We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Korrigan Burton-Universe. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Korrigan below.

Alright, Korrigan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

A few years ago, I had a lesbian couple getting their wedding suit and gown tailored at the shop. The suit client’s family disapproved of the wedding and she had some struggles with not having family present for her fittings. However, my team basically specializes in hyping people up and making them feel warm and welcome. She looked absolutely stunning in her suit and left with a huge smile. Fast forward to a few days after the wedding; I got a call from her wanting to know how many people I had working at my shop (7 at the time). We occasionally get cookies from clients, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary. A couple hours later, she came by the shop, told us how much this experience meant to her. That we made her feel like family while she was at the shop. She then gave each of my staff a $100 bill! I literally couldn’t believe it! I think everyone shed a few tears that day. It felt so good to mean so much to a client.

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

As a kid, my mom tried to teach me to sew, but I just couldn’t get into it. The commercial patterns didn’t make sense to me and it just wasn’t my thing. Fast forward to undergrad, I went to Millikin University, originally for scenic design for theatre, but I ended up being much happier in the costume shop. I earned a BFA Theatre: Design and Production degree with a focus on costume design and technology. I furthered my education with grad school, but eventually decided there was too much drama in theatre and switched gears to be a tailor. It took about 3 months of working as a tailor in Chicago for me to realize that I needed to start my own shop. The shop I worked at was kind but never felt truly welcoming to LGBTQIA+ or plus-sized folx. I wanted to make a place where EVERYbody would feel welcome to express their true selves through clothing. Thus, Uncommon Closet was born.

At Uncommon Closet, we offer custom clothing, tailoring, and personal styling services for all shapes, sizes, and genders. We fit EVERYbody. We work on all clothing, from casual wear to formal wear, workwear to NSFW wear.

We stand apart from our competitors because we leave all judgement at the door. We don’t turn down or shame clients because of their gender identity, shape, size, or personal style. To make the cost of tailoring your clothing a little less daunting, we offer “Pay-What-You-Will” pricing. The base price covers our working costs and anything paid above that helps us maintain the shop and host our quarterly clothing swaps. We figure that those who can’t afford much can pay on the low end and those who can afford to pay more will. We’re also big on sustainability! We compost and recycle whatever we can. We also save all of our fabric scraps and sell them to local crafters.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Grad school changed everything for me. I was working on getting my MFA in costume technology (basically, custom clothing creation for theatre). I was never bullied in high school, but apparently, grown adults can’t play nice, and I was bullied and ostracized by my cohort. I tried to stick it out, but during my thesis, I had a mental breakdown and just couldn’t move forward. Truly, the only reason I’m alive is because of my at the time girlfriend (now wife) and her ability to talk me back from the ledge. I decided that there was too much drama in theatre and I didn’t need that in my life anymore. The pivot to tailoring was an easy choice, though I’m sometimes put into situations that give me PTSD flashbacks. Thankfully, I’ve surrounded myself with a crew of people who genuinely like me as a boss and love the business. They’re the real rock stars. They’ve gotten me through some dark times and helped this ship stay afloat.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I wish I had received the money under better circumstances, but I started this business using money I received when my grandparents and father passed away. I couldn’t have done this without their postmortem support.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://WWW.UncommonClosetLLC.com
• Instagram: @uncommonclosetllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncommoncloset/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/uncommon-closet-chicago?osq=uncommon+closet

Image Credits

Jolene Sage Photography, Henington Studios, Rae Marcel