We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brooks Luby. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brooks below.
Brooks, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
As a breast cancer survivor, I was selected as the exclusive designer for a breast cancer nonprofit fashion event for five consecutive years. I created designs for each model survivor, where they walked the runway wearing my designs. I felt delighted that many purchased what they wore, as they felt emboldened, and their presence transformed while wearing my designs. One model who is no longer with us loved her dress so much her husband chose to bury her in it. I was both honored and humbled by that.
My purpose in this life is to help humans feel good about themselves and their body and this experience solidified that mindset for me.
Brooks, 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?
Brooks LTD is a slow fashion brand, specializing in handmade, non-gendered clothing, with eco-friendly textiles at the forefront of our designs. I am the designer and add hand stitched details, which play a major role in our designs. The clothing you wear says a lot about who you are, where you’re from, what you do and how you feel about yourself and others. We help define those boundaries by utilizing both modern and vintage textiles, mixing them up to create an artful wearable.
Because many of us have image issues about our physical body, Brooks LTD aims to solve fit problems by using one-size-fits-most sizing. We are always exploring fit, so the wearer can choose how to style the clothing for her/his lifestyle and continue to enjoy these pieces over time. All of this amounts to conscious dressing and creative visions that set our clothes apart.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When Covid hit I was unprepared for how to do a business like mine digitally. I had to totally revamp how to continue my chosen path of creating handmade fashion for individuals. I started making masks (like so many others) and began selling both those and my other fashions online. Knowing how to execute products online is an entire business of its own. To this day I struggle with that knowledge, though I continue taking classes and absorbing all I can to remain relevant.
These are not cookie cutter clothes: Our brand needs to be handled, tried on and experienced by the wearer. Clients appreciate touching, feeling, and moving in each piece. They enjoy the process of meeting the designer who creates the pieces and are interested in the process. Our clientele prefers the ‘one offs’ too. I am lucky to say that I also enjoy that part of my business and that, with Zoom we can communicate remotely. If one is not local, we share the fitting process; from-a-distance-fittings are the way of the future to be able to have the same experience.
As I dive deeper into this aspect, I realize that the interaction with the client is a key part of my whole process. I am not a mass producer and choose not to be. It’s more important to create a garment that speaks to the individual than to the masses. As slow fashion becomes more and more relevant, people expect this kind of individuality.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I have always had a boho eclectic aesthetic and love mixing vintage fabrics with modern cloth. I am thrilled that people are understanding and now making lifestyle choices to help save the planet. Keeping fabrics out of the landfill gives the opportunity to have individualized clothing for self-expression. I love working directly with beautiful heirloom textiles that are unique and hard to find as each fabric has a mind of its own and needs to be treated singly. Using eco- friendly modern fabrics, vintage textiles, deadstock and or a combination of all is both challenging and rewarding. The addition of hand stitching, intentional handmade appliqued details and slow crafting techniques set our pieces in a niche category. It’s difficult to execute all those factors in one garment but I love that challenge. Collaborating with other like-minded creatives is a favorite because it enables us to offer interesting, unique handmade qualities while combining each of our aesthetics.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brooksltd.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brooksltd/
- Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/BrooksDenverFashion/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooksltd/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrooksLuby
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNaLNMxoMpJGHHVcg28T9FQ
- Other: * https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrHx4yL4DzTWhyjSE-rLBRA
Image Credits
Hardy Klahold