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

Kelly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Its February 2020, and we were informed immediately to shut down and walk off our tv production studio lot.
We’d been paying attention to the covid outbreak whispers and tellings, and then in an instant it was serious enough for the show “not too go on.”
A few weeks later, total lockdown.
Remember that eh?

The previous year to that I had started making many life changes.
That April of 2019 I left the still thriving business Pigeons & Thread which Cat & I start from the ground up 6.5 years earlier in order to get back into costuming for film/tv; no one saw the pandemic coming.
I applied as a permit to IATSE Union for costumes and started working in the film and tv industry again.
Come fall 2019, I left a long term relationship that needed its series finale at my kitchen table one awkward but necessary September night.
There were layers. many peeling layers exposing much raw energy.

Flashing forward once again to Feb 2020, the tv show shut down.
Then March 2020, the lockdown.
Then April 2020, the personal meltdown breakdown.
Started taking up running for my sanity. and mental health.
Then May 2020, the first time I ran 10K for my birthday.
Running helped me survive during the pandemic, and keeps my mental health in check to this day. Its a religion of sorts to me.
Somewhere in there my 2 roommates also moved out for their own varying pandemic legacy reasons, so now I went from paying a 1/3rd of rent to all of it…. during a pandemic….,cool cool cool. I got this.

I remember sitting on my couch one of the umpteenth days of watching tv and streaming shows and realized,
“they are going to have to figure out how to get the tv/film industry back up soon because there are going to be no shows left to watch…”
This made sense, but also sort of terrified me.

Come June/July 2020 and there is talk of us perhaps starting up that tv show again.
I remember having the zoom meeting with the team, and they talked about all these advanced medical like protocols that we were going to have to take.
We would (and did) have to be in full scrubs with booties, masks, face shields, and always wearing rubber gloves when fitting people and working with any actors.
After that zoom meeting I kept thinking ” What if this is how I die? Working on set. Is this how I would want to die? If I died what legacy would I leave? What would I have offered the world?”
I really did go there. existential life crisis vibes, laying on the drafting table, drinking to much beer, crying, thinking, talking to myself about how if I die in 6 months what am I leaving behind as a legacy?

And then in that moment, I realized I just had to admit and commit to my knowing.
There was a moment where I realized and I knew that if I was going to die due to this pandemic, then fuck it I was going to get back into the studio full hog and design a collection. I didn’t have enough passion for film to go to work and dress like a surgeon to put a neckties on actors and hope they don’t cough on me and kill me.
I did have enough passion to painstakingly push myself back into the art that I loved the most; sewing and designing clothing.

And so I started; and it was the biggest risk because the world was in such a state of pandemic panic.
And I didn’t know if it was going to go well, or work out, or make me any money, or if I’d ever have work again after leaving a job with a stellar team and costume designer. But I knew I had to push myself to design a collection if the world was in a state that it could all go pete tong.
But I did know, that my soul needed to design through the experience that was the pandemic. I needed the challenge, the art, the freedom, the pain of working through it and getting back to what brought me so much joy.

And so became House of Hendo and The Pile I began.

And now here we are in July 2024, and The Pile V is coming into fruition; and I am all the better for having taken that risk, and I have to hope and to believe that the fashion world perhaps may also be a bit better for it.
That’s all I can do and know; that designing is my souls calling, designing is the vocation. designing is a part of the legacy.

Now I aim to take weekly/monthly risks on all levels of vulnerability to really level out the playing field.
What’s the worst that could happen?

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As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

House of Hendo thrives on designing consciously converted goods with size versatility and inclusivity of all wondrous beings.
One of the goals of House of Hendo is to save fabrics and fiber’s from the landfill by repurposing and reclaiming its vibrancy in a new and unique way.
Our brand is very focused on maximizing the yardage of our collected fabrics, thus minimizing waste, and also coming up with creative designs which will fit a range of body types.
This work is very fulfilling and stimulating.
House of Hendo does not do seasons, but moments.
As the fabrics are collected and hung up in the studio alongside other salvaged yardage, they begin to tell the story of what they would like to become.
This is a very joyous way to design for myself.
I hang out with the fabrics and we organically vibe it our together.
I gravitate to many patterns, colours and textures, and while I aim to use many natural fibers, you cannot always get that with vintage salvaged fabrics, but saving polyesters from the landfill is still a win.

How did you build your audience on social media?

While I can get by, I am by no means a tech person.
The audience I currently have is only through minimal to zero outreach.
Most followers arrive to my page from seeing my fashion shows, or through fashion community and word of mouth.
This however will be changing very soon, as I have come to learn you cannot do everything on your own if you wish to excel.
Thus, I have recently been in discussion with a social media goddess who will help me elevate my platform.
It moves so fast on there, and if social media is not your art form or skillset, you need to find someone who can portray your art and vision to the masses in a methodical and logical way for your business and your self growth.
This wasn’t always easy for me, as someone who would aim to DIY with everything, but now when I catch myself trying to do it all, I now say to myself ” Kelly, don’t be a hero; embrace community.” and then humbly know to reach out as there are people with the right skill sets and expertise who you can grow your business with, and that’s a win win for you and for them.

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

PAY ARTISTS.
ALL FORMS OF ARTISTS.
IT IS A CRAFT.
IT IS A SKILLSET.
IT IS A TRADE.
Even artists paying artists, not always barter.
We must continue to support and grow through responsibly acknowledging the hard work that creatives do.

GO TO THERE SHOWS, EVENTS, CLASSES, EXHIBITS, WALK INTO RANDOM GALLERIES. SAY HELLO!!
SUPPORT SUPPORT SUPPORT!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.houseofhendo.com
• Instagram: @house.of.hendo

Image Credits

Max Power / Fashion Art Toronto / AOC Photography /