Supra Endura: Creative Conversations

On Today's episode, I have on the amazing Eva Monheim who is an author, arborist, entrepreneur, and artist. Eva has a background in landscape architecture and along with starting her own landscaping and floral arrange business, has taught at Temple University, the Barnes Arboretum, and is a faculty member at Longwood Gardens. Eva is also a trained green industry professional and teaches businesses and homeowners how to use sustainable management practices to help reach a carbon-neutral environment. I got to sit down with Eva and hear about her amazing career and talk about the release of her first book: Shrubs and Hedges. It was a great conversation and so inspiring, to learn more about Eva and her work check out: https://www.evamonheim.com/

Today we have on the amazingly talented Janell Wysock. Janell is a fashion designer, artist, weaver, and knitter based in Philadelphia. We were both graduates of the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator. Janell was always creative and when she found textile design it opened up a whole new world for her. While she has a one-of-a-kind sustainable fashion and home line, I have been blown away by her installations. I loved her large-scale sustainable woven tapestry all created from scraps of recycled fabric or the 'Color Under the Canopy' installation where she creates brightly knit coverings around the local trees in center city Philadelphia. Janell is also a great teacher and has taught at many prominent art retreats. I loved hearing how she found her way into her craft and her focus on sustainable practices to create textile art.  You can learn more about her at https://www.janellwysock.com/

Today I have on the amazingly talented Jennifer Blauvelt. Jennifer is both the founder and the creator of Location 215, an amazing photo studio and event space but she also runs her own production company: JB Creative Production. I always love a serial entrepreneur and I was blown away by Jennifer's creativity and determination. Jen is a producer, director, and manager of all aspects of advertising and production. in the last 15 years, she has worked on successful campaigns for numerous fashion brands, pharmaceutical companies, and varied commercial clients in the US and overseas. along with running her creative business, Jen is also  a proud Philadelphian, mom, community advocate, volunteer, and teen mentor. We recorded this episode at Location 215 during an amazing askers market she put on. To learn more about Jen and her business please visit: https://www.jbcreativeproductions.com and  https://www.location215philly.com    

Today I was so lucky to meet up with Jenna Pilant of Room Bloom.  Jenna Pilant is a self-professed color-loving interior designer and upholsterer who is doing her part to spread happiness into the world one interior project at a time. Her work has appeared in Darling Magazine, San Diego Home & Garden Lifestyle, and Origin Magazine. We first met at Alt summit in 2020 and I was blown away by her charisma and love of color. I started following her on Instagram and Youtube where I really got to understand her talent and style for home renovation. It was great to talk with Jenna about growing up on a farm, her forays into the acting, and how an upholstery class sparked her passion for creating amazing interiors. Yow can learn more about Jenna Pilant at https://jennapilant.com/

Years ago I stumbled on Franny Lou's Porch. This warm and inviting space was just what I was looking for when I moved back to Philadelphia. Community and activism were welcomed here, and I loved the delicious locally sourced menu. I know I wanted to get the owner and founder Blew Kind on the podcast. Blew Kind  describes herself as a mother, artist, and entrepreneur. She was born and raised in Virginia then moved to Philadelphia for performance school in 2006. She is a lover of the African diaspora, poetry, sustainable business, and bridging gaps between people groups providing safe spaces to explore, deepen, and be healthy. She has owned coffeehouse spaces for a decade and is excited to start more generative and creative businesses. This was such an uplifting conversation and I loved hearing all the amazing projects Blew Kind is involved with.

I had the pleasure to get to sit down with Richmond Tan of Souvenir and talk about creativity. I had seen Richmond around the home office at Anthropologie and always noticed him because he was so stylish. I learned he was the editorial style director at Anthropologie: styling and sculpting some of the most iconic looks for the brand. In our chat, I got to learn about what it was like for Richmond growing up in Guam, working at a vintage shop and discovering his love of fashion and the launch of his ever-changing concept shop Souvenir. Souvenir came from Richmond's love of travel and stories and features curated Pop-up collections and collaborations from cities he has traveled to.   You can find out more at https://www.instagram.com/_s_o_u_v_e_n_i_r_/  

Today I have on the wonderful Christopher Plant. Christopher Plant is a super entrepreneur on a passionate mission to build spaces that facilitate creative interactions and make the world a more curious and engaged community. Christopher has run many businesses, most recently Kismet Cowork and the Radio Kismet Podcast network. We talk about his long career including his years as a set and lighting designer in NYC, his time creating and running GALAPAGOS ART AND PERFORMING SPACE, learning and succeeding in the real estate market and so much more. Christopher and his fabulous team at Radio Kismet just won a 'Best Of Philly' for their namesake podcast. It was so great to sit and chat with Christopher you can learn more about him at https://kismetcowork.com/ or https://radiokismet.com/  

