Meet Tabitha Andelin | Fashion Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tabitha Andelin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tabitha, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think risks are so important and I also think I need to take my own advice. When I first started my brand and made clothes, I wanted people to buy them so I took almost no creative risks. That seems like such a silly thought to have because who wants fashion that plays it safe? In my early collections, the clothing that sold the most were actually the garments I thought had the most “out there” designs. For me, I had this limiting belief that I had to design clothing with a functional/logical/utilitarian purpose and that it wasn’t enough to just make interesting/beautiful/artistic clothing. I know now that belief came from people that didn’t value fashion the way I did, and you know what? I don’t want to make clothes for those people anyways.
The other thing I have trouble with taking a risk with is money. I work a full time job on top of having this brand. I think too much risk is not something I can handle. I need some sense of security and comfort. I also found that when I needed my brand to make money to support me, I put so much pressure on myself it made the designs worse. Because I developed a separate career that brings financial stability to my life it allowed me to take so much more risk in the areas I wanted to.

So, I guess that’s the advice: Take risks in the areas in your life that strategically allow you to have the pay off in the areas you want it to pay off in.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what sets me apart is my journey towards individuality. I’m not trying to take over the world or be famous. I just want my art to be good. Finding my own voice and perfecting my skills to execute on it is my main concern and focus. I feel like it is very hard to answer these questions. I really don’t know what I’m truly most proud of but I am excited to be in a place to put more of myself “out there”. What that means to me is doing pop-ups, talking to retailers, talking to anybody about my clothing, and possibly putting on a local fashion show.
I’m sure you can tell by that answer that being a clothing or fashion designer is not easy. It’s a lot of hard work and very emotionally taxing. The only way to overcome that is to just practice getting more comfortable. It will never be easy, just revel in the good moments when they come and reach out for help in the hard times. Along with that lesson, I am also learning to let go more. I think if there is one thing I want the world to know about me in this stage of my life it is that I don’t know what I’m doing. I have almost no precise plan other than making clothes from my heart to express the things I care about or want to address in my life and in the world I see.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a coffee lover so definitely visit a Blue Bottle Coffee café while you are here! If you haven’t been to the Getty, that museum is a staple. I would go on an off day to have time to yourself. The best donuts are at Blue Star Donuts, specifically at the Abbott Kinney location. There is a free comedy show at Spoke Bicycle Café in Frogtown that I’ve been going to for years. If you are looking for hikes, the Ernest E. Debs Park is beautiful. Highland Park is right next door, so if I were you I’d grab another coffee at Mischief and Kindness. I would go to The Arts District and visit some art galleries and also look up some live music shows. LA is full of creative artists, so small shows are the best to see grassroots talent!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I don’t know if I can really shout out to one specific person. There are so many people that support me and you know who you are. Everyone who encouraged me, supported me, came to a show, told a friend about me, let me do a pop-up, helped with a photo shoot, anything. Thank you to all those people!

Website: www.tabithaandelin.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabithaandelin/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tabitha-andelin-82758784/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tabithaandelinclothing/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj_9Q2C8o4HzzjJ6M2zwiOg

Image Credits
photographer: Gabriela Ferraz Photographer: Rico Marques