We were lucky to catch up with Mazzy Leinbach recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mazzy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

I think that what I refer to as the “Amazon Effect” has catalyzed and normalized fast fashion in a way that cheapens and undermines the labor that goes into making handmade clothes and textiles.

“Slow fashion” is essentially the antithesis of fast fashion and is often used to describe the process of creating handmade clothing. Especially within knitting and crochet, making clothes takes time. Not a lot of people recognize this because they are so accustomed to being able to buy a similar item for significantly less on platforms like Shein, Amazon, etc. Many are not able to identify the time and effort that goes into making a handmade item. For example, if I make a hat and it takes me four hours and I pay myself $20 an hour, I have to price the hat at $80, which doesn’t even include the cost of materials. A lot of the time I end up turning down commissions because of this disconnect.

I often find it difficult to advocate for myself, and this general misunderstanding about the industry makes it even more challenging.

This misunderstanding brings about another issue. If Amazon is able to sell a crochet piece of clothing for $35, how much is the person who is actually making the garment earning?

Mazzy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Mazzy and I’m a New York-based textile and fiber artist :) I’ve aptly named my brand Made by Mazzy.

I’ve always been interested in creating, which often spans many different mediums. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, I like many others was out of work and yearning for some type of creative expression. Out of boredom and desperation, I began teaching myself how to crochet through different Youtube videos.

As I fine-tuned my skills, I started posting things I made to my personal Instagram account and found that people were really interested in buying things, so I started selling things and it became really therapeutic for me during this time of uncertainty.

I mostly do smaller pieces (ie: hats, bonnets, scarves, etc.) but really I’m open to making anything. I’ve taken on larger projects but tend not to do them because of pricing/cost.

I love being challenged to explore new concepts and ideas; it’s incredibly fulfilling for me. A couple of years ago, I had someone approach me to see if I could make them a corn ski mask for their corn-themed birthday. Going into it, I was a mix of anxious and excited; the project seemed somewhat daunting but also really rewarding. What I ended up making was a huge success and it went viral on Reddit. I think the larger recognition felt really good, especially because I’m typically incredibly hard on myself.

Overall, my favorite thing is getting complimented on a piece that I’ve made when I wear it out in public. Although I don’t make my pieces for recognition, it still feels very validating.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I’m a huge believer in face-to-face contact.

I’ve often done cold-call-style emails to see whether or not different stores are interested in carrying some of my pieces, but I find that going to stores and connecting with the owners directly is ideal. I think they are more likely to want to carry your pieces if they have a bit more context and a deeper understanding of who you are.

In that same vein, I’ve done a few markets and vendor events that have also allowed me to connect directly with clients and build a deeper understanding, which I think makes them more likely to buy something from me because it puts a face and personality to the product.

Lastly, I use the crochet subreddits to get feedback and advice from other crochet artists, which has been a really useful tool for me. It has connected me to like-minded creatives who understand the trials and tribulations of the process from conception to execution, which is super comforting and validating.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As mentioned before, I often have a difficult time advocating for myself. Beyond this, I am a perfectionist riddled with self-doubt. Although I do not think this is unique to me, especially within the world of small businesses, it’s been something I’ve had to consciously chip away at in order to self-actualize.

Because of the industry I was previously working in, I was routinely operating tirelessly to appease other people’s wants, needs, expectations, etc. to the point of exhaustion. This often fueled my insecurities and harvested tons of self-doubt which bled into my work for Made by Mazzy. I found that I would waste hours of time, effort, and energy trying to resolve issues that truly didn’t exist.

It’s been a long process, and I’m still working on it, but overall I’m much more confident and secure in my work.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/made.by.mazzy/