We recently connected with Gianna Clarke and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Gianna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

My mom is an interior designer and taught me how to sew when I was about 7 years old. I remember the rush of excitement that would come over me when I saw her clear off our dining room table — that meant she was starting a new project. Her projects always took longer when I was involved because I had so many questions. But, my eagerness to learn matched her eagerness to teach. We started off with basic interiors, like pillows and draperies, and by the end of High School, she was handing me furniture to reupholster on my own. It wasn’t until I had graduated college and bought my first sewing machine that I started designing clothing and accessories.

I was so scared to fail when I started designing. I was afraid that others wouldn’t like my work or I wouldn’t be able to execute my sketches how I intended. Looking back, this not only held me back in my design process, but it would make me hesitate when I was in front of my machine. This started to twist my passion into a place of anxiety. I knew I couldn’t continue to grow if I continued to operate from a place where I was afraid to fail. And I damn sure didn’t want to be the only person holding myself back.

I now sit infront of my machine or pick up my sketch book with what I call “blind confidence and the willingness to fail”. It sounds wildly optimistic, but this mindset has been essential in allowing me to create freely. Whenever I have an idea, I gather up my materials and I just go for it. Some of my best work has come from just trying something out, even if I don’t fully know how a design will be executed. Using prior knowledge, taking advantage of online resources like Youtube and Tiktok when you’re stuck, and welcoming failure as a necessary aspect of learning — That’s the recipe.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hey I’m Gianna Clarke, but most people call me Gi. I remember dressing so differently than my classmates and friends as a little kid. I had such a clear vision of what I wanted an outfit to look like and would spend hours the night before school trying to piece it together. A lot of times, I couldn’t find certain pieces I was envisioning in the stores, so I would sketch them. It wasn’t until I got older that I recognized I was creating my personal style.

I’ve been professionally designing clothing and accessories for about 6 months now, with 15 years of sewing experience. My focus is centered around making individuals feel confident and powerful in their skin and their personal style. How we dress plays a huge role in how we nonverbally interact with and express ourselves to the World. With such a powerful tool, why would we all say the same thing?

I want my clients to feel power in their authenticity and the bliss that comes with translating that feeling into fashion. It’s for that reason, that the pieces I have created are 1 of 1 and hand-made with care. It is much more time consuming to create 1 of 1 pieces instead of wholesale. But, it’s well worth it knowing that you’re rocking something that is one of a kind — like you.

In addition to creating 1 of 1 items, I am also a stylist. I have styled individuals for music videos, photoshoots and events. Through styling, I have learned a lot about just how intricate personal style is. Though we all have a unique personal style, that style tends to show up differently in various spaces. We typically wouldn’t wear the same outfit to a business meeting as we would to a night out with friends. Though these outfits may look drastically different on the surface, the underlying commonality between the outfits is where we find our authenticity — our personal style. I like to describe my personal style as modern sexy streetwear with a nod to 90s fashion. It is such a fun challenge to find pieces that not only work together and speak to the individual’s authentic self, but also carry the message that the individual is trying convey.

I recently released my first handmade mini collection of tote bags. The collection contained five 1 of 1 bags created from denim and velvet with lots of tactile detailing. I stepped out of my comfort zone designing these bags, in hopes that they would connect with at least one person. This collection sold out within 12 hours (which I still haven’t fully processed). This is one of my proudest moments as a designer and lit a fire in me to pour into my 12 piece 1 of 1 bag collection that is projected to release this summer.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The biggest motivator driving my creative journey is my childhood dream of being a clothing designer. To create something and hear “I’ve never seen something like that before” from clients and friends brings me so much joy. I know my younger self would be so proud of present me for doing the damn thing! The spark that I’ve reignited within myself is not only a nod to my younger self, but also a reminder that just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you should give up on your dreams.

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

I wish I knew about free online patterns! Patterns are basically the blueprints of your clothing and accessories. These will show you the exact shapes to cut out of your fabric and where to sew. Originally, I used pieces that I had in my closet as patterns. But it was so time consuming and difficult to adjust to different sizes and shapes. As I started following more diy clothing creatives/influencers, I started to find online patterns that were great bases and easily customizable. To be able to cut out that transfer step from my closet earlier and for FREE would have been a game changer.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @giontherun
• Other: TikTok: @giontherun