We were lucky to catch up with Lauryn Kawasaki recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lauryn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated in creating. I was always making something with my grandmothers, mom, and older brother, whether it be scrapbooking, jewelry, painting, or sketching. In my teen years, I discovered thrift flipping and my mom taught me the basics of sewing. Seeing garments turn into what I envisioned in my head was pure bliss! That sparked my curiosity of how clothes are made and presented the possibility of creating clothes I dreamed of having but couldn’t afford. Through high school, I would make clothes for my friends and me and I eventually started my Etsy shop, Kinuyo. I knew I wanted to pursue this passion so I attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising for Fashion Design. I learned industry level skills like sewing, sketching, pattern drafting, collection development and much more. From then on, I kept sewing, sketching, draping, and creating as much as I could to further my skills, grow my Etsy shop, and gain clients for custom garments to spread my love of fashion.

Knowing what I know now, I definitely would have reached out to more people with experience. I think it is so important to surround yourself with people who are motivated and knowledgeable. It pushes me to be more curious, strive for progression, and do my best. Making mistakes and asking questions is also very crucial to the learning process. Finding peace and motivation in making mistakes will drive you to problem solve and ultimately grow your skill set!

The most essential skills I’ve had to learn over the years are more mindsets than physical skills. Passion, patience, and positivity all go hand in hand. Passion drives me to keep striving, patience keeps me calm in the midst of hardships, and positivity let’s me enjoy the work I do and makes me excited to grow and pursue a career in fashion.

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

My love for fashion started at a young age. When I learned how to sew, I was inspired by the clothing from brand I adored but couldn’t afford. Wearing garments that I either flipped from an old thrift find or sewed from start to finish was pure serotonin. I started making clothing for my friends and family and became obsessed with the process of coming up with a concept and bringing it to life.

My brand, Kinuyo, is completely handmade from sketch to pattern drafting to sewing the final garment. I also work with clients to create their dream looks wether it be wedding dresses or red carpets or special parties. Clothing enhances life’s experience and I love being able to give that feeling to people.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Since the beginning, my source of clients have come from word of mouth! It took time for me to learn how to tell my story and share my goals with people. The more I talked about what I wanted to do and where I wanted my passion for fashion to take me, the more I was able to build genuine relationships and gain clients that were excited to work with me and I was excited to work with. From those experiences, I was able to build a portfolio to reach out to possible clients and grow my social marketing platforms.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of fashion design is by far being able to enhance people’s experiences in life. Clothing showcases your lifestyle, your feelings, and dictates how you want to live in that moment in time. Why not wear pieces that give you a sense of joy and motivation? My love for sewing and creating allows me to help people feel their best on the daily and in those special, one-of-a-kind moments in life.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/kinuyoxlauryn
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kinuyo_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lauryn-kawasaki