In today's episode, I have on Tara St James, designer and founder of Study New York. In addition to founding her own sustainable brand, she has consulted for both small and large brands and has a broad understanding of sustainable design and supply chain. Most recently Tara worked as Production Coordinator and Research Fellow in the Sustainable Strategies Lab for Pratt's Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator. She has built a sustainable textile library and sourcing service to help the industry find responsible solutions. Tara was super helpful for me when I was living in New York and just starting Supra Endura. It was so great to catch up with her on this episode. To learn more about Tara, you can check her out at http://study-ny.com/ and https://www.resourced.fashion/.

On this episode of Creative Conversations, I get to sit down with poet Steven Kleinman. Steven is a very accomplished writer, and spolier alert: he is also my husband. It was great to do an episode with someone I know and love, and whose process I have gotten to witness over the years. Earlier this year, Steven had his first book of poetry published: 'Life Cycle of A Bear.' Steven's work has appeared in The American Poetry Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, Oversound, The Iowa Review, The Gettysburg Review, Copper Nickel, and numerous other journals. He has been anthologized in The Best American Poetry 2020. He is currently the Director of the Creative Writing Department at the University of the Arts. I loved talking to Steven about how he found his way into writing and how he was able to grow his craft. It is great to hear how his writing evolved and how he continues to work with young poets helping them find their own voice. You can learn more about his poetry at: stevenkleinmanpoetry.com.

Today, I have the amazing Morgan Smith on the podcast. Morgan categorizes herself as a self-taught black female photographer from Philly. Her work focuses on celebrating diverse bodies and capturing and strength of women of all races, sizes, and ages. Her work has been featured in Vanity Fair, The Wall StreetJournal, V magazine, the Atlantic, Essence Nylon, and more. Her work ranges from portraits to nightlife and some stunning concert photos. Along with capturing the moment on her camera, Morgan also styles the shoots: picking models, outfits, props, and landscapes to create these beautiful surreal images. She also loves to take her view behind the scenes and show them how she created the shots. She also curates ‘Time To Pretend', an all-female art show.This started as a small show in Philadelphia and has grown tremendously. It was so great to chat with Morgan and you can check out her work at www.phobymo.com

I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend Diana Khoi Nguyen, award-winning author and multi-media artist. I first met Diana on the book tour of her debut poetry collection: Ghost Of. This book is described as a is a haunting exploration of grief's aftermath, for a sister and a family. As a poet and artist, Dianna continues to excavate her family's history including what it was like for her parents to be refugees of the Vietnam War. I was fascinated by her career path and what lead her to poetry. I enjoyed hearing about mentors who helped to see her potential as a poet and I also loved hearing about how she decided to mix mediums and introduce photos cuts outs into her book to help tell the. It was so great to talk with someone so immensely talented and open to artist expression. To learn more about Diana Khoi Nguyen and to check out her writing visit her website at dianakhoinguyen.com

Today I am thrilled to have on Kiva Motnyk of Thomspon Street Studio. Kiva's studio creates one-of-a-kind textiles and objects in a beautiful, hand-crafted and artistic manner. I have been a fan of the brand for a long time and was so excited to meet with Kiva and learn more about the process. Kiva has a background in fashion design and spent 10 years at Isaac Mizrahi. She left her role there as creative director as she felt she wanted to start her own line and really explore materials and the hand-crafted nature of creating textiles. Through Thompson Street Studio she set up collaborative art shows with other fellow makers. As the Studio evolved, she learned her signature style and continue to play with materials. Along with running the brand, she continues to work on art exhibitions, consult with other brands, and even consults Ellen Degeneres on her home design projects ( so cool!). I was amazed at all she has accomplished and her openness to share. Please check out Kiva's work at www.thompsonstreetstudio.com

Welcome to the launch of the fourth season. I am beyond thrilled to have on my friend Angela McKay of Ohkii Studio.   Angela is a surface pattern designer and illustrator, we met as coworkers and I was instantly in love with her colorful and expressive painting style. Angela's work has been seen everywhere from Gucci campaigns to Elle Decor collaboration and she just launched a printed kids collection for H&M Kids. On the show, Angela talks about growing up in rural Australia, traveling the world, building her voice as an artist, and balancing raising a family while also pursuing her creative goals.   Angela takes time to take us through her creative journey on how she built her brand and how her artwork has evolved. To learn more about Angela, you can check her out at Ohkii Studio's website ohkiistudio.com    

Welcome back to Season Four of the Supra Endura Creative Conversations Podcast. I launched season three at the beginning of the pandemic and it has been crazy to reflect on what a wild year it has been. It felt great to get back into podcasting and getting to hear how my guest creative businesses are going and how the pandemic has affected them. I was so excited to also be working with Radio Kismet this season and am so happy to be a part of their podcast network. I have some amazing guests from Philadelphia and beyond: designers, arts, photographers, writers. I have loved curating these conversations and I hope you will enjoy them as well. Stay tuned, new episodes will be released every other Thursday. 

