Customer Creations: A.H.
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Below is an interview with Austin – one of our top forum contributors:
How long have you been designing and making latex / vinyl fashions?
I’ve been drawn to the elegance and sexiness of latex and PVC for a very long time, but only about 4 years ago did I began experimenting with sewing. I wanted to start making latex right away, but it was more costly than PVC and I had no prior skills.
I noticed when I bought a few small vinyl garments and a PVC corset from a local adult shop that I was really disappointed with the “off the rack” items. They were cheaply made, costly, and didn’t fit quite right. It inspired me to want to make my own fetish wear of better quality that actually fit me.
I was very unfamiliar with everything involved in garment making and didn’t even have a machine yet. The first thing I wanted to make was shiny, sexy corsets. It was a pretty big jump from knowing nothing to going straight to building corsets!
One of the local fabric shops was changing locations and had a huge 90% off clearance sale and I bought every ream of PVC they had. I had no formal training so I also bought a cheap sewing machine and an old used “sewing for starters” book.
Do you have any formal training? How did you learn garment construction?
I read all I could about sewing, bought a few more (modern) sewing books, and of course, consulted the endless knowledge base of the internet. Thanks to MJ Trends for your nice tutorials as well 😉
I started to make good progress on each corset I made, but I realized that I really needed a better machine if I wanted to make better garments. So, I made that investment and it really helped me jump to the next level of professionalism.
With each piece, I gained more and more experience. That was best way I found how to construct garments. Countless hours of hands-on practice! I felt using this approach would help me get the fundamentals of garment construction down before I began working with latex.
Finally, not too long ago, I began working with latex. Although latex and PVC are constructed completely differently, I truly believe having the experience of working with the PVC, a sewing machine, and grasping the all-around fundamentals of garment construction has helped me transition into working with latex. I’m still very new to it, but I really love it.
Latex is my favorite material, hands down! I am a very open latex fetishist. Thus far I’ve only made a few simple latex pieces and some accessories. But before I go so far as to make catsuits, I’m using 4-way stretch material to mimic latex for items like leggings and long sleeved tops. This is so I can get an idea of how to make a catsuit before I make one out of latex.
What project are you most proud of?
The garment I’m most proud of is a tough call. I’d say it’s a tie between the metallic blue PVC princess-cut dress and the red patent vinyl under-bust corset I just finished. With each PVC project I make, the finished project just gets better and better! My hope is the next one turns out better than the last.
What future projects do you have planned?
My next PVC project is a Victorian style corset. I want to do a long-line over-bust corset with contrast trimming. (Also, I’m planning on attempting a latex corset sometime in the near future.) But the first piece in the project lineup is going to be latex, specifically a long latex sun skirt. It is yet another pretty simple piece, but I’m still getting the hang of working with latex.
It has a different flow and requires different techniques compared to PVC or Patent Vinyl. The gluing techniques, different thicknesses, rounded seams, and the cutting patterns for latex (to get a real snug, yet comfortable, fit) are all keeping me occupied at the moment. Not to mention, all the other projects besides garment making I’m involved in! I have so many hobbies I’m beginning to have schedule my days to do certain things.
Do you have items for sale or a store you would like to promote
I have made a few commissioned PVC pieces for some friends, but not really selling much for now. I’m focusing on honing my craft by making custom pieces for my soon-to-be bride before I start offering my services to the public. I want to be fully confident that my customers are going to be more than ecstatic when they buy a custom garment from me.
Currently, I am working on creating a website as a portfolio of my garments, fetish photography, and alternative modeling in the Wichita, KS area. Shinys.net is still under construction but I hope to launch it later this year. There’s really no one around Wichita that’s doing custom fetish fashion design.
And the great thing about the internet is I can be based out of Wichita and sell to the world! I really only want to specialize in fetish/alternative garments and would love to have an online shop someday to provide the service of shiny, elegant, and sexy-styled fashion. “Shiny’s Skin Tight Fashion” is what I envision the name to be (possibly just Shiny’s).
Below are a few photos of some of my recent projects. They’re modeled by my fiancé and me. The gas mask I’m wearing I modified with spikes and mirror tinted glass for reflective lenses.
I feel very honored to be featured on this blog. I still feel like such a beginner. There is so much to explore, but I think the most important part is that I’m having a blast learning new things. And I am so excited to finally be working with latex!
Do you have any advice for others who are just starting out in DIY fashion?
To anyone out there just starting DIY fashion- whether it’s fetish wear, formal attire, or even accessories, I say believe in yourself, have fun, and keep your head up. There will sometimes be hurdles to jump and obstacles that may seem impossible to overcome. But if you’re truly passionate about what you do, if you have an open mind, and you try to be creative, you should keep at it!
With time, experience, practice (figuring out those the little pro tips from doing it over and over), I’m positive one day you will be very proud to say, “I made this.” And shoot, you never know just where making a few simple projects could take you in the future! ?
I do want to thank MJTrends for the opportunity to share where I’m at in this wonderful, creative and ever-changing world of garment design. I wish the best of luck to everyone out there, amateurs to pros, on their upcoming projects!
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