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

Dewi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Sewing became an interest for me when I was a young girl from watching my mother sew, whom was a tailor. At first I would make dresses for my dolls by using the scraps of fabric my mom had lying around. As I got older and learned more about handling a needle and thread I branched off into making pillows and tote bags. They would be of children cartoons and animals for kids. I began to realize that my passion was growing for fashion design and I wanted to see what I was capable of. Today my business is 3 years old in which I design women’s handbags made from leather and other materials. I have created my own brand called Dewi Maya. The focus of my brand is to provide different types of handbags for all the different women out there. We have an online shop at dewimaya.com where all my designs are showcased.

Designing a handbag brings me into a calming state of mind. Working with different colors, materials and patterns is a joy for me to find what works and what doesn’t. It presents a challenge that gets me excited to try and push myself to conquer that challenge and grow.

Dewi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born and raised in Indonesia, specifically on the island of Java. While I was growing up in Indonesia I learned how to use a needle and thread from my mother. She would do alterations for clients and she taught me how to sew. While in Indonesia I made all types of items with fabric like children’s pillows, tote bags, decorative items, handbags and more. At the peak of my business while in Indonesia I had around eight people working for me to help me cut patterns and sew. My business specifically had disabled people and single mothers working with me. In Indonesia, it is next to impossible for people like this to find a job and I wanted to give them an opportunity to earn a living and give them a sense of purpose.

In 2017 I moved to America to start a new life. Since I was in a new country, surrounded by a new culture, interacting with different people from different backgrounds and primarily speaking a new language this presented a massive challenge for me to adjust too. I was no longer in my home country of Indonesia. I was in America and I have learned and grown as a woman since my move to here.

In 2019 I started my business here in America and am currently building that up. My brand, Dewi Maya, focuses on women’s handbags that are made with leather and faux leather primarily. I have always had a passion for fashion design and for me to have my own business and own brand within the fashion industry is surreal.

Currently, my business is small and not well known but I strive everyday to change that. My proudest moment so far is that I was able to participate in my very first fashion show and it happened during New York Fashion Week in NYC. The show was in early September of 2022 and was a collaboration of Indonesian fashion designers both here and abroad showcasing their designs to the world. It was a fantastic experience that I learned so much from and I hope this is one of many more fashion shows in my future.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I started my business here in September of 2019. Starting any business is a challenge upon itself but come 2020, the pandemic put every business in unknown territory. I was excited to start making connections, networking and participating in craft shows but all of that couldn’t happen due to the pandemic. Established businesses didn’t know if they would survive let alone a start up like mine. All during 2020 there was no growth. I was able to start my online shop, dewimaya.com during that time but that was my only outlet of trying to sell my product. As time progressed things started to get better. I started networking, meeting new people within the industry, participate in craft shows up to the point of being apart of New York Fashion Week in Sept of 2022. On top of all this I was caring for my newborn daughter whom was born in February of 2020 so the beginning stages of my business has been a very difficult challenge. I keep learning during this process and there is no growth without learning.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I was living in Indonesia, I had a dream to become a fashion designer. I did not grow up rich or privileged. Life was hard but I continued to fight and purse my dream as a young girl. When I was in school I didn’t have good shoes and my schoolmates would criticize me as if I was lower than them. This and among other things in my life is because I grew up with the limited economic circumstances of my parents. Growing up this way developed the person I am today and created the drive I have to pursue for better. Now I have my own brand with my name in America. There still is a long ways to go to what I want to achieve but I am in a better place now than I was in the past. What I can conclude here is that we cannot choose the life we are born into but we then become responsible for the life me make for ourselves as we grow.. Everyone has their own story and has the same privilege to achieve their dreams. We all have the same positive desire and ambition to be happy. I feel blessed and I want to give this blessing to others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dewimaya.com/
• Instagram: Dewimaya.shop
• Facebook: Dewimaya.design
• Youtube: Dewi Maya

Image Credits
Brandon Pendred New York Indonesia Fashion Week Staff Photographer BMW Charity Pro-Am Staff Photographer