Joy, Creativity, Community: The Impact Of Small Businesses
Growing up we all wanted to be many things. You have the ones who wanted to be a dancer, those who dreamed of being a spy, and then the little divas who longed to be princesses. While getting older the things we now wanted to become became more realistic. Some people aspired to be doctors, writers, or the next big fashion designer. Those are all great careers and if you work hard and perfect your craft you’ll get there in due time. But what about the creative minds around the world? The kids who grew up creating or the young adults who realized that the normal 9 to 5 workday was not it for them.
Society has created boxes that we each get put into based on how much money we have and the career we take up. For creatives, the idea of being put into a box does not exist. Many creators and young entrepreneurs have decided to work on their own small businesses after the lockdown. Whether that be with making face masks, designing jewelry out of clay, or painting on denim jeans and hats. While each brand is unique in its own way, they each have a different message.
These small businesses spread joy, awareness, and creativity amongst their supporters.
MADE BY DEV
Made By Dev is a small business located in California created by a young woman named Devyn that specializes in custom jewelry all made from polymer clay. What sets her shop apart from others is her unique designs that are handmade and inspired by some of our favorite artists and fashion icons in today's industry. When first starting her Etsy business back in January of 2021, Devyn originally started making clay as a hobby while in quarantine. While doing so she began to get great feedback from family and friends which then drove her to work on her actual brand, its aesthetic, and influences. Being that she had no prior knowledge of starting a business, the Etsy shop Made By Dev was born!
When buying jewelry we all want one-of-a-kind jewelry or even jewelry that defines things that we love and in some cases items we can’t afford but long to have. Devyn makes this extremely possible with her jewelry designs. When creating pieces she tends to pull inspiration from pop culture which includes some of her favorite artists of fashion. In doing so she creates amazing music-inspired collections that range from Harry Styles, to Taylor Swift, to Lorde. “For my music collections, I usually focus on a specific lyric that sticks out to me from each song off the album, then I develop earrings based on that,” Devyn said.
Pictured Above: Devyn creator of Made By Dev
Some of Made By Dev’s most popular fashion collections include her Harry Styles Cardigan Earrings, Lorde Fashion Collection, and most recently the 2021 Grammy’s Collection. This includes earrings inspired by Taylor Swift and Harry Styles Grammy looks which sold out in less than 10 minutes! When asking Devyn how she gathers inspiration for creating products she stated that she studies each person before emulating them on earrings. “I study certain fashion moments in these artists’ careers or a specific event, then create earrings based on those iconic looks,” Devyn said.
With creating a brand some people are only in it for the money and what comes along with success but what makes Made By Dev such a unique and joyous shop is that you can see and feel the happiness she puts into each and every piece. Whether that be from the designing stage to actually create them! When asked about her supporters and what she wanted to gain from her recent success in her sold-out grammy collection Devyn said “I hope that supporters of my brand can see and feel the joy I put into my pieces. Each part of the process from designing to creating, to shipping is done with joy because I truly LOVE that I get to call this a job! I hope that joy is communicated into the color palettes and patterns in my earrings as well as the customizations and details in my packaging materials.” In creating a brand the goal of spreading joy and creativity may not be a factor but for this small business, it is! This is why the uniqueness of the brand can speak for itself.
Pictured Above: Harry Styles Cardigan Earrings $32
SPEAKEASY LUXE
Each small business is unique in its own way but with spreading joy and creativity comes a sense of women empowerment. Speakeasy Luxe is a small women-owned business that is centered around the women's skate scene that is predominately taken over by white males. Founded back in August of 2019 by Danielle Katan, Speakeasy Luxe first started out with curated vintage pieces. Within time the brand grew to create custom hats and skatewear targeted towards women but not just for women.
The biggest issue in the skate scene for women is finding sneakers and boards that are made for their size.
Katan was getting back from a 10-year hiatus when she noticed that almost everything in skateboarding was exclusively marketed to cis-white males, but the majority of people learning how to skate didn’t fall into that category. “ I remember one of my biggest frustrations was never being able to find a cute hat that would stay on my head while I was skating, biking, or generally being active. This frustration eventually led to the creation of one of our favorite products!” Danielle said.
When looking at the Speakeasy Luxe product catalog each hat is unique in its own way. You have faux fur bucket hats, beanies, hand-painted on hats, and even tie-dye! Usually, when creating products for a brand- the creator pulls from different outlets in order to create that one unique piece but with this brand every piece is unique! When creating products for Speakeasy Luxe Danielle tends to pull inspiration from different outlets in order to create pieces for the up and trendy skater brand.
