Gallery • 4 Photos

Luluscloset

Buying custom fashion items is made easy by senior Lulu Atra.

Over quarantine, Atra wanted to get in touch with her creative side of sewing and designing.

“I’ve always liked fashion since I was a kid,” Atra said. “When quarantine came I had nothing else to do, so I decided to get back in it. I [also] started to paint shoes for people because I saw it on TikTok.”

Atra learned to sew by teaching herself and experimenting with patterns.

“My grandma taught me a little bit when I was a kid, but I mostly taught myself how to use a sewing machine through YouTube,” Atra said. “I took one class in middle school for sewing, but that was pretty much it.”

Atra made an Instagram account called Luluscloset. Her inspiration to start her account came from her passion for making clothes and continued with the support from others.

“I started making a couple things for myself, and my family kept telling me how good it was and how it would sell easily,” Atra said. “I figured if I did it through Instagram, I could get a lot of people from our school to buy from me.”

There are a variety of items to buy on the account, and Atra also takes custom orders.

“I paint shoes like Nike Air Forces and Vans; I [also] did a couple of shoes for little kids,” Atra said. “My second most popular [items] are the hoodies. I do a lot of customs like half of it is tie dyed, and then it has gems on the Adidas logo.”

The things Atra creates are inspired by old fabric laying around or clothes she likes.

“For summer I like to wear crop tees, so I could use that as an inspiration, and then I will go on Pinterest or I make my own designs,” Atra said. “I think of what would look good with my new pair of jeans that I bought or something like that.”

After high school Atra plans on continuing with her creativity and love for fashion.

“I’m double majoring in fashion and design,” Atra said. “I’m going to two different programs, but they’re going to link together at the end of the day.”

Her Instagram account is only used for fun, but she does want to have her own business one day.

“I want to open up my own boutique where I make my own clothes or an online business,” Atra said. “I also want to work in higher industries and have my stuff in department stores like Nordstrom.”

Atra’s business has impacted her in a positive way, and she is happy when she gets returning clients.

“I made a pretty decent amount of money from that account,” Atra said. “From just one client that I had, I got five other clients right after from people she knew. It’s pretty cool to see that people actually like the things I make.”

Atra said she has to be consistent with the account so her followers will engage.

“Something I’ve learned [from my account] is time management and how much effort it really takes to run your own business,” Atra said. “The more time I put into the account, the more followers [I get,] and more people come to purchase things.”

Gallery • 3 Photos

peytansjewelry

Quarantine wasn’t a time where people were busy and occupied with their usual activities, instead they were cooped up in their homes and neighborhoods.

Junior Peytan James decided to make the most of the extra time she had on her hands by creating an account for the jewelry she crafted.

“I started it over quarantine because I needed an opportunity to make extra money,” James said. “I started the account then, and I’d started ordering the supplies and everything about a week before.”

James’ profitable account, called peytansjewelry, features mostly jewelry. However, she decided to use her platform in other ways, as well.

“I’ve mainly done just jewelry, but a couple days ago I did post something about me selling a couple items of clothes I have,” she said. “My main priority is just focusing on jewelry and eventually [add] something like necklaces or bracelets that I’ll make.”

With the boredom that quarantine brought, James found jewelry-making to be an interest that kept her occupied and taught her more about the world of business.

“It was very difficult to find something to do,” she said. “I really had to learn the skills of purchasing products — making a profit and not buying too much.”

Not only did this account create an outlet for her, but it also brought her the joy of watching people receive her creations.

“I [love] watching people’s reactions whenever I deliver or they pick it up,” James said. “They’re always like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is so cute. It looks so much better in-person.’ It just makes me smile. It makes me feel like I’m doing something right.”

While the jewelry has solely been made by her,  James said she has received help from others in different ways.

“There’s been a couple times where I’ve had someone come do deliveries with me, but that’s it,” she said. “Everything else has just been individually based.”

Even though she is interested in the art of fashion, she has decided not to take the fashion class in school. According to James, her business will stay small for now.

“I don’t plan on taking it because I’m sure I already have all my credits for arts and engineering,” she said.

James is not entirely sure if this hobby is something that she would like to continue into her future; however, she has put some thought into it.

“It just started off as a small business and something for me to do and make some extra money on,” James said. “It really depends because life is long. You never know what’s going to happen.”