Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Alvizu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I am a clothing designer who knew nothing about sewing when I started. It all began when I saw my friend wearing the coolest coat I had ever seen…and I wanted it. I came to find it was a vintage blanket coat, common in the 90’s but was impossible to find thrifting when I was on the hunt. So I taught myself how to sew. I began with an overlock machine which, any readers who are into sewing know, is not the tool with which to start. From there, I back-tracked my way to the standard sewing machine and the rest is history. With the clear vision of hindsight, I should have attended every sewing class that Fancy Tiger offers, but for whatever reason I trudged through all of the hurdles that a self-taught seamstress could vault. When it comes down to it though, I think the most important skill to possess in this type of venture is the willingness to make mistakes, to learn from them and to keep going.

Emily, 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?

I am the proud owner and operator of Bohemian Scrapcity and specialize in one-of-a-kind upcycled fashion. When forming my business it became clear that the central theme and ethos would be to incorporate as much used material as possible into every aspect of my business. This means that the materials that I source are all upcycled clothing and reclaimed textiles. Using used just makes sense both aesthetically and environmentally; I can only make someone once or part of a limited series and am keeping that material out of the landfill at the same time.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

We have all heard it before: shop local, shop small and shop sustainably. By shopping local, you ensure that your money spent stays in your local economy as opposed to the profits gained by large corporations. Shopping small supports small business which, as many candidates like to tout, makes up the backbone of our nation. And most importantly supporting sustainable companies helps our environment, especially when it comes to the fast fashion, which happens to have a significantly negative impact on climate change. These easy shopping practices help to open the door to creatives and small producers like myself, so we have a place at the table too.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Yes, after years of learning I wish that I had found a mentor sooner; someone to whom I could ask specific questions and gain insight from their past experiences. There are so many resources available when it comes to starting a small business that I was simply unaware of until struggling through situations I couldn’t ever imagine. In my early days I wish I had known about the many support communities available through the government and even places like facebook. The state of Colorado, for instance, has a hotline available to assist in questions pertaining to sales tax licenses and collections.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bohemianscrapcity.com
• Instagram: @bohemianscrapcity
• Facebook: Facebook.com/bohemianscrapcity

Image Credits
Pine Akers