Little did I know that moving to Los Angeles, CA seven years ago wouldn't only be the place I call home, but an amazing resource for my brand! LA is starting to become a real place for fashion designers of all sorts to design, source, and get creative. We have a whole area downtown dedicated to all things fashion, called the "Fashion District," where you can shop fabric, trims, buttons, manufacturers and just about everything else you might need! There is an exuberant amount of shops dedicated to selling just these specific items, and its incredible to say the least! So when I decided to start my own brand it was like a dream come true to already live in an area that offered so much so close by! I knew that sourcing all my materials out of LA would be a perfect idea. I didn't have to worry about purchasing anything out of state or out of the country really! There were only a few very specific items I had to purchase online, like certain zippers and labels, but all my fabric and trims I found downtown. Not only this, but, the manufacturer who produces and sews all the garments are also downtown too. 

A big part of my brand is trying to remain slow and sustainable and so using deadstock fabric was the way to go. There are great locations to find deadstock, or leftover fabric here in Los Angeles. So 100% of the fabric used for Gimmick is deadstock and from LA! Not only the fabric, but all our trim is as well! Including the hand pressed buttons from deadstock patent leather that were made specifically for both our Andre dresses! 

Overall, the best part of using Los Angeles as my main fashion resource is being able to have all my garments manufactured here! While it did take some researching to find the right manufacture who could fit my needs for my brand, being able to see where your garments are made was very beneficial. While not every designer has the option to manufacture where they live, I knew it was important for me to take advantage of it. It certainly can be much more expensive than having them made elsewhere, but because this was my very first experience with fashion manufacturing, I really wanted to learn all that I could, and I certainly learned so much. I love being able to go and see the finished pieces up close and personal to make sure they fit my standard of quality for our customers!

Stay tuned for more and more information and BTS from Gimmick!