Check Out Sofya Gneusheva’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sofya Gneusheva.

Hi Sofya, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I honestly can’t pinpoint exactly how I started. My life has always been creative in one way or another. I just never realized that this way of existing was not everyone’s experience. I guess now I can say that my main focus is making elaborate clothing pieces and costumes, but there’s a lot more to it.

I used to draw, paint, and sculpt a lot. Constantly played in Photoshop. I also loved dancing and putting on shows for my friends and family. Coming from a family of women who grew up in the USSR, we all knew how to sew, knit, crochet, embroider, tailor our clothes, and so on. Even with little to no money, we had our ways of making old shirts into “designer” pieces. That rule applied to pretty much anything in our home.

After our move to the U.S., two art schools, a Graphic Design degree, a restless mind full of vivid ideas, and a slight frustration with how hard it is to find sustainable and quality products, I started making a lot of things myself.

I really wanted to work a big, exciting creative position. Finding one that I liked seemed impossible, and I was getting restless, losing sleep over all the visions for films, photoshoots, and artworks that I had no real outlet for. So while life was getting harder, I decided to move to Atlanta and just put all my efforts into making art into a career. Since I had no money, I basically put myself through fashion school at home and took any opportunity to create unique, custom pieces for anyone who asked. Some projects took months. I did photoshoots by myself in this tiny space with nothing but a ring light, edited them, and posted them online just to put a checkmark on my to-do list.

Turning old clothes into something new was somewhat therapeutic, regenerative in a way. Now most of my closet is custom-made. A few of my favorite pieces are out there in the world. I occasionally take orders if it fits the schedule, and it almost never does. But I try my best because it makes me so happy to help people feel comfortable and beautiful in their clothes. I have been coming back to dance for the past year, so most of my projects now are costumes for bellydance, samba, and fusion styles.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a smooth road only in the sense that it’s rewarding. I am satisfied and proud of my work more and more with every new challenge. Sometimes it doesn’t feel real to look back at what I’ve made. How did my brain even think of that? And then convince me to finish it within one week? That willpower is crazy.

Other than that, nothing about being a creative is easy. If you really, really love what you do, you can’t help but dedicate yourself to a very strange lifestyle. Especially the very beginning stages of constantly failing and wasting resources you didn’t really have. Working a 9-5, then coming home just to spend the next 7 hours poking yourself with sewing pins and hand-gathering fabrics until you’re blue. Then spending your weekend editing photoshoots. Just for a chance to build something bigger for yourself or, hopefully, inspire others.

I had a college professor once who told me something along these lines: “If you want to be good at something, prepare to cancel on your friends a lot and spend a lot of nights working by yourself”. In all honesty, he was right. You just learn how to find the balance and a good YouTube rabbit hole for background noise. Or better yet, find friends who can parallel play.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I really hate wasting materials… and money. So I keep a lot of scraps, fabrics, other people’s clothes, weird trinkets, wires, “trash”, etc., because I turn it all into one-of-a-kind pieces. Sometimes I take garments apart and make new, improved ones. Something that looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. I like using unique materials that make garments stand out. What I make is perfect for special occasions, nights out, performances, or you just actually wearing what you want. Who cares? The potential is limitless and I find that really exciting.

Comfort, proper fit, and durability are also crucial. The whole reason why I handmake garments is because I want people to buy a piece knowing that plenty of thought went into it, unlike mainstream online stores. There’s nothing better than a dress or shirt that serves you for decades, and you brag about it just the same as the first day you bought it. It trains people to be more mindful and appreciative of what they have. Thank god someone did their research on proper stitching and materials, so you don’t have to hot-glue it later in a panic.

I guess what sets me apart is the fact that I am delusionally convinced that anything is possible and all skills are learnable. I love knowing how things are made from zero, why, and the cultural context behind them. “I’ll do it myself” was one of my first and favorite phrases when I started talking. It clearly followed me.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
There’s one thing that helps me in both work and life: travel videos on YouTube. It’s really great for cultural education and just good at giving you ideas of what to research next. And it is obviously helpful at reminding you that there’s always something to strive for and there’s a whole world out there to explore. I play nature sounds quite often too. It definitely helps to disassociate from reality in a positive way when you live in the city.

I consume a lot of audio media, so out of podcasts I’ll just recommend “Design Better”. It’s a great insight into the thinking process of people who take art and user experience very seriously. And I’ll also encourage you to listen to more experimental music. Good for getting out of the comfort zone occasionally.

Contact Info:

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