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Fashion is Self Care: Change is a Good Thing!

Screen Shot 2021-04-06 at 5.25.15 PMFor those of you who have been tuning in to the fashion is self-care pieces that I’ve been writing, I am exceedingly grateful. This experience has been so amazing and I’m beyond honored that I had the opportunity to share these amazing and creative people with you. The fashion is self-care series is taking a brief pause but I promise we will be back in June with a new and improved fashion is self-care series. If you’ve enjoyed reading these pieces, please keep an eye out for the revamped series! Again, thank you for taking the time out of your day to learn a little more about alternative ways to view the fashion world, and remember to always treat fashion as a form of self-care.

If you’d like a refresher on all the visionaries who shared their thoughts with us, you can find the fashion is self-care series here!

Kasey Lettrich on May 11, 2021 at 04:00 PM in fashion is self care | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Fashion is Self Care with Morgan Widmer

Morgan Widmer, a fashion design student at West Virginia University and previous intern for The Creative Cookie is in the midst of creating her largest collection yet. She recently helped Lesley Ware to create her book, 101 Ways to Love Your Style, and wrote a cookbook of her own. She is a believer in fashion as a form of self-care and incorporates it, not only into what she wears every day but also for the people who wear her designs. She said, “With my designs, I like to think that they offer the wearer an escape into a dreamland or an imagination land where they can feel free to be creative and have fun and play.” Morgan’s view on fashion is inspiring to so many, and hopefully, her view will be one to make the fashion world a more sustainable and beautiful place.

Continue reading to hear more of Morgan’s growing experience in the fashion industry and how she incorporates fashion into her life as self-care. Make sure to check out her Instagram, @morganwidmer, to follow her on her fashion journey. 

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CC: Tell me a bit about yourself. What do you do? Where are you from? 

MW: I am from Buckhannon, West Virginia but I go to WVU (West Virginia University). I’m a fashion design student in my senior year but I don’t do a lot right now other than my senior collection. I also have written a cookbook, Easy Yummies for Vegan Tummies, because I love to cook. Screen Shot 2021-04-05 at 8.46.44 PM

 

CC: Why are you studying fashion?

MW: I first decided in high school that I wanted to study fashion because I just loved being creative and I always loved art classes and I also loved clothes so it seemed really fun to me. I was going to do physical therapy as a safe career but it sounded miserable. I shadowed a physical therapist and thought, “I can’t do this. I have to do something that actually means something to me.” I was really encouraged to keep doing fashion because of how terrible the fashion industry is and I wanted to help make a change.

 

CC: How did you find out about The Creative Cookie? How long have you been partnering/working with Lesley? 

MW: I found out about Lesley through my professor Beth who found out about her through a friend to do a remote internship because no in-person internships were happening last summer. So, I interned with her over the summer working on her book, 101 Ways to Love Your Style. I am working with her now on another book.

 

CC: Tell me about some of your designs. What are some of your greatest accomplishments in your work?

MW: I am working on my senior collection right now so that is the biggest design project I have done. I actually just entered a pitch competition with my designs and made it to the finals!

 

CC: Tell me a bit about your final collection.

MW: My final collection is called “Dessert Before Dinner” and I actually wrote a blurb that can explain it better than I can: “Dessert Before Dinner serves as an exercise to extend the imagination rather than thinking so logically all the time. It questions norms and exists to encourage others to do so as well. Then life begins to feel a little different- more fun, free and inspired. Why can’t you wear a scarf as a skirt or a fork as a necklace? Why do shoes have to match and why can’t you eat dessert before dinner? Maybe you can.”

I use scraps to make all of my designs so I source them from FABSCRAP in New York and they source textile waste from designers that would otherwise be put in the landfills. I also like to use the scraps of my scraps to make bags and stuff so I’m all about sustainability in my designs and I like to use natural dyes.  

 

CC: What is something you wish you could tell young girls who want to study fashion?

MW: I have found that the most important part of fashion and designing collections is truly bringing what’s inside of yourself and putting it into your work to make it completely original. It can be really hard to find that like what is actually the aesthetic within yourself. I think it’s harder, in the long run, to just compare yourself to others. But, you won’t really get far doing that so I think it’s important to definitely stay true to yourself. And, to have fun!

 

CC: What inspires you and your creations?

MW: I am often inspired by vintage films, surrealism, other kinds of art, and, particularly, my grandad’s art. He was an artist and an architect and so I’m inspired by a lot of the colors that he used. Screen Shot 2021-04-05 at 8.47.19 PM

 

CC: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? How do you think the things you are creating right now will help you achieve those goals?

