that's you. you know?
a place where i can share my creativity, story, and the things i believe in with the world.
my love for creating started long before i ever imagined having a shop. i can still remember being 7 years old, cutting up an old Fruit of the Loom tank top and coloring it black so i could make a vest to match Hannah Montana. that same energy followed me everywhere.
i took my first sewing class in elementary school, we made a tote bag and two small zipper pouches. i still remember picking out fabric and thread with my mom and feeling the excitement of creating something with my own hands. for my 12th birthday, my mom gifted both of us a Singer Stylist sewing machine, a gift that helped spark years of creativity.
throughout middle school, i learned to sew. pillows, pillowcases, potholders, aprons, pajama pants. i had even made pajama pants for my siblings, which were worn until they were grown out of.
in high school, i still found little ways to make things my own, like hemming my debate skirts and altering my clothes. but high school also introduced me to other forms of creating. engineering taught me how to approach problems differently and turn ideas into something tangible. my years in debate taught me how to use my voice, stand up for what i believe in, advocate for the things that matter to me. both shaped the way i think today.
thrifting, animals, the environment, being the best person i can be are all things that i have always cared deepley about.
i have always tried to make my choices reflect those values, from being vegetarian since fifth grade to caring for the animals who have been part of my life. after high school, i planned to take a gap year and work with a nonprofit monkey sanctuary in Costa Rica. after discovering that the organization was not "all that". . . my plan fell apart.
i stayed in Kansas, worked, and felt lost watching everyone else continue on their paths.
i eventually returned to community college, but at the same time, COVID hit.
deferred admission scholarships disappeared, plans changed again, and i found myself trying to figure out who i was and where i belonged.
that feeling lasted for a while.
in August 2021, i lost a close friend to suicide, and i carried that grief with me.
a few months later, i found the EDM and rave community, and that October began a new chapter of my life.
i have now been part of this community for almost five years, attending hundreds of shows and dozens of festivals.
the people i have met through this community helped me find pieces of myself that i had hidden away.
they gave me a space to be unapologetically myself.
to finally let Kaylan come out.
within my first year of raving, i started making my own outfits.
i cut up old clothes, used fabric scraps from my basement, and created pieces simply because an idea came to me.
it was about expressing myself.
one thing that has always mattered to me is creating pieces that are made to last.
in tandem with making my own outfits, i bought pieces from other creators for shows and festivals.
i have spent a lot of money on garments that i was excited to wear, only to have seams come apart or pieces fall apart after just one use.
that has always bothered me.
clothing is something we put our time, money, and memories into.
a piece that is made for a special moment should be able to hold onto those memories and continue being worn long after that first night.
with VIP Only, i want to create garments with intention, taking the time to think through construction, seams, materials, and details.
i want to repurpose pieces whenever possible and create clothing that is not only unique, but something you can actually trust to last.
every garment deserves care, and every person wearing it deserves something made with that same care.
every garment i make carries a message inside: "you are very important."
every single one of you matters, and i hope my creations can be a reminder of that.
i hope that if my friend were still here, he would be proud of the person i am becoming.
i have struggled with my own mental health, but i want to be someone who brings kindness, support, and light into the world whenever i can.
this shop also has grown from the encouragement of the people around me.
years ago, through the rave community, i met a close friend who creates art.
before she moved to New Zealand, she let me borrow some of her handmade stamps.
experimenting with those stamps reignited my creative spark, and i started collecting supplies, playing, and creating again.
over the years, i have also had the opportunity to work alongside local small businesses, learning embroidery, heat pressing, screen printing, and other creative processes.
i have decorated cakes, worked in a floral shop, and watched my own family create too.
my mom and sister crochet and sell their handmade pieces as a hobby, and my aunt has always been another source of inspiration and support in my creative journey.
she creates through upholstery and glasswork, showing me the beauty of transforming materials and bringing new life to something through art.
now, it feels like it is finally time to share a little piece of myself.
it is about art, storytelling, sustainability, and connection.
every piece is a work in progress, just like me.
even building this website myself has become part of the art. . .
another way to tell the story.
i am committed to using entirely sustainably sourced fabrics and materials, because caring for each other and caring for our planet go hand in hand.
to everyone who has found their way here: thank you for being here.
you are very important.