We recently connected with Web Richards and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Web thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
Being your own boss comes with a lot of challenges, but it also has many rewards. I often daydream about what it would be like to just clock in and clock out, to have financial stability and freedom on nights and weekends. But I know myself, and I know I could never work for someone else. I work well in collaborative settings with others, but ultimately I need to have a sense of creative freedom to feel fulfilled. Time is the most precious thing we have on this Earth, it is the only thing we have, and I would much rather hustle to make my dreams come true than go to work making someone else rich just for the illusion of “freedom” on the weekends. I wish we had a universal income so we had better options.
Web, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a sustainable fashion designer and multidisciplinary visual artist. My work is primarily concerned with fashion’s ability to create cultural meaning, perform and subvert gender roles, and express individuality across language barriers. While I love fashion as an art form, it has become deeply destructive as an industry through globalization and the rise of fast fashion. An integral aspect of my practice is the sourcing process, as all materials I work with are secondhand, found in places such as thrift stores, flea markets, or even the garbage.
I have always been passionate about sustainable fashion and have thrifted my entire wardrobe since childhood, but it wasn’t until I moved to New York that I realized I could turn this passion into a career. I became deeply involved in the underground community, going out to queer clubs and DIY venues, haphazardly creating an outfit for the night from things I had laying around my apartment or that I found on the streets of NYC. My grandma gave me my first sewing machine and over time, I taught myself how to sew and make clothes for others. During this time, I also co-founded a biodegradable glitter company called BioGlitz, and would share shine with strangers every time I went out. I witnessed firsthand the power in helping people feel confident, connected, and free to fully express themselves outside of traditional beauty and fashion norms~ and this has been my driving mission ever since.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I made a major pivot at the start of the pandemic, when I decided to move from NYC to Louisville, Kentucky. It was a hard decision because love New York and had garnered an amazing creative community there, and I hardly knew anyone in Kentucky. However, I knew that for my mental and physical health I needed to live out the pandemic somewhere far away from other people and closer to nature. I got very lucky and found an incredible community in Kentucky that not only welcomed me into their home, but inspired me to keep creating during that very dark and uncertain time.
My second major pivot came when I decided to pursue fashion design full time. I had been trying to work at BioGlitz and teach myself how to sew simultaneously, but realized there wasn’t enough time to create at the level I wanted to when I was splitting my time. It was scary and sad because I had worked helping to build BioGlitz for 5 years, and while I loved it, I knew my heart was in fashion design. It is always terrifying to start something new, alone, & from scratch, but the greatest rewards come from embracing that vulnerability.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I am constantly trying to unlearn being told that I will never make money as an artist. While it is true that artists struggle more than people who pursue professions more supported by our current system of capitalism because our labor isn’t valued in the same way, it is also true that there are plenty of successful artists in the world. Being told I would never find success in this field hasn’t made me any less of an artist, it has only set me back because of all the time I have to spend unlearning that. I think it is our duty in life to pursue our greatest inner calling, no matter what people tell us. I would really love to see more support for burgeoning artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.thewebhasnoweaver.com
- Instagram: @thewebhasnoweaver
Image Credits
Zach Jett, Sasha Bianca, Clay Cook