Today we’d like to introduce you to Alea Farinas.
Hi Alea, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up in a family full of artists and performers encouraged me to tap into different creative mediums such as drawing, painting, crocheting, dancing, and sewing. From performing in Bell Middle School’s Drama Club to having back-to-back dance showcases since I was four years old-all the way through high school, I’ve always enjoyed getting ready in costumes and the adrenaline rush right before putting on a show. My mom and I always watched Say Yes to the Dress and RuPaul’s Drag Race, which sparked my curiosity for fashion at a young age. I drew pictures of wedding dresses and told my mom that I wanted to be a fashion designer one day.
When I was nine years old, she took me to Yardage Town in National City and I remember being so amazed by the endless aisles and thousands of options to choose from. I specifically remember picking out a yard of Cheetah print fabric and made my first piece of clothing. It surprised me seeing what just a pair of scissors and a yard of fabric could do. I started listening to a lot of music in high school, which rekindled my interest in fashion trends within the music industry. I discovered and instantly fell in love with the work of a fashion designer named Christian Siriano. He has made amazing dresses for some of the biggest celebrities today such as Beyonce, Zendaya, and Gwen Stefani. I’ve also been inspired by streetwear fashion and look up to people like Virgil Abloh, fashion designer of Off-White and Nigo, fashion designer of BAPE. Streetwear fashion has been a growing influence in our generation and it wasn’t until my second year of college when I took a Hip Hop culture class and learned about the roots of streetwear fashion in depth. I became both appreciative and inspired by the culture of streetwear.
Come January of 2020, I wanted to start sewing my own pieces as my interest in upcycling and fashion grew. Starting off with head scarfs and scrunchies, I spent about two months getting down the basics of how to use a sewing machine with the help of my brother, Noah and a good friend of mine, Rachel. I’d call them occasionally and religiously watched Youtube tutorials when I needed help on certain techniques and stayed up every night practicing. I created an Instagram account, AleaFabrics, to showcase my work and keep track of the progress I was making. With small businesses using social media, it has made it more accessible to people near and far to view my work! I was overwhelmed and am thankful for the amount of love and support that AleaFabrics has received. With the pandemic on the rise and stay at home orders put in place, Christian Siriano (the designer who continues to inspire me) and his team were sewing hundreds of masks a day to provide for healthcare and essential workers. I found inspiration in his contributions and decided to start making masks for my own community. Through AleaFabrics, it has been a privilege to have been able to provide roughly one thousand masks for people around the US, mainly in South East San Diego. As I continue to make masks, I’ve only scratched the surface of the fashion world. I’ve shared personal clothing pieces, tote bags, and bucket hats that I’ve made and plan on diving deeper into the fashion industry.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road of 2020, in general, has been rough for most of us, from transitioning to online school, financial hardships and thousands of people losing their jobs. It definitely has been a bumpy journey for me with maintaining my mental health, but sewing has become pretty close to therapeutic. My main struggle, in terms of the actual sewing process, is the amount of hours spent on getting as many masks made and ready to distribute to customers. My sleeping schedule is a little messed up, but for the most part, it has been a smooth road because I was fortunate enough to have the provided space and tools to start sewing. I also have a great support system at home from my family and friends who I bug all the time and drag to the fabric store with me for hours!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Sewing isn’t a hobby you come across every day and I am proud to be able to use my talent to help out in my community. I am still learning as I am going and I look forward to creating more of my own personal pieces to share! I believe that putting your energy and time into anything you feel passionate about will never go unnoticed. I will continue to grow and create with love and continue to spread love through my work.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
When I think about my childhood, I think of the street I grew up on and how all the neighborhood kids would play together almost everyday! A time where social media didn’t exist for us and we just had fun hanging out. We’d either be swimming in our friend’s backyard, swinging on our other friends’ tire swing or camping out on the sidewalk until the street light turned on at dusk and that was our signal to go home. I always remember these days because they were my first friendships that I continue to cherish!
Contact Info:
- Email: aleafarinas@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleafabrics/
Image Credits
Ryan Farinas (@ryvn.vsl), Alea Farinas
