M Camellia

Hello, and welcome! My name is M (they/them), and I'm located in the Washington DC area on the East Coast of the United States. I'm a life-long maker, and I'm currently doing a lot of independent study around fashion design and some of the more technical aspects of pattern drafting that I haven't worked on before. The first thing I ever told my family I wanted to be when I grew up was a fashion designer! I'm now 30, and have finally come full circle, and I'm just starting to get a little more serious about that pursuit.

I previously studied Journalism & Mass Communication and worked in editorial departments for a magazine and then a major university. I've since shifted careers and become an entrepreneur in the yoga industry, where I facilitate classes and trainings and do diversity and equity consulting. I love owning my own businesses (I have my solo business and also co-own another), and combining my passions for social justice, philosophy and spirituality, and creative, entrepreneurial work. These are all themes that will carry into any future work I do in the fashion industry!

As I said, I've been a maker for as long as I remember, primarily in fiber and textile arts: I sew (clothing, accessories, and leather goods), quilt (primarily art quilts/wall hangings), do other aspects of leatherwork, knit, crochet, macrame, embroider, weave (primarily tapestries, though I'd love the opportunity to weave wearable textiles), and work with beads (in embroidery, jewelry, and on a loom). I enjoy sketching designs and am working on building those skills. I've also been experimenting with acrylic painting and lace tatting over the last year or so. I used to direct art & craft programming at a summer camp, so I've also had experience with a multitude of mediums, like ceramics, woodworking, candle-making, etc., and as part of my current business, I create creative content for my brand in the form of images, graphic designs, and audio/video/written content.