Welcome to our last episode of Season 3. For this 36Th episode I want to switch it up a bit and both take you inside my own business along with talking shop with Nicole Haddad of Lobo Mau on what it is like running a small business in the pandemic. I have been working on some initiatives within my own brand along with being in a reflective period of what it is like being a solo entrepreneur. This episode I talk about what it is like to launch a new product. I take you inside the process and thinking behind what it takes to bring a new product to market. A few years ago I fell in love with beeswax wraps and I wanted to find a way to make them with Supra Endura prints. I take you on my journey of sourcing, figuring out digital marketing and what it is like to enter a new product category: Kitchenware. Being an entrepreneur is such a thrilling/ terrifying experience and I wanted to impart some of the knowledge I have learned along the way.  Next, I digitally sit down with Nicole Haddad of Lobo Mau. Nicole is a close friend and a central figure in the Philadelphia independent fashion scene. I wanted to get her take on the pandemic and what she is doing. It was great to hear what has been working for her and where she had to pivot. I also love her positivity, it is what we need right now.  I hope you find this episode refreshing and real. And if anything I hope it is useful to you on your own creative journey! :)

For this weeks podcast I got to digitally sit down with Conrad Benner of the Streets Dept. This was an amazing and full conversations and I got to learn about how Conrad started his blog and how it grew into a platform to promote local artists and a tool for social change. Conrad is Philly native who started his blog just as a passion project but soon found himself forming relationships with the Philadelphia's prominent streets artist. As the years went on his blog grew in popularity and eventually he was able to focus on it full time. Benner was interested in finding ways that his platform could both be a part of the larger conversation about art in a public space and affect social change. He has worked on various projects like: #AmICutOut, a pop-up art installation created with Covenant House Pennsylvania to help raise awareness and money to end youth homelessness in Philadelphia, and Signs of Solidarity, an inauguration day public art protest in opposition to hate and in protest of any and all that embolden divisiveness. Conrad has also started his own podcast where he sits down with the creative minds shaping Philadelphia and beyond. He talks to everyone from street artist to local politicians and for the last season he was able to take the podcast on the road. I love his interview style and along with the local leaders he has interviewed. We ended the episode with me in full amazement of what Conrad has achieved so far and excited for his next projects.

am so excited for todays episode for Zen of Fason De Viv. Zen was born in Haiti and grew up in West Philly to entrepreneur parents. Zen eventually found her way into retail and eventually launched her own store/ online shop. She talked about being a single mom and deciding to go all in on her dream of creating a lifestyle brand and a future for her family. I originally met her when she had her shop in Old City and I loved it. She had a great mix of independent brands and works to showcase makers from all around the world. Zen is also deeply interested in community and works to help mentor minority owned business on how to thrive in the growing marketplace. It was great to hear how she has grown and how she continued to help fostering the community through mentorships and non-profits her and her family have set up.

We have an amazing guest on: Judy Wicks! I have been wanted to get Judy on for a while and I am so excited to have her! For those of you who don't know Judy Wicks is an author, activist and entrepreneur. Judy founded Philadelphia’s iconic White Dog Cafe in 1983. She was also a pioneer in the farm to table movement and a model in sustainable business practices. She has gone on to found Fair Food Philly, the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia and, nationwide, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. With her All Together Now project she is connecting Pennsylvania’s rural agricultural community with the urban communities to build a sustainable and resilient regional economy. Judy's principles of sustainable business practice started when she spent a year working and living in an Eskimo village and seeing how the indigenous population shared and supported each other. After that she and her former husband started the first Free People store, which was the beginning of what we now know as Urban Outfitters. She then started in the restaurant business and went on to open the famous White Dog Cafe. What I love about this interview is Judy really gives us a history of important parts of Philadelphia's culture. She went on to publish her autobiography: Good Morning Beautiful business all about her entrepreneurial journey and how to build a new compassionate economy that works with the planet. Judy is still deeply involved in the community and fighting social injustice, she recently when to DC to march in Jane Fonda’s fire drill Friday's and has been supporting and protesting with Black Lives Matter movement. It was great to talk to her and hear about how she figured out all of these things.

