We recently connected with Brittany Embler and have shared our conversation below.
Brittany, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
Thank you so much for having me. My name is Brittany and fashion is truly my passion. I am a wife, a mom and an employee, but like many of us, we are so much more than these labels that are placed on us!
Since I was young, I have had a love of all things fashion. I have always needed to have a creative outlet and had the drive to do something crafty my entire life. Just the last couple of years I had decided funnel that love to create new unique clothing out of unconventional materials with the idea of offering an experience that is truly unique and one-of-a-kind. That’s when Mama Made USA was born!
So what I do now is take these unconventional materials and think outside the box with my designs. I love to incorporate things you wouldn’t normally associate with clothing and let my imagination take hold. I love to deconstruct and create brand new, one-of-a-kind pieces. The idea of using second-hand items keeps my pieces sustainable while keeping the costs down for my customers.
You will often hear the terms upcycling, rework or sustainable clothing associated with what I do.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have been an avid second-hand shopper since I entered my teens before it was “the cool” thing to do.
A coffee and a few spare hours in a thrift store is a dream with my eyes open. I have always preferred shopping this way. I thrive in the treasure hunt. I love to sift through items to feel for quality pieces and find those diamonds in the rough.
Now more than ever, it is amazing that we have the online capability to spread awareness promoting the idea of purchasing clothing through sustainable methods that utilize and limit the negative impact that the excessive pollution of fast fashion has on our planet. It has always bothered me that the fashion industry itself has become so wasteful and damaging to the environment.
I grew up with the idea that the latest fashions had to be purchased in order to keep up with the trends and I never found myself to be satisfied with that methodology.
Fashion tends to be cyclical so anyone can lean toward a certain style, era or genre of dressing. The great thing is that is completely obtainable through second hand sourcing methods such as local thrifting, shopping gently used items through online shopping and so much more.
I want to share my love for fashion and provide you a unique service from my one-of-a-kind point of view.
Along with creating unique garments through upcycling, I have begun to expand and offer personal styling services as well.
These services include exclusive shopping as your personal stylist for a capsule wardrobe based on your personal needs – all done through second-hand shopping. This could be for an event coming up, maybe a new job or just needing an updated wardrobe for you.
Another service I offer is a closet refresh where we look at what you currently own and evaluate what you have. The idea is to get rid of things you don’t need, create new combinations with the things you do have through my fresh set of eyes and unique fashion point-of-view. This is the most sustainable way of all to shop.
The final service is a creative upcycle where we take items that you love parts of and create an entirely brand new and unique piece of clothing for your closet. Maybe it’s the flow of a certain skirt, the fit of a great pair of jeans and the print of a top. We take all the good from these items and make you something amazing and truly one-of-a-kind.
What I want to promote is the fact that we dress for ourselves and not for others, so our clothing should always make us feel like our best selves.
This is my goal and it is what I have set out to do.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of this journey for me is seeing someone love what I make.
Whether that is a great pair of bell bottoms, a hand-sewn macrame jacket or one of my gorgeous Hummingbird skirts, seeing someone enjoy that piece that only they will ever wear and knowing there will not be another one like it in any store brings me such joy!
Have you ever had to pivot?
I have a part-time job and three kids which truly makes my life a full-time busy one. When I’m able to create and do what I love, it is the one thing that I can call my own.
Although it’s not yet paying the main bills, I know every time I put myself out there, I’m going to come across someone amazing.
Truth be told, if I could just create on my sewing machine I would be the happiest.
The last couple to years I’ve had to push past the self doubts, the voices in my head telling me I am not good enough and fighting the introvert inside to really get in front of people in a way I never thought I could.
It’s not always easy but when I do local markets, or put my creations on social media, I never regret it. I always meet the most incredible people and that’s the best part of all of this.
I would love to be able to do this full-time and I know every step, even small ones, will ultimately lead me to that goal.
So it’s a “never give up” kind of attitude that keeps me going.
I look forward to what the future holds and I appreciate the opportunity to have been able to show a little of what I do to your amazing readers. I hope this will help spread my message and allow Mama Made USA to find a special place in every closet soon.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mamamadeusa.company.site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamamadeusa?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089701368505&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: Facebook : Mama Made USA Instagram : @mamamadeusa
Image Credits
These are my personal images