We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katrina Hess. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katrina below.

Katrina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Learning new things as an adult always feels like I’m starting too late. I remind myself that 5 years from now I’ll be glad I started 5 years ago.

Around 2010 I knew I wanted to transition from my graphic design career to designing and making clothing so I launched a custom outerwear business. Sales were going well but one of my other projects unexpectedly took off and deserved full-time attention. I put the outerwear business on hold knowing I would come back to it one day.

After nearly 10 years, I made the leap back into custom clothing. There are moments where I wonder what would have happened if there wasn’t a break but during that time I learned so much about leading teams, product development, and what it looks like to scale a business. So to answer this question, I do wish I started sooner but 5 years from now I will be glad I didn’t wait any longer.

Katrina, 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 owner and designer of House of Daggers. I am heavily influenced by sci-fi and revel at the opportunity to dress the secret agents, replicants, and cylons among us.

My origin story is one from humble beginnings. I started making clothes out of necessity and fell in love with creating clothing for others. My younger sister was my first muse. Before even watching the Sound of Music, I made her a dress for a school dance from our drapes! My parents were not pleased. Then I made performance outfits for breakdancer friends. I actually surprise myself every time I say that I’ve been a professional costume designer for 10 years and have created custom clothing for over 20.

As soon as I started designing for theater, I understood the impact costumes had on storytelling. House of Daggers is definitely a culmination of badass characters and where I am in my life. Over the years my aesthetic has become a bit “harder”. This is a reaction to growing up as a friendly-looking Asian woman dealing with uninvited interactions. I kind of love being unapproachable these days.

Beautiful design makes my knees weak, but I’m obsessed with tailoring and tailoring techniques. I recently completed a bespoke tailoring course on London’s famed Savile Row to fine tune my skills in diagnosing fit issues for all bodies.

Our pieces are made-to-order, produced in-house and local studios. We encourage creating an intentional wardrobe and clothing that is made to last.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Mentors! I didn’t know until my mid-30’s that you could have mentors in your field to check-in with regularly. You don’t have to navigate creative, administrative, or entrepreneurial issues alone even if you’re a team of one.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I am driven to reducing waste created by the fast-fashion industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.houseofdaggersdesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseofdaggersdesign/

Image Credits

House of Daggers