Okay, some can only do summer,some can do the school year but
not summer.
So they just keep coming backand forth, which is great.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Brooke, like I said, I follow you on Facebook and I
love to see pictures of not onlyyou and your students, but you.
Every now and then we'll putpictures of your son.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Oh yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
So I would just like to know how do you balance
motherhood and your full timebusiness?
How do you find inspiration andmotivation in both aspects of
your life to continue to?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Yeah Well, I wanted to build my business in a way
that I could be a present parentand be able to run my business
on my own terms.
So that's what I've beenworking towards all these years.
My son is almost 10.
No, I can't I can't, I can'twhich is crazy, and he's been
right there along with me fromthe beginning, pretty much
(14:42):
Literally.
When we got our apartment wasme and him at table and a sewing
machine and a dream.
And a dream I would say likethat because literally I had my
baby in my arm and my sewingmachine on the table.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
And.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
I was like, okay, we're gonna do this.
So I think he really gave methe spirit that I needed to
propel myself.
Yeah, for sure, and sometimesit takes something big like that
you know, having a child orsomething to be really impactful
in your life to get you movingFor sure for sure.
And kids tend to do that to usyeah for sure.
(15:18):
So he's been great and I've gota lot more time for him.
Now that there's separationbetween the business and the
home life, it's so weird gettingup and not seeing clothing
racks in my apartment, likethat's weird.
But it's been great, it's beenreally good, and he spends a lot
of time here with me too.
I'm sure he has that creativebug with Enhanced yeah, he's
very creative and he is a littledelegator.
(15:40):
He likes to tell people what todo, not in a mean way he just
explains things to them.
So he's.
I think he's definitely takenthat from me because he would be
right there when I was teachingprivate lessons in my apartment
.
He heard it.
He probably could have taughtthe class.
He probably could have taughtthe class.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
That is a good boy.
That's great.
What advice would you have formothers, parents in the
workforce?
One piece of advice you couldleave them with.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
I would say I'll take the pandemic as a talking point
for this.
During the pandemic, we saw alot of things.
We saw a lot of people losetheir jobs.
I was able to stay in businessand kind of roll with the
punches and figure out somethingelse to do and use my trade
skills to my advantage.
I think that it's never toolate to learn a new skill.
(16:29):
I think as parents, asproviders, you can't be too
dependent on one thing.
You've got to have multipleskills.
Maybe you're falling back onyour minor skills that you got
in college.
Maybe you're getting acertificate in something you've
never done before, just to makeit.
Just to make it.
In this world, I know a lot ofpeople are even doing side gigs.
(16:49):
I did Airbnb for a couple ofyears and it was great.
I loved it because I lovemeeting people.
It feels great, we all behanging out together.
So you got to do what you gotto do when you got to do it and
feel good about those choicesthat you make.
Thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
It was a gift.
I liked that as both a lover offashion and an entrepreneur.
What challenges andopportunities so do you see in
the evolving landscape offashion now?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
I feel like I've noticed a lot of trends emerging
and I guess I can still tie inwhat I'm thinking of at the
moment, right now, and that'srecycling.
I love it, but that's kind ofaffecting the apparel industry
as a whole, because I think thatespecially younger generations
are getting sick of fast fashion, and that has caused a lot of
(17:39):
things to happen.
It's caused a lot ofsecond-hand shops to arise.
It's caused a lot of smallboutiques to arise.
For the second-hand shops, it'sa little more random and you've
got a lot more merch, but thenyou've got these smaller
boutiques that are pre-curatingeverything.
They're either going huntingfor items themselves, people are
cutting things up and remakingthem.
(18:01):
You see it all over Instagram.
So I would say that's kind ofwhat's emerged, and it's almost
been like a trickle-up factorfrom the bottom to the top.
So now the top designers aretrying to make their clothes
look like they did in a recycle.
Isn't that something?
Yeah, it's been a whole thing.
So then I had to take a secondlook.
I'm like wait, girl.
(18:22):
I think what the heck man?
Y'all almost tricked me youalmost got me that time.
Yeah, so they're catching on tothe streetwear trends that
people in small groups andsubgroups are creating, and I
still feel like my job's stillgoing to be totally valid.
I'm a seamstress, so I don'twork corporately, so I think I
(18:46):
can use that to my advantagesomehow in recycling.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
So yeah, so can you tie that into the vintage rack
that you have?
Could you explain to ourlisteners what exactly your
vintage rack is?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
I know, and it's funny because I think vintage
rack is the most generic nameever.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I love it, though I love it.
It's exactly what it is, and itliterally started with one rack
.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
So in my apartment I'd have clients asking me do
you have something I can wearwith this dress, like a little
sugar?
I'm like no.
I'm like no, especially if Imade you something custom, I
don't just have things around.