MW: I get really stressed out when I think about the future and I used to think about the future a lot so I’ve tried to not actually have a plan but to just try my hardest and what I’m doing in the moment and see where it takes me. I think that what I’m doing right now is what I will be doing in 10 years in the sense that I’m pouring myself into my work and doing what I love to do.

 

CC: What is your idea of “fashion as self-care” and why?

MW: I think that the clothes you put on your body can really set the mood for your day and your life. With my designs, I like to think that they offer the wearer an escape into a dreamland or an imagination land where they can feel free to be creative and have fun and play. For me, I like to wear a lot of colors and kind of play around with all kinds of things because I think it’s fun. I definitely make my day different when I’m wearing an outfit that is fun and I feel like I curated rather than just something boring.

Kasey Lettrich on May 03, 2021 at 01:03 PM in fashion is self care | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Fashion is Self Care with Ooh Baby

Anika Ignozzi, best known as Ooh Baby around the Pittsburgh community is a 23-year-old fashion designer who repurposes clothing with her own unique twist. According to the Ooh Baby website, “Anika brings items back to life with psychedelic faces and abstract objects.” Anika began her work in 2018 and built her business from the ground up. Now, she has a flagship store in Millvale, PA, and is styling celebrities including Bebe Rexha. 

 

Through her years of design, she has gained insight into what it truly means to be yourself. Every time I see her, her hair is a different shade of neon and she is always wearing the brightest outfit she can find. Color is Anika’s best friend. For her, this self-expression and crazy style is what makes her, her. Keep reading to learn what fashion as self-care means to Ooh Baby and check her out on Instagram: @o.o.h.baby.

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CC: Tell me a bit about yourself. What do you do? Where are you from? 

OB: I’m Anika Ignozzi and I run Ooh Baby. I’m originally from Lower Burrell but I now live in Pittsburgh and that’s where the Ooh Baby store is. I repurpose clothing; I paint on it and sometimes I rework it. I’m pretty much known for painting on canvas these funky psychedelic faces and then sewing them on the piece.

 

CC: Why do you do what you do? What inspires you?

OB: Honestly I don’t think, at this point, I would be able to do anything else. I just love creating Screen Shot 2021-03-22 at 8.51.56 PM art and I love sharing it with people. I love creating an awesome experience that people can also find inspiration from to follow their own dreams. I love it for so many reasons like meeting all my customers, seeing what they do, and creating different pieces all day. Everything about it is just amazing to me. I couldn’t see it any other way. 

 

CC: What are some of your greatest accomplishments in your work?

OB: For me, my store is my biggest accomplishment because I really wasn’t sure how I was going to hand-paint every piece as opposed to when I was only selling at a flea market on Saturdays and Sundays. Styling some celebrities has been cool and I keep styling more but the biggest one is Bebe Rexha who wore the outfit during the Penn State concert. Not so much anymore, but before COVID I would go to Brooklyn and sell at the flea market and it was really cool to get my foot in the door in a much busier city than Pittsburgh.

 

CC: What is your favorite thing you’ve created? 

OB: The walls in my store are some of my favorite stuff. Aside from that, it would just be the faces in general. I honestly couldn’t pick a specific piece. The patches are my favorite things. 

 

CC: Where do you see Ooh Baby in 10 years? 

OB: I would hope to have another store in a much busier city, whether that be in Paris or New York or LA. I don’t know if that would be the end goal location for me to live, per se, but I would like to have a few shops that I can travel to all the time to help the community wherever the store is. I really want to keep creating one-of-one pieces because I think that’s the most important part.

 

CC: What do you wish you could tell someone who hopes to start their own fashion business? 

OB: Work ethic!! You can say so many things but if you’re not willing to literally put in the work, then nothing is going to work. So, it’s an everyday thing. You have to create, you have to sew or whatever it is; you have to do it every day. Opportunities will start to come because you’re Screen Shot 2021-03-22 at 8.51.50 PM concentrating on it so much. 

 

CC: What is your idea of “fashion as self-care” and why?

OB: Wearing something funky and crazy will bring you more confidence because it’s daring enough that you’re already wearing something so crazy. You will get compliments from random people and people will come up and talk to you. The more you’re able to express yourself and the more comfortable you are with expressing yourself, the easier it is to live and be happy.

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Kasey Lettrich on March 23, 2021 at 04:58 PM in fashion is self care , interviews, meet | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Fashion is Self Care: Tips From Our Favorite Fashion Pros

Today, I’m thrilled to share with you the best fashion-as-self-care-tips I’ve learned from the creative minds of Bianca Norris, Morgan Hale, Valerie Mayen, Ella Rose Berhe-Lumax, and Mark E. Menzie. Hopefully, these tips will encourage you to shift the way you utilize fashion and open your mind to taking care of yourself with the garments you wear.


