Meet Michelle Barrett | Artist & Designer

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

Hi Michelle, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
With my experience in the art and fashion industry, one thing people aren’t aware of is how fast paced trends and ideas are, now more than ever. Many people have similar ideas to you but what can set you apart is taking action on your ideas, and establishing something unique and true to you. I’ve had to learn if I have an idea, to act on it quickly, or someone else will. Especially with the rise in fast fashion and trends, my brand has encountered knock offs, and for even cheaper. But again I think it’s important to be authentic to your work, because people will value your uniqueness and continue to follow your work over a replica. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My time in college really challenged me to find a solid representation of what I want my art to reflect. I was stuck between graphic design, fashion, photography, and painting. I’ve struggled with finding a consistent “style”, and even still I do, but with critique and speaking with others about my work, it’s given me an outside perspective on what my work can convey and how I can approach it going forward. During my senior year of college, there was great pressure to find a common theme and just stick to it. During this time I’d already had my brand for about two years, and I had a professor push me to just submit my brand as part of my painting projects. Thinking to merge both graphic design and painting has helped me find what I really want to create and express. Merging apparel with fine arts has had its critiques, but art accessibility is a common theme I’ve come to explore as an artist. I want to showcase work outside of the traditional gallery painting, and I think blending ideas of fine art with apparel allows for a wider audience of people to be introduced to the world of fine art.

Our goal with Shop Ratz is for people to experience the brand at a level that isn’t so exclusive and expensive, and sharing our story and ideas on social media has been huge for us. Even if people don’t choose to buy our apparel, they’re still able to experience the world of Shop Ratz through humor and shareable content. We also love to include our audience with the creative process by listening to feedback on our social media, and offering collaborations with smaller creators. My cousin and I don’t take ourselves too seriously with our social media presence, and I think the relatability sets us apart from other brands.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Always the beach! I grew up going to Redondo and Hermosa beach, still to this day I think it’s the superior beach. Mainly because there’s more to do, better food, but less tourists. The residents are very passionate about being from a beach town, which brings an active lifestyle seen through roller skating, surfing, fishing, biking, (and tanning). My personal favorite is paddleboarding, and when my friends visit I often recommend going out to the harbor and paddling. 

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I started and co-own my brand with my cousin Emily Andreas, so Shop Ratz is OUR brand. Being that Emily was a business major, and I was a fine arts major, our skills and interests always meshed really well and helped us a lot when creating Shop Ratz. Emily has been the main reason I find the confidence to share art to a wider audience. She’s family and I know she’ll always be honest and hold me accountable, which provides me with a strong support system (and I know I do the same to her.) We have always known we would pursue some type of business together, and during quarantine in 2020 it became obvious that we should work on apparel. Although Emily is on the other side of the country, Shop Ratz has been extremely rewarding and has brought us closer together.

Website: Michelle barrett – Work

Instagram: michellerikaa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-barrett-bb8a60234/

Other: shopratz.com