So then I started thinking, ok,enough people are asking me
maybe I should look for thingslike that that go with the
formal wear.
(19:30):
So then I just kind of startedexperimenting.
I'd go to some estate sales andgarage sales and pick up things
that would go well with things Iwas working with.
And then the customers thatwere coming in they knew about
it, so they started to know thatthe rack was there and it was
really popular.
I'd even have people messagingme what you got in your rack
this week and I'm like you gotto come see, or I'll just pan
(19:53):
over so they can see in apicture or something.
But then I'm like, ok, thiscould be a thing, because I
didn't know anybody in Rochesterdoing vintage at the time.
So then I expanded the rack alittle bit like made a full rack
.
And then I remember that day,the day I was opening, so to
speak, I met a guy sellingvintage.
So he was there with his mom andhe's like he was there.
(20:14):
So funny.
They're my first customers, soI took a picture of them.
His name is Max Hayden.
Ok, Yep, he sells clothes atTreatum.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Ah, ok, yeah, OK.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
So he was like oh, I sell vintage and I was the first
man I ever met anybody inRochester selling vintage.
But he does more of a masculinekind of more streetwear vibe
which I'm just starting to catchon myself.
I normally collect dresses andstuff and so it just blew up
from there.
I had an outdoor sale, kind oflike in the midst of the
pandemic, so we did it outsideand I was like on a live feed.
(20:45):
That was like the first time Iwas like, hey guys, come on over
.
I was like on the porch at myapartment building.
It was a whole thing and I metsome of my customers I have till
this day I met my student, esmethere.
I've had Esme for six years now.
Oh my goodness, like I'veliterally been teaching her for
that long.
I met her at that outdoor salething, wow.
Yeah, so made a lot ofconnections through that,
(21:07):
started doing pop-ups Okay, so Iknew there was a real desire
for that type of clothing and wejust weren't seeing it here.
I started doing the MinneapolisVintage Market about a year ago
and I made so many connectionswith other vendors up there and
they have such a large vintagepresence up there that you can
find it anywhere.
(21:27):
Literally every time I go thereI go to a different store.
I like go purposely go lookingfor some like weird hole in the
wall store each time.
So, knowing that I wanted aflagship, this was the perfect
space for it.
Yeah, so I just got a littlespace where I can keep all the
clothes that I find.
I'm open a few days a week andpeople have been liking it,
(21:49):
that's awesome.
You know, people have beendiscovering it, so For sure.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Yeah, so do you also put it on Instagram?
Like, do you take photos andput the pictures on Instagram so
that you could sell them?
Or if people have questions orinquiries about an item, they
can DM you.
Or do you have to come into thephysical?
They can if they see somethingthat they like.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
But I don't actually go through item by item.
I might make a reel of 10 to 15looks and they could ask that
way, but I do encourage them tocome in because I think it's
very important that you try itbefore you buy it.
Okay, you better try it on.
Some people don't like to dothat and they just want to buy
it, but I don't have a returnpolicy, so you can't bring it
back, you better try it onExactly.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
This is a real meaning of you buy it.
You buy it Exactly.
There's no return, no return,no exchanges.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
So you better really like it, and I think that
quality over quantity issomething that people need to
learn how to practice,especially with our
environmental issues going onjust really picking those pieces
that make you feel you know,they make you feel special and
they make you feel comfortable.
(22:59):
So you want to pick those typeof things to have in your
wardrobe, for sure, for sure.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Those items that stand the test of time.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Yeah, your commitment to bringing joy through
creativity, like I've said overand over, is quite inspiring.
How does the process of makingand designing your items
contribute to your overall wellbeing and also happiness for
yourself and for those aroundyou?
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I'll use the example of working out with my apartment
.
For many years, you know, I'dspend 14 hours a day sewing by
myself.
It was like solitaryconfinement.
I was like anytime anybodywalked in there I'd be talking
their head off because I hadn'tseen people for like two days,
you know.
So it's really nice to be ableto see people every single day.
(23:46):
You know, I get a few surprisepeople, but then I have the
people I expect to come in fortheir classes and I can follow
up with them, see how their daysand weeks were going.
And you've got to have thatinteraction with people.
Like that's like a humannecessity.
Yeah, you got to have that.
So that's already increased mymood, my energy.
This just made me appreciativeof what I do have and also more
(24:11):
aware of what I'm capable togive to people.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Yeah, I like that.
And one thing I will tell you,dear listeners, is that Brooks
Space is so inviting Like I'msitting here and it just fills
me with joy and I can see thejoy that it brings you and the
space is light and airy andyou're surrounded by things that
(24:37):
you love and that you're ableagain to give back to the
community and have themappreciate and love the art of
creativity within themselves too.
But this space is amazing.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
I don't even so.
So but now.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
I want to go in, so, so, so.
