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

Hi Charmaine, what are you inspired by?
I am inspired by so many things! My main sources of inspiration come from other creators that I follow, Black culture, and fashion trends (past and present). On a personal note, my mom continues to be a source of inspiration for me. She was always very stylish and dressed to the nines whenever my family would go trips or attend family holiday events. Although she has since passed, she helped purchase my first sewing machine. Her belief in my dreams of working in the fashion industry as a young girl continues to inspire me everyday to keep creating.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I want the world to know that my brand is more than just DIYs and sewing clothes, it’s about becoming your own designer and making clothes that are specially made for you. So often we can mindlessly purchase clothes online or in a store but I truly believe that when you have the opportunity to sew clothes yourself, it can empower you to tell your own story through clothes. Hand Making my own clothes has truly been a transformative experience for me. I hope to continue to inspire others to learn how to sew and become their own designers!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love this question! If my bestie was visiting the LA area, I would have to start our day going to Porto’s Bakery in Glendale for delicious lattes and baked goods for breakfast. After breakfast, we would walk down to The Americana at Brand to shop and sightsee. Then I would have to take her to Santa Monica Beach! (It’s one of my favorite places!). We would hang out at the Santa Monica Pier to play games and grab a corn dog. After we would finish our night grabbing a take out dinner from Urth Caffé Santa Monica. We’d walk down to the beach with our dinners and set up a blanket on the beach to watch the sunset.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my amazing community. There have been numerous moments where self doubt would creep in causing me to stop posting content that I loved to make on social media. During these tough moments, I would receive a message from someone in my community tagging me in a DIY video or telling me that they couldn’t wait to see my next DIY creation. Having my community reach out to me made me feel like I could truly make my fashion dreams possible and that they would support me along the way. I’m beyond thankful not only for my growing community but the friends that I have made along this journey in content creation!

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thecharmainemarie

Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecharmainemarie

Image Credits
Photography by Charmaine Marie

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