Featured Indie Designer – Platipuses

Meet Christi of Platipuses, dedicated to creating cute DiY clothing for the curvier girls!

Your Name: Christi, or Plats
Age: 21
Hometown: Poulsbo, WA
Current Location: Poulsbo, WA

How did your interest in fashion begin? When I was 5ish my mom would pay me .25 cents to sew buttons onto shirts and I always really liked to do that, as simple as it was. Then I got older and I started making goth dolls. I would paint them, dye their hair and make their clothes. After that I started making myself leg warmers and then after high school I started making real clothes, and the rest, they say, is history! ;D
What motivated you to start selling your designs and what were your expectations when you started? I had seen some of the ‘elite’ girls on ebay doing their stuff and they were making over $700 a week and I thought, “I should try this!” I am pretty much unable to get a job out of the house so sewing was the answer for me. 😀
Do you have any formal training in fashion, art or design? I have none.
Is Platipuses your primary job? For sure!
How many people are behind the scenes at Platipuses? Just me! Sometimes I need a friend to come over and model but that’s it, I do everything myself; sewing, cutting, machine repair, shipping, modeling, photography… I’m my own little sweat shop. lolz
What are some of the best and worst aspects of being an independent designer? I think the best aspect is that you know people are enjoying your creations. Especially since I specialize in larger clothes I can get kickin clothes to girls that have some cuddle, which a lot of designers forget about, unfortunately. The worst part is that you’re so busy with trying to manage everything it leaves little time for much else. Oh, and sitting at a sewing machine hurts your bum awful bad.
Where do you get inspiration for your designs? Sometimes I actually have dreams about designs, and that’s always fun. I usually get ideas out of magazines and or things I have seen in stores, or just things that I think will look amazing, hehe. I’ve actually been watching tv, seen a shirt I liked, then grabbed the nearest thing next to me (napkin) to draw the pattern out.
How would you describe your designs? I’d describe my desings as nerdishly punk rock-abilly for babes with curves!
Any advice for aspiring designers? I would suggest investing in a serger. I have NO idea how I managed to sell a single item without a serger, I bet the shirts fell apart right when the people got them! Oops! They make everything so much nicer. Also, don’t compare yourself to other designers, there’s always going to be someone better, if you love it keep doing it! Be unique, don’t copy other people’s designs. Also, back stitch, back stitch, BACK STITCH!
Do you have any interesting hobbies (outside of sewing/designing)? I love graphic design, I used to make dolls in MSpaint all pixely and cool. That’s about all I do.

Want more?
Check out Christi’s designs on Ebay: Platipuses
or say hello on Myspace: www.myspace.com/platikiss
or over at diyscene.