Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Supayana and Lime Crime: 'Before Etsy' inspirations

There were two indie clothing labels that I used to look up to, years and years ago. Back then there was no Etsy. These popular ladies made gorgeous 'DIY' clothing, as handmade items were often called then. One was Xenia from Lime Crime and the other was Yana from Supayana. They sold their wares on Ebay. I remember some of Supayana's tops getting bid on up to $200 because they were so popular. I'm sure there were many more high dollar auctions of hers that I didn't check in on.

Where are they now?

Xenia is a 'blogazine' owner who runs a successful cosmetics business, Lime Crime Makeup.

Image source: Lime Crime Makeup

She doesn't make clothes anymore. I just found her excellent blogazine (blog/magazine) today and that's what inspired this post. I particularly love this recent post, Guide to an Outstanding Personal Style.

Yana is still running Supayana, from Etsy now and not Ebay. Her pieces are gorgeous, with fun, cute details. Her syle has matured since back then. I kind of miss her older, more playful designs, though, which she still has up on her portfolio.


This piece is currently up for sale in her Etsy store and I am quite enamoured with it. She now employs sustainable practices and uses recycled or second-hand materials in most of her pieces.

I have to pay tribute to these talented ladies. They inspired me and made me realise that starting my own line was possible, despite no real start-up cash and not having worked in the industry. All I needed was my sewing, a computer and camera, and some confidence and perserverence. I possessed the material items already, so all that stopped me was myself.

I'm glad I took the plunge and grateful to everything that set me on this path.

3 comments:

supayana said...

Hi Hayley!

Thank you so much for the blog about my clothing line! I totally know what you mean about missing the older, more playful pieces. I want to stay true to myself as a designer and make things that represent who I am now. As I get older, my designs grow with me, too! :-) It's all been a very interesting journey...I'm excited to see what will happen next!

Again, thanks so so much for the write up. That is so awesome of you!

Miss Malaprop said...

I've been a fan of both of their work since way back when too. Another person who has been doing it awhile since pre-Etsy is Postlapsaria.

Hayley Sarah said...

Supayana - You're very welcome. I definitely understand about maturing as a designer. That's just my personal preference. I'm excited for the future, too. Best of luck with everything.

MissMalaprop - I never knew of Postlapsaria back then, but when I started Heidi & Seek someone said that my pieces reminded me of the label. I checked it out and have to say I'm flattered!