Today we’d like to introduce you to Faith Waszgis.
Hi Faith, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always had the affinity to paint and make clothing. As a child, my favorite hobby was to make outfits for my dolls out of random household items such as paper towels and tissue paper. As I got older, I started finding my love for painting. In high school, my peers encouraged me to meld my love for clothing and painting. I then began upcycling clothing I didn’t wear anymore, along with contributions from my friends’ closets. I then moved to South Carolina, where I found a local store called Altered Ego to sell my clothing. The store sadly closed in 2021, but I shortly moved to Washington thereafter. With the store closing, then moving across the country, and my job at the time consuming all of my free time, I lost my creative passion. Thankfully after moving to California, I slowly regained that passion and cannot wait to see where it takes me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road hasn’t been the smoothest. As I mentioned before, I sold my clothes in a local store in Charleston, Sc which gave me hope that I could make a career out of my passion. I am still very grateful for the opportunity, but when the store closed, I felt lost and unsure of what the next step would be. I then moved to Washington, fully set out to restart this clothing brand I had previously dedicated so many hours to, but it felt like all I was finding were dead ends. I decided to get a job in the meantime, I became a full-time nanny, which was another opportunity I was very grateful for, so I gave all of time and energy to it. My husband and I then started to plan our move to California. The topic of careers came up, and I got that lost feeling again, not sure what my next step would be. My husband said he’ll support me in whatever I decide to do but would love to see me pursue my art/clothing career again. So now I’m here trying to put myself out there again. It’s nerve-wracking, but I know I can do it because I have the greatest support system I could ask for.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I mainly upcycle clothing, but I also love to paint. As a teenager, I enjoyed making collages out of scraps I found around my art class, which would become the background of my painting that week. Then I thought to myself, “Why stop there?” so I began painting old clothing that I had gotten bored with, giving it a new look. I kept doing this for fun, and my peers started suggesting I make clothes to sell. I decided against it because the cost of buying new clothing and the time put into altering it would outweigh any profit I would make. I then read an article about the environmental effects of discarded clothing and the pollution it was causing. I realized by using old clothes from my friends or even basic t-shirts and jeans from the thrift store would be a more sustainable and cost-effective way to keep creating fun clothing. By upcycling these pieces, I realized I’d never make the same piece twice which I think adds to the fun of it all.
Pricing:
- Shirts $30
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ParadiseRebrand
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paradise_rebrand
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@paradiserebrand