It makes me want to feel I'vehad people walk in here and be
like can I just be here with you?
Can I just hang out with you?
I'm like, if you want to Likeit just makes you feel safe.
I agree, yeah, and that's whatI wanted it to be a safe space.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Thank you you achieved that, my friend.
So since it is Black HistoryMonth, we're just going to
reflect a little bit on BlackHistory.
Can you share a pivotal moment,or quite possibly it could be
an individual from Black Historywho has inspired and influenced
your journey as a clothingdesigner, a fiber artist and an
(25:27):
educator?
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Oh wow, oh man, hmm, interesting, that's a good
question.
Hmm, somebody who's reallyimpacted me.
I think the Obamas in generalare amazing and I think that was
like when they were in officeand Michelle Obama was just like
(25:52):
such a figure and such afashion figure.
You know, I think watching herduring that time that's when I
was in college.
You know, so it just was like oh, you know, like we can become
great things, we can be leaders,you know, and it just kind of
reinforced the fact that I stillwanted to start my own business
(26:13):
.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Yeah, and you persevere and you just keep
working.
That's it.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, thank you for that.
What advice do you have foraspiring designers and
entrepreneurs looking to turntheir passion into successful
careers?
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Oh boy, that's a big one, wow.
Well, it's a big one for a fewdifferent things.
So when I went to college, Istudied the manufacturing side
of clothing.
So I was trained to work acorporate job at a business.
You know, target whomever,wherever you go, on a design
team of some sort.
When that was actually neverwhat I wanted to do.
(26:50):
I didn't really know until Iwas like doing it and yeah,
that's how hard life happens.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is right,you know, and you're constantly
being reviewed and stuff in thecorporate world, right.
So I was like that's not whereI want to be.
I didn't know exactly what Iwanted to do.
I would say to college studentsin general you don't always
have to know right away.
(27:11):
You don't have to go to collegeknowing what you're going to
study.
You might go to a college thatoffers a couple things that you
want to study and then just kindof see where you end up in that
.
You know, put some thought intoit, because I did not declare
until I was a sophomore incollege.
I thought maybe biology.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
You know that was like my other option.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
So I was like, hmm, okay, so let me just kind of
feel it out and I think thatnever think that you can only do
one thing.
That's very important.
You can do lots of things.
I think that you do need tohave focus in what you do, so
make sure that you're gaining asmuch knowledge about this area
of study that you are passionateabout.
(27:52):
So gain that knowledge.
Knowledge doesn't stop aftercollege.
Ooh, that rhymes.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
It is.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I didn't even know.
I was like, hey, okay.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
I think you might have another career too.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Exactly, I need to put that on a t-shirt.
We're putting that on shirts.
There you go.
Yes, we are ready, and I justthink that, when it comes to
entrepreneurship, there's noright or wrong way.
You're all on your own journeyand you will make mistakes along
the way.
(28:26):
That's how you rebound from themistakes that will change your
outcome.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Let me just tell you I honestly have had so much fun
sitting with you today and, likeI said in the beginning, even
though this is our officialfirst meeting of sorts, have
that genuine welcoming spirit.
I have thoroughly enjoyed thisconversation.
You've made me laugh.
(28:53):
I wish I had a tissue because Iwas like dabbing on my eyes,
like you are a serial, but justsuch a lovely person and a
lovely spirit.
I've had so much fun, like Isaid, sitting down today and
chatting with you about what youdo, how you inspire others, how
you inspire those within ourcommunity, and from your
(29:16):
commitment to sustainability toyour fashion sense, to your role
as an educator.
I guess the word that comes tomy mind if I could put a word
that would describe my encountertoday it is just joy.
It's joyful to be in yourpresence.
Thank you for allowing me tonot only interview you.
(29:39):
This has truly been an honorfor me.
Thank you so much, though.
Thank you for inspiring us all,brooke.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Yeah, absolutely.
And now that the interview isofficially over, I would like to
ask you a fun question.
Okay, if you could design anoutfit for a fictional character
in your favorite movie or TVshow, what would it be and who
would it be for?
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Oh, boy SpongeBob.
No, I'm kidding, I'm kiddingSpongeBob will slay, let's see.
Ooh, that's a good question.
I've always really liked sci-fiand futuristic type clothing,
but Like Star Trek, yeah, thattype of stuff, or like Black
(30:28):
Panther.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Like any of those you know?
Yeah, like the type of stuff.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
But gosh, because, okay, the person I'm thinking of
.
I usually do more women's wear,but I'm thinking of the Witcher
from the Witcher and it's a guy, but I feel like I could make
some sort of really awesomecloak for him with a piece of
(30:51):
beautiful body armor over thetop.
That would be really cool.
That's cool.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
It's really cool.
He needs to dress up a littlemore.
I like that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah yeah.
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