I draw inspiration from everything around me! Danielle said. I love drawing inspiration from movies and nature. I’m kind of obsessed with scary movies and supernatural stories. I’m also perpetually inspired by clouds and the sky. I’m always in awe of the colors that a sunset produces, which an iPhone or even a great camera can never fully capture. Skateboarding is also definitely a huge influence. That’s typically what Danielle is doing when working on her brand. Staying active physically and mentally is what gets the ideas flowing. Looking through each design you can see many of her influences being emulated through her designs!
What makes Speakeasy Luxe special is that it not only promotes women's empowerment within the skate scene but also confidence. The goal for this small brand is not to gain money and fame but to create confidence and a sense of community within its supporters. No matter what you love to do. You can love to create, skate, or just love giving back! You can be a part of the Speakeasy Luxe community.
When creating products not only does joy and creativity play hand and hand but charity and community do as well! Being community-oriented, Speakeasy Lux tends to a handful of charitable events while hosting their own skate meetups. “We donate 10% of every order to the customer’s choice of charity, or if no charity is selected, the donation is split evenly between our list of nonprofits,” Danielle said. A big plus is that all orders are hand-packed by the creator herself. Placing a hand-writen personalized thank you card within every order.
If you are a woman who loves to skate or you just want to be a part of a genuine community then Speakeasy Luxe is the small business you should be supporting! Everything from Speakeasy Luxe is made with love in NYC in small, sustainable batches. The brand works with local vendors and artists, and is committed to giving back 24/7! It’s all about empowerment and love with Speakeasy Lux.
Pictured Above: Danielle Katan Creator of SpeakEasy Luxe
CELESTINE BOUTIQUE
On the road to creating a brand that’s all about making your supporters feel good, there comes a choice of whether you want to move on a sustainable route. It may be an expensive option but it tends to be a better one. Celestin Boutique is an up-and-coming small business that’s all about sustainable fashion and collage art! The creator herself, Kayla Celestin is a New York-based college student who runs her business while being a full-time student online.
Pictured Above: Kayla Celestin Creator of Celestin Boutique , Photo Taken By: Kayla Segal
Her brand products range from funky bandeau tops to collage-based tote bags, to sustainable tops and pants. What sets her designs apart is the lack of over-the-top fabrics and the usage of a neutral color palette. Thus making each piece universal and ready to wear with what you already have in your closet. Each piece is based on Kayla’s thoughts and emotions. More specifically her collage totes focus more on graphic design and overlapping images. “You know I’d say my thoughts and emotions have the biggest impact on what I create. You can tell by the trippy art and editing of my tote bags. If I feel mania that’s what I’ll present. There’s no shame in that.” Kayla said.
Pictured Above: Beautiful People With Beautiful Problems Tote Bag $15
Although Kayla and her brand Celestin Boutique are still marching forward with getting their foot through the door, she has not stopped her creative process when it comes to creating her one-of-a-kind designs. Each piece is unique in its own way. Her tote bags consist of puzzle outlines with her as the subject of art. In the creative process, many factors influence how you work and what you design but in doing so it may not all be joy when putting your all into a piece. “I mean joy is definitely factored into a lot of my pieces but sometimes I don’t feel so joyful and that may reflect in some of my pieces. Kayla said.” People tend to forget that beauty can come from darkness and Kayla’s pieces definitely emulate that. You don’t have to be the happiest person alive in order to create something you love. It can be as equally beautiful if it were done with joy or sadness.
Celestine Boutique by Kayla may be a small brand trying to climb to the top but their overall message is extremely important for everyone to hear. When supporting a brand you support them because of the way they make you feel when wearing the clothes. You may feel joy, confidence, or even a creative rush but for Kayla she wants her supporters to know that it’s okay to be different! “I want my supporters to take away the fact that you don’t have to label or put yourself in a box,” Kayla said.
Top Left: I’ll Bring You Flowers Tote, Middle: Beautiful People With Beautiful Problems, Bottom Right: BORDERLINE Cropped Vest
When it comes to the fashion industry we have so many options when it comes to finding somewhere to shop. If you want trendy pieces you may shop at Zara or Urban Outfitters but what we as consumers don’t realize is that these big fast fashion companies rip off small businesses and creators. Each time that they do they get away with it because small businesses don’t have the much power that other companies do. It’s one person in charge of the whole operation. Rather than spending all your money on fast fashion, why not support small businesses that actually pour their heart and soul into their products? Most importantly why not support strong independent women trying to spread joy, creativity, and community through their work? Shop small, you won’t regret it!