Over the past several months, here at The Creative Cookie, we’ve spoken to 5 fashion industry professionals about what fashion as self-care means to them. Personally, I’ve grown all the wiser about turning what I wear into a tool for self-care, and hopefully, you have too. Vanessa Friedman at The New York Times recently released a piece titled “Can Fashion Be a Form of Self-Care?” falling in line with exactly what we’ve been talking about at The Creative Cookie. In the article, she said, “This is turning into a season of swaddling clothes; of adult snugglies and softness; of clothes so squishy they are like a portable form of self-care.” Without the interaction of human touch, why not make the clothes you wear as comfortable and cuddly as possible? Below are some tips from our favorite fashion professionals that you can incorporate into your life!

Fashion as self-care can mean:

Bianca1. Anything that brings you healing and joy- According to creative Bianca Norris, “Fashion doesn’t have to mean heels and a sequin top. If your concept of fashion is putting on a sweatsuit and that’s what makes you feel great and comfortable in your own skin, then that’s fashion.” Personal style means something different to everybody and staying true to that style instead of following popular trends is a form of fashion as self-care. 

 

 

Morgan2. Comfort- Artist and weaver Morgan Hale said, “Wearing something that feels comfortable on my body makes me confident.” Clothes that make you feel confident are clothes that provide self-care; Morgan found this confidence through jumpsuits and overalls. For her, they are the best way to be comfortable and self-assured. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valerie3. Putting in a little bit of effort- Valerie Mayen, an alumnus of Project Runway told us, “When I take the time to put on real clothes and fix my hair and put on some makeup and be intentional about what I’m wearing, it does make me feel different.” In the midst of this pandemic, it’s so easy to put on sweatpants and get on Zoom without leaving your bed. However, sometimes getting ready like you would pre-pandemic can lift your spirits and give you the push you need to get through the day.

 

 

Ella Rose4. Something fun that you made yourself- One of the many things that the 10-year-old craft expert Ella Rose Berhe-Lumax has created is a yellow scrunchie that simply makes her smile. She said, “It’s just really fun to make them and really easy to make them.” A year into this pandemic, quarantine crafts can still be fun and they can act as a form of self-care when you get to flaunt your creations. 

 

 

 

Mark5. Self-expression- Designer Mark E. Menzie believes that “by expressing myself through fashion and showing the world that this is who I truly am, my confidence, peace of mind, and overall well-being are brought full circle.” By being yourself and owning it in the clothes you are wearing, you are treating yourself well and using fashion as a tool for self-care. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can all learn a little something from these accomplished fashion professionals! I hope these tips brighten your day, give you a reason to get dressed up, and provide some inspiration for you to utilize fashion as a tool for self-care.

Kasey Lettrich on March 09, 2021 at 01:17 PM in fashion is self care , love it! | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Fashion is Self Care with Mark E. Menzie

For many, personal expression is the best way to treat fashion as self-care. Mark E. Menzie, a New York-based fashion designer, not only believes in this himself but he also offers that expression to young girls of color. Mark is the creative director and designer for Menzie by Design, a brand of Black-oriented and age-appropriate clothing for young girls. Mark has accomplished so many things during his time in the fashion industry and is humbled by his work. He said, “What makes me passionate about it is getting up every morning to do what I love.” Mark has dedicated his life to sharing his love for self-expression with Generation Z and hopes to continue to do it until his brand is known by everyone. Read below to hear Mark’s story and his idea of fashion as self-care and don’t forget to check him out on Instagram: @markemenzie.

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Photo by: Mark E. Menzie

 

CC: Tell me a bit about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do?

MM: I am a New York-based, tech-savvy, girls fashion designer skilled in branding, digital marketing, and styling. I’ve directed and assisted on various photoshoots for brands and companies such as Armani, LVMH, and Vogue. I also serve as creative director and designer for a girls fashion line I started called Menzie by Design. This month mark’s our two-year anniversary! You can view the collection on www.markemenzie.com/shop All U.S. orders get free shipping! 

 

CC: What are some of your greatest accomplishments in your work?

MM: Some of my greatest accomplishments in my work are booking my first celebrity job in 2017; Franky Valley and The Four Seasons - as a wardrobe stylist. I’ve always loved the music that he created for the iconic film, Grease. Working with Vogue  [China] magazine on an editorial shoot in 2016 for the second time was also a great accomplishment and very rewarding. The first time was the September issue in 2015. Lastly, doing a custom order for a girl’s birthday party was really fun. It was a high, low, ombre tulle skirt with a train. Really elaborate and very cute.

 

CC: What do you love most about your work and the fashion industry? What makes you passionate about it?

