Style & Fashion Drawings: Changing With The Season
You can order a mask from Debra Weiss from her Instagram - the ordering instructions are here.
You can see P Johnson’s utility vest here - almost sold out RTW but available MTO - just email them.
The best shoe repair shop in LA is Willie’s Shoe Service. You can see their Instagram here. They are doing home pickups and deliveries so give Raúl an email or a call!
Debra Weiss is living proof you can be both an entrepreneur and a fine artist without sacrificing the integrity of your work. Weiss and her daughter run the LA based shop Specks and Keepings, which offers vibrant handmade clothing to the kind of people we wish we were friends with.
“For me it was never about fame. It was a matter of living comfortably and pursuing my passion. I am fine renting – I’m happier renting and I’ve been able to travel. I didn't get to travel when I was young because I got married, had a career, had kids, got divorced. I feel like I have the freedom to live the life I want- and for this I am endlessly grateful.”
Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.
Debra Weiss: I grew up in LA in the early 70s. As a teenager, I made macramé and quilts. I would bring them down to Venice beach to sell, all the while saving up so I could buy a bicycle I had been coveting. I’ve always made things and looking back, I think perhaps I was always a bit entrepreneurial.
When I went to college, I planned to study medicine, but I got very discouraged when my older brother passed away from cancer at age 24. I decided instead to major in textile design because it was enjoyable. Although I received my degree in textiles, it took years before I felt confident enough to begin designing clothing. Instead I found myself back in the world of medicine, working for over 20 years as an ultrasound technician. I came to love my job in the medical field and it provided stability in raising my three daughters, which I did alone.
I’ve always worked with my hands. My process is very intuitive and I rarely use a sewing machine. I compose with color, much like a painter does, but I work in fiber processes: crocheting, stitching, knitting, knotting, layering and weaving.
With a background in fine art, I was under the false pretense that an artist should make all their products by hand themselves. When I began designing clothing, I was relieved to discover otherwise. I quickly found a handful of talented sewers who could sew my garments beautifully. Thus the collaborative process of designing and producing a line of clothing began.
I started my line of women’s apparel, Rebe, in 2000, and I gave up my day job as an ultrasound technician in 2007. It was an exciting time full of change and learning. I began selling my line of clothing and handbags wholesale and quickly amassed over 100 shops worldwide that carried the collection. After a few years of selling exclusively to stores, I realized that I wasn’t happy. I have never been interested in the idea of trends in fashion, and selling exclusively to high end retailers was beginning to dictate what the line looked like. I felt that I had strayed too far from my vision and passion.
But in 2008 everything changed. I was selling to about 300 boutiques and about 90% of them went out of business during the recession. It was a fearful time for many people and there were a lot of changes that had to happen quickly. I began selling directly to customers at craft markets instead of doing wholesale. I found myself inspired and invigorated once again.
Rebe by Debra Weiss has come a long way. Most recently I began designing a unisex collection alongside my women’s line, that is both beautiful and functional. Today, I sell exclusively at craft markets and online. My eldest daughter, Hillery Sproatt who is also a textile designer with a background in fine art, runs our website, Specks & Keepings. Hillery and I travel all over the country doing craft markets together. She brings her knit blankets and I sell my line of clothing.
MM: How did you get exposed to fiber arts?
DW: My mom, Eveline Weiss, and I used to make Barbie clothes. She was a perfectionist, which I am not. In my fine art practice I try to rely exclusively on hand stitching in large part because of its imperfections.
Regarding imperfection, I was in Guatemala at the end of this year. The weavings there were so amazing, but they were so perfect you couldn’t ever appreciate that they were made by hand. You take for granted when the prices are cheap that these works are actually made by hand. For me, imperfection is important, it is beautiful and personal.
MM: What has it been like working with your daughter?
DW: I’m probably one of the only parents that encouraged their kids to go to art school. “Don’t take a day job, you can do this...”
More and more people seem to value craft and handmade objects, as opposed to choosing a career. I remember when I was out of college, I heard, “Just go to law school. Just go to medical school. Have your career behind you and then do whatever you want.”
Money is not everything. There are only "X" number of people who are going to be famous. For me it was never about fame. It was a matter of living comfortably and pursuing my passion. I am fine renting – I’m happier renting and I’ve been able to travel. I didn't get to travel when I was young because I got married, had a career, had kids, got divorced. I feel like I have the freedom to live the life I want- and for this I am endlessly grateful.
