A Conversation With Dear Birthday
Valerie of Dear Birthday was gracious enough to speak with yours truly about hard work, loving handmade and being a bit of a perfectionist.
Please check out her Etsy shop as well as these shops where her work is also sold:
1. When did you start making clothing and was it something that had always interested you?
Aside from the typical (from what I’ve read, I think most makers did this as kids) hand sewn outfits for my dolls, I guess I started sewing in earnest in high school. My best friend and I were trapped in her family's basement one weekend during the Blizzard of '96 and we raided her mom's craft business scraps, putting together tie-front blouses and high-water pants from calico. It was so much fun that we made a little business of it, complete with collaged and xeroxed catalogs featuring our friends. We stopped working together when we went away to school, but the impulse to make things with fabric and thread has been irrepressible ever since. After several other incarnations, I started Dear Birthday officially in 2003.
2. Your clothing and accessories seem to have an underlying theme of "homespun charm" is that the look you are going for, or is that just a manifestation of your particular skills?
I think it's a little bit of both. I am a self-taught seamstress, so the particular working methods taught in fashion school are largely unknown to me. I have a few pattern making books and obviously I study up on various methods of construction but I’m surely ignorant of myriad jealously guarded secrets of clothing. That said, I am a bit of a perfectionist so in spite of my lack of formal training in fashion, I’m a little bit obsessed with making things look as professional as they can while still maintaining their handmade appeal. It's a delicate balance; I’ve had people tell me that my garments look "like a machine made them" and while I know that's meant as a compliment to indicate their good construction, it kind of worries me that I’m not putting enough into the creative side.
I guess the short answer is Yes.
3. Most designers/artists are influenced by a wide range of things, from other designers/artists, to music, film, environment, and/or books. What are your influences?
Oh man. There are so many! Here are my current favorites:
* cold beaches
* New England
* communal/cult/religious/uniform dressing
* Henry Darger's Vivian Girls
* stevedores
* nautical and spiritual knots
4. What are some of the unique challenges that you have faced breaking into the world of handmade?
Well I think that the thing about the world of the handmade is that it is by its very nature inclusive, so I’ve received a lot of support from friends, most of whom are makers and artists and I’ve made many new friends through the maker/handmade community both online and through indie shops. So the challenges really have been, I think, fairly standard in that they're the same challenges faced by anyone determined to do something creative and work for themselves. The biggest of those for me has been having to work side jobs--it can be difficult to shift from one mode of working and thinking to another several times a day.
5. Tell a bit about your process of putting a collection together. Is it anchored by a theme or idea or do you just go with your gut and make whatever suits your mood at the moment?
Lately I’ve been trying to make collections that are more coherent and at least loosely theme-based as a way to narrow my focus and keep me organized. For the fall and winter I chose two fabrics, three dye colors and one Valerian print design, drawn by my boyfriend and I (Valerie+Ian=Valerian.) Once those limitations were set, the designs came about sort of organically. They are still informed by my current interests and references as that's inevitable, but everything is now strung together on a common thread of color, pattern and texture.
6. Besides your own line, what designers/crafters do you like to wear?
I have one sparkly jacket by Feral Childe from last Fall's collection that I am absolutely in love with.They amaze me. And if I had any clothing budget at all I would definitely be wearing Mociun dresses and Wiksten tops with my Loomstate organic jeans from Sodafine in Williamsburg, which I did actually splurge on recently.
7. Is making clothes and accessories your full time occupation or do you have another job?
It is my dearest ambition to work for myself full time and I’m working on it slowly but surely! Right now I work three days a week at my friend Erin’s shop, Sodafine and one day a week as a shop girl in Soho. It’s hard work trying to keep Dear Birthday going and it means working almost constantly, but I can't imagine doing anything else.
8. What can we expect from Dear Birthday in the future?
More hand-screened textile designs by Valerian! Its sooo much work to screen everything myself, but it feels wonderful to not be reliant on somebody else's prints to carry my designs. I’m also really into making my own trims right now, so more of that for sure. Spring is going to be really awesome, as I’m super excited about my main theme/influence, but I’d like to keep it secret for now!
And just for fun...
9. What is your favorite film?
Dreams by Akira Kurosawa
10. What is your favorite novel?
That’s a super tough one.
I think the last novel that really blew my mind was Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I also love Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.
11. Do you have any hobbies? If so, what are they?
I went to school for photography, so I guess I might consider that a hobby these days. Though the only photos I seem to take anymore are for Dear Birthday! I also really like to cook when I get the time.
12. If you could change one thing about your craft, what would it be?
Ahh...a bigger, better workspace! One that isn't also my bedroom. :)
**Kathryn Dress in Scrub Pine and Extra Long Floral T-shirt pictured above are both available at Dear Birthday.**
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