#MARCHMEETTHEMAKER DAY 6: REDUCING WASTE

My first sleep masks were created from a silk scrap, salvaged from an up-cycling class that I taught back in 2014. Then it became the by-product of bespoke orders to reduce waste and gifted to the customer as a surprise token of my gratitude 😎 Sharing this history bit for #marchmeetthemaker Day 6 on Reducing Waste.

🖤Image 1- One of the first orders made with the surprise gift. I love how it ended up with matching lingerie and sleep mask. Sooo divine!

🖤Image 2- The original printed silk piece that started it all

🖤Image 3- beaded cherry heart for a new bride

🖤Image 4- the aromatherapeutic discs were originally filled with rose tea that you can actually steep and enjoy. Talk about upcycling an upcycled item!

🖤Image 5- The design has evolved and improved so much since 2014. This is what it looks like today- not padded and flat anymore, it’s stuffed with silk scraps to replicate down, without the suffering of animals.

🖤 Image 6- a bowl of freshly tossed salad. So healthy! J/K. It’s silk confetti recycled from the scraps of the sleep masks... which was up-cycled from the scraps of making a lingerie order! Ohhh yeeeaaa, this level of reducing waste is something I’m extremely proud of 🥰 and yes, it is healthy! Sleeping with silk is amazing for the skin (*whispers* some say it’s anti-aging).

When we are conscious of our production and waste by recycling and avoiding polyester (*whispers* which most mass-produced sleep masks are padded with), we also keep our home, Mother Earth, healthy & happy !

Good Night and Sweet Dreams

Love, Pillowbook

#MARCHMEETTHEMAKER DAY 5: UP CLOSE

This may be my most favorite prompt *squeal*! In the world of lingerie, things are prettier up close, inside-out and personal.

For those who don’t sew- take extra notice of the hidden seams and practically zero amount of overlock finishes. What is overlock? Overlock is a method of preventing the edges of fabric from fraying by oversewing it, like wrapping thread around and over the edges. Thanks to advanced technology, theres a machine for it conveniently named as the overlock machine or serger. It’s extremely convenient and is widely utilized in mass-produced garments for it’s time saving and less labor (=cheaper costs) involved. Aesthetically, IMHO, overlock looks “meh” but before you mutter snob, please allow me to share an OMG moment.

I was at a high-fashion French luxury store once, which I will not name, and I was expecting the finest of French seaming everywhere. (For context: overlock seaming can take as little as 2 steps- sew and iron. French seams take minimum 5- sew, trim, iron, sew and iron. Plus, garments with french seams tend to last foreverrrrrr) When I upturned the dress inside-out and saw everything was overlocked, I was shocked then felt swindled because this should not happen with a 4-digit price tag. Ugh. The audacity. 

To clarify, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with using and buying garments with overlock seams. If you buy fast fashion, again I won’t name names, you will definitely see said seams because it is reflective of the price tag. But there is absolutely everything wrong if the construction of a garment does not justify a higher price tag. In the case of my story, I would not have been getting what I paid for.

All right, fine.  I’ll admit I’ve become a seam-snob for Pillowbook only because I don’t see any other option. I’m touting “luxury” so you bet, I will make Pillowbook silkies with every luxurious method known to women, regardless of the extra number of steps it entails. After all, true luxury starts from the construction. 

The take away? It’s always a delight to inspect a garment up close and discover that love can be found in the details.

Love, Pillowbook

#MARCHMEETTHEMAKER Day 4: Branding

Dearest Ladies and Lovers,

Love thyself, bad habits and all.

Sometimes hoarding can be a positively bad habit (or do I just keep telling myself that?) Hoarding silk scraps as small as 3mm of fringe fluff eventually led me to create my most ambitious collection, Harmony. Hoarding made me a natural recycler. I even hoard old dried, sometimes moldy, fruits because it’s actually really pretty. (Hey! I’m not alone on this.. look at the mind-blowing art of Kathleen Ryan IG @katieryankatieryan ) And if, as a creator, keeping every single D&D (design and development la~; not dungeons and dragons!) piece is considered hoarding then I’m glad I had saved samples developed for the customized Pillowbook bra closure just so I can share this with you today on #marchmeetthemaker Brand theme. 

Pillowbook’s signature bra closure in gold. Luxury is in the details

This hardware is not unique so I can’t take the credit of inventing it. I think Mimi Holliday/Damaris was the first to utilize it in lingerie and Studio Pia uses it in such a slay way. In the world of body piercing, it’s actually a very common jewelry so it was important to me to customize the Pillowbook flower logo into it, hoping it would become a brand signifier. 

The design and development evolution of Pillowbook’s bra closure.

It was designed to be visually appealing, alluring like a juicy flower to a bee, because IMO, the look of an exposed standard bra hook can really just kill the look of a smashing outfit. It was also important to me that it be strong, sturdy and smooth to the touch. First thing I always did when I received a new sample was to snap the flower off. (Please don’t try this at home! It will of course break if you pummel it) Second, I’d close my eyes and just touch every surface to check for rough spots. As you can see in the first clasp, the sharp square corner had to go because it looks and feels a bit aggressive. The factory almost dropped me b/c I kept sending it back but they stuck around. After all these years, I’m still extremely proud of this little extra detail in the business of branding. Customers recognize it like an organic fresh cherry on top (not the canned maraschinos!). It really feels so ultra sexy when I wear a backless top, WITH A BRA!

So. Let’s stop hoard-shaming and maybe, like, make #Positivelybadhabits a thing? Which “bad” habits of yours shall we also celebrate?

Love, Pillowbook