We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexis Broder a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alexis , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

Your biggest supporters are going to be people you have never met! When I first started posting my artwork and creations I would post on Instagram and meet people from all over the country. Then I started doing pop ups and my business stayed more local. I can count on one hand how many of my family and friends actually purchased a product from me, and that’s okay because some of my best supporters was from a stranger who loved what I do! Some customers have even turned into great friends!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I moved around a lot growing up. I was born in Long Island, New York then moved to San Antonio, Texas where I started kindergarten. We moved to central Florida and then eventually to Hagerstown, Maryland. I grew up always wanting to be a teacher or an artist of some sort. Being raised in Florida, I would always create a DIY or work on arts and crafts for fun! I remember cutting up old t-shirts and making them into sleepover bags, or the iconic over the shoulder shirts that had the 2010’s in a chokehold. I didn’t like to be wasteful, and I couldn’t always get to the store to buy the materials I wanted so I would use what I had around the house and make do.

It wasn’t until my sophomore year in Highschool back in 2016, when I really started getting into my creative side. My 2D art teacher, saw an artist in me when I barely believed in myself. I remember being asked to join AP ART and I was so honored! That AP art test was the only one I passed, and that gave me the confidence to really dive into my creative passions like painting, drawing, and photography.

I graduated at Ridge Community Highschool in 2018 and moved to Maryland where I experienced a huge creative block for a year. I had my son in 2019 and was gifted a sewing machine. For a long time, it collected dust in my closet, but after a few YouTube tutorials I challenged myself to make hair accessories like scrunchies, bonnets and headbands. I always loved creating and making stuff, and I knew I wanted to make more. I remember telling people at my first pop up in Nov 2020 that I really want to make clothes in the future.

We are all guilty of throwing away a stained shirt, or an old blanket- but why not save it and turn it into something new? Like some trendy pants, or a one of a kind bag! Give it a whole new life! Thats the reason I am an advocate for sustainable fashion, because the opportunities are endless! Fast fashion is one of the leading contributers of pollution. Between the toxic dyes, and the amount of time it actually takes to decompose, clothing textiles equate to 16 million tons a year of waste! You can be stylish and unique and save the world at the same time!

Stitchedlexx is a urban street styled, trendy but sustainable fashion company. Every look is creatively inspired, and handmade with love.
We source our materials from thrift stores, and vintage markets and create one of one unique creations. I occasionaly do alterations as well to save some of your favorite garments!I have done a handful of bridal gown hems, and I even worked on my first bustle this year! I love to be challenged and when im asked to recreate a look, I use self drafted patterns to create their piece!

Every day is a learning experience and a new day to create. I am focusing more on my sustainable fashion line, and networking with fellow designers, models, and creative directors. Stitchedbylexx has created dresses, tassle pants, upcycled curtains and so much more! Be sure to follow @stitchedbylexx on Tiktok, Facebook, and Instagram to stay updated with my sewing journey!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am a content creator on TikTok and have been slowly getting back into Instagram and Facebook. Literally just be yourself, I have connected with so many seamstresses and designers through TikTok, it’s almost like a little sewing family! I don’t have a strategy when it comes to posting, I just record some of my latest projects and share, behind the scenes of my creative process. Consistency is key, no matter what your craft is. When you post, don’t worry about b=what the likes are – people are watching! I can post one video on TikTok get 200 views, then post the same one on Facebook and get 9k views. Each platform comes with a different audience and that’s the fun part of being a business owner, learning what works best for you.

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

Every business owner has success stories and some downfalls, but the success is really when you learn from your mistakes. I recreated Teddy Bear slippers last spring, and they were a huge hit! I made them for birthday parties, and many custom orders. I had an order for two teddy bear slippers, that were already premade, I was trying to clear my inventory and put them for sale, and I sold them as one size fits all. At the time I didn’t have a policy in place, so refunds were kind of up in the air. The customer received the product and said it didn’t fit; the client ended up breaking a nail trying to put on the slippers. I panicked- my first thoughts were to make her new ones, but at that point the customer really just wanted a refund. I offered to give refund if I got back the product, but there were a few issues since one of my products were in another state. We eventually came to an agreement that I would refund half, and they received a bonnet to compensate my mistake. Funny thing is this customer is one of my good friends now. Just be sure to come up with a business policy so you and your customers are on the same page! It will avoid a lot of confusion between you and your client.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @stitchedbylexx
• Facebook: @stitchedbylexx
• Other: TIKTOK – @stitchedbylexx

Image Credits
Cstyles – model picture