MM: What I love most about my work and the fashion industry is that I get to do what I love every day. It can range from sketching the next collection and choosing fabrics to casting models for photoshoots or even managing the website www.markemenzie.com. I’m just thankful that the fashion industry is where I am because that’s exactly where I’ve always wanted to be. What makes me passionate about it is getting up every morning to do what I love.

 

CC: Tell me a bit about Menzie by Design. How did you get started with the brand and what are your goals for the future of the brand? 

MM: After noticing a void in the market for age-appropriate clothing and Black-oriented fashion news that really spoke to Millennials as well as the Generation Z audience, Menzie by Design was created. We provide dresses for her first date as well as jeans to wear on the last day of school. Turn to us to keep your closet stocked with cool clothes and awesome accessories that express your individual style. That is what makes Menzie by Design #MadeByMeJustForYou. My goals for the future of the brand are to have it be so culturally relevant that I can overhear girls talking about it on the street or better yet, wearing it everywhere! 9D50B772-9D29-45DA-9872-8530D0173096

 

CC: What does Menzie by Design offer the Gen Z audience?

MM: What Menzie by Design offers the Gen Z audience is a magic portal into a world where clothes are cute and times, but still make you feel like that princess that you are. I design a lot of dresses and offer education in a way that encourages Gen Z to ask questions and shift the cultural narrative in a way that is empowering. If you want to be treated like a princess, then just dress like one. And who can deny the power of a smart girl?

 

CC: How did you find out about The Creative Cookie? How long have you been partnering/working with Lesley? 

MM: I found out about The Creative Cookie through Instagram. I’ve always been a fan of the books they produce on fashion design and recently shared it with my niece who is a creative type herself. It’s a great way to share the arts, design, and fashion with a younger audience. I’ve also talked with Lesley in passing and liked her ideas as well as point of view.

 

CC: What is your idea of “fashion as self-care” and why?

MM: My idea of “fashion as self-care” is really holistic because for me it begins with getting dressed. By expressing myself through fashion and showing the world that this is who I truly am, my confidence, peace of mind, and overall well-being are brought full circle. All because I chose to wear something that makes me happy or that I think might bring a smile to someone’s face.

Kasey Lettrich on February 23, 2021 at 09:00 AM in fashion is self care , interviews, love it!, meet | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Fashion is Self Care with Ella Rose Berhe-Lumax

Ella Rose Berhe-Lumax is an inspiring young creative who founded the Brooklyn Craft Club. She enjoys art, fashion, sewing and, most importantly, crafting with her friends. Read below to learn what self-care means to her in the world of fashion and crafting and make sure to follow along on her journey by checking out her club’s Instagram: @brooklyncraftclub!

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CC: Tell me a bit about yourself. What do you do? 

ER: My name is Ella Rose Berhe-Lumax. I am 10-years-old. I am the founder of Brooklyn Craft Club. I like dancing, crafting, drawing and writing. 

 

CC: What got you into crafting and what made you want to start something like the Brooklyn Craft Club? 

ER: When I moved into the school that I am in now, we had an art program but we couldn’t really express ourselves. Our art teacher had a really set image of what we could call art. So, we had to do everything in a really specific way and we couldn’t really color outside the lines. So, I wanted to make something where me and my friends could express ourselves and we didn’t have to follow the rules of her definition of art. So, I decided to start Brooklyn Craft Club!

 

CC: What is Brooklyn Craft Club?

ER: It is a club where me and my friends do crafts!

 

CC: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

ER: I would like for us (Brooklyn Craft Club) to move onto a membership box so that we can deliver craft supplies to other people and not just the people in our community. Image6

 

Cc: How did you find out about the Creative Cookie?

ER: I met her (Lesley Ware) on another online craft series on Instagram. She reached out to me and we started talking that way.

 

CC: Why are crafting and fashion and art so important to you?

ER: I just like expressing myself! I love to do stuff with my hands; I’m always fidgeting with something. When I’m crafting or sewing, it helps me put the fidgeting to use.

 

CC: What is your idea of “fashion as self-care” and why?

ER: I actually would say it’s this scrunchie that I just made yesterday. I have a fun time with scrunchies! If my hair is up, I usually have one in my hair. So, it’s just really fun to make them and really easy to make them, as well.

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CC: How would you encourage others to start something similar to the Brooklyn Craft Club at such a young age?

ER: I would just say, find something that makes you happy! And, if you have an idea, make sure to write it down. I have so many ideas running through my head and I forget to write them down. Keep a journal with all your ideas! If you have an idea, stick to it and remember to always be creative!

 

By Kasey Letrich 

Kasey Lettrich on February 09, 2021 at 07:42 PM in Art, arts & crafts, creative inspiration, fashion & style, fashion is self care , love it!, meet, sewing | Permalink | Comments (0)

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