Today I want to bring you an episode with 2 friends of mine who are deeply creative and married, yes married. I have long been interested in creative couples who work in different mediums and them coming together to create something sublime. Our guest today are Issacs Tin Wei Lin and Melissa Choi. I knew Melissa from the fashion community when she cofounded the line Senpai Kohai with pas guest Pia Panaligan. Melissa has worked in many parts of the fashion industry as a designer, artist, stylist and more. She is a perennially creative person who always has an amazing sense of style and always a few different creative projects she is working on. Isaac tin Wei Lin is an artist who’s graphic and abstract paintings are buzzing with details of calligraphic, brushed and hand-drawn patterns. His work has appeared in a number of galleries and museum’s such as the Philadelphia Art Museum, Berkeley art museum and Fleisher Ollman Gallery. Earlier this year they decided to embark on creating a clothing line together: Choi Lin, this featured the artwork of Issacs and design sensibility of Melissa. The result is dazzling: pops of colors and buzzy prints along with a few beautifully hand sequins cartoon cats. They launched the collection with a pop up and art installation at the Room Shop Vintage studio in Philly and then did an installation and pop up in Tokyo. I am so happy to get to chat with them about their own art practices along with what it was like coming together and working on this.

I got to digitally sit down with Manpreet Kalra of the Art Of Citizenry. Manpreet is a digital marketing expert, social activist, and speaker. She launched Art of Citizenry to coach conscious businesses on how to maximize their impact through business development, branding, and strategic marketing. She has a background in venture capitol and start- ups and wanted to use what she learned in those industries to help small businesses interested in social impact. We had some really interesting talked about cultural humility and how companies in the ‘do-good’ space have to continual check in to make sure they are actually solving issues instead of creating them. Also a very fun fact: Manpreet anonymously launched and ran the first every digital lifestyle magazine for South Asian women: Kaurista. Kaurista was dedicated to creating a space where individuals from every walk of life are invited, encouraged, and challenged to speak their mind on topics that matter to them and their unique experiences. She did all this while still in college! Even as a college student she saw this viewpoint missing in the public space and wanted to explore these issues that were not being talked about in traditional media. If you have not gleaned this yet, Manpreet is super passionate, hardworking and looking to explore avenues of social impact. I loved our conversation and hope you will as well.

Today I wanted to bring you a really fresh conversation, I am so excited for my guest Jennifer Mota. Jennifer Mota is a Dominican-American Multimedia Journalist who focuses on topics relating to music, fashion, Latinx identity, and Afro-Latinidad. She got her start at People Chica and now writes for Tidal, Vibe, People Espanol, Hip Latina and many more online outlets. She also spearheaded the Urbano and Afro-LatinX stories during her time at people Chica and now has become the unofficial expert on Dominican Dembow. Jennifer is also deeply passionate about fashion. I met her while she was an intern at the Philadelphia fashion Incubator and saw immediately that she had a great sense of style and was deeply curious. I have loved following Jennifers personal style and see her as an influencer in Philadelphia fashion and music scene. Along with styling local artist she also had her own line of bathing suits which she makes all by herself. She is just at the beginning of her career but already has accomplished so much. I wanted to bring her on as I feel she has a very fresh perspective of figuring out your passion and I love sharing with you the route that she took.

I have an amazingly inspiring women on: Dylan Garner who is the creative director of Cohere and helps run the Philadelphia chapter of Ladies Wine & Design. The first things I want to say about Dylan is she is incredibly warm, she is the kind of person who wants everyone to feel welcome and that is an amazing quality. She is the creative director of one of my favorite creative agencies in Philly: Cohere and her linked in profile job description she writes: branding cultures and cities. Along with helping to craft some of the most iconic venues in Philadelphia and other cities, she helps to run Ladies Wine & Design which is an amazing national organization that connect women designers. I have been to a few of their events and just find it is a great place to connect and share. The LWD events really helps to bring the creative community together. We Definity nerded out on design things and she introduced me to the term Arthlete, which I am totally going to use in the future.

I was fortunate enough to digitally sit down with Em Sexton and talk about her extraordinary life and what she has learned along the way. I met Em a month ago at Alt Summit, her talk was radiating and I felt like it gave me the tools to tackle some of the bigger problems I was facing in my business. What I have always loved about her is she is both hugely successful but also open about her vulnerabilities. Em had found great success in banking and was one of the youngest VPs in her company, but she felt the urge to do something bigger. On her 30th birthday she left her job and began to create the Flourish Market: A one-of-a-kind shop that curates products with a bigger purpose. Em works with brands from all over the world that providing dignified jobs and fair wages to artisans in vulnerable communities. Along with running her super successful boutique, Em has also created a co-working space, incubator program and runs classes to help women step into their power. Her energy is contagious and she deeply believes we all have the power to go after and achieve the life we want. It was such a pleasure to chat her and get her advice on what we can do to get through these hard times.

Hi guys welcome to the 1st episode of the third season. On today’s episode I got to sit down with Hillary Super, the president of Anthropologie. I got to chat with Hillary about her career working in the fashion industry and how she grew to become one of the few female presidents of a major America brand. It was great to hear what she learned working in both the corporate and start-up world and how that influenced her thinking and leadership. We got to chat about her exciting initiative at Anthropologie to launch the plus size collection and have a larger conversation about exclusivity in fashion. I have deeply appreciated her candor and openness about being in a role of power and influence.

I was so deeply honored to get to do a live podcast interview with Carmen Maria Machado at the University Of The Arts. I was deeply moved by Carmen's first book: Her Body and Other Parties, and wanted to talk craft and what her journey to becoming an award-winning author was like. Carmen recently published her second book, a memoir called In the Dream House. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the Bard Fiction Prize, the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, the Brooklyn Public Library Literature Prize, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Prize. Carmen was a joy to chat with and I left feeling very inspired.

Welcome to our mid-season teaser. We recorded this episode live as part of Design Philadelphia. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dora Cuenca, an amazing painter, and muralist. We chatted about Dora's vibrant childhood in Costa Rica. Dora took us inside her art-making and how it has helped her to process painful events. She shares what it has been like translating her art into large scale murals. We also talk about balance with creative life and family, Dora is the mother to three kids and shares how her kids have inspired her art.

I met Elena Brennan five years ago when I was just starting my own business. I was just beginning to understand the retail landscape and starting to think about brand identity, marketing, sales and everything else a fashion startup thinks about obsessively. I was a part of the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator and Elena came to talk with us about how she started BUS STOP. She was warm and welcoming; opening up to us about the initial years when she launched BUS STOP. I was in awe of how she just jumped into running a boutique but quickly learned how to create a shopping experience that resonated with her clients. Over the years I have watched BUS STOP grow and am so excited to see Elena design her own collection with BUS STOP X. I loved sitting down to chat with Elena about how she followed her dreams and started her beloved shoe store.

Today we have Melissa Hall, founder of The Emerging Designer and a brand strategy consultant. Melissa started her platform in 2012 after working with a variety of entrepreneurs and realized the opportunity for exposure, education and meaningful connections in the industry. Over the years I have found the Emerging Designer to be an essential resource for navigating how to run my brand. I met Melissa in 2014 when she visited the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator. She gave me great insight into my brand and we have kept in touch over the years. Melissa has worked on some pretty impressive projects like consulting with Design Entrepreneurs NYC, a mini-MBA program for top NYC emerging fashion companies. I got to visit her this summer and catch up on all the new projects she is working on.

Maria Piessis wears many hats. She is a photographer, graphic artist, art director, and set designer. She currently lives in Paris but I met her years ago when we were both living in New York City. Her work has appeared in Tidal Magazine, Stylist Magazine. To read the full article and pictures and links check out:https://www.supraendura.com/blogs/news

This week we have the incredibly talented Allie Pearce. Allie is many things, she is a costume designer and stylist and has worked on various projects such as styling music videos for Japanese Breakfast, TV on The Radio and Mannequin Pussy, she has worked on series for refinery 29 and she is currently a costume designer on SNL. But that’s not all folks. She also is the designer and creative director behind her own line: Pearce. Allie is very interested in sustainability, natural fabrics, and zero waste. She has some amazing pieces that are very versatile and gender neutral. We got to talking about her path and how she found her way into her many professions.

Happy fourth of July and welcome to this week's episode of Creative Conversations Podcast! I am very excited to have Bonkosi Horn on today. Bonkosi has just opened up Freedom Apothecary with her business partner Morrissa Jenkins. Freedom is a clean beauty + wellness + self-care boutique. Bonkosi wanted to create an inclusive space and support women-owned businesses. I have been following the launch of this business and I am so excited about this space and really love the thoughtfulness they have put into the design. I met Bonkosi a few years back when she was involved in the inception of the Local, a Lululemon concept store that focused and featured local Philadelphia brands. This has been an amazing space and has hosted many thought-provoking events. I was so excited to sit with Bonkosi and talk about her experience and what really lead her into creating these transformative and immersive spaces.

This week on the show I have Nicole Rossi of Texture Florals. Nicole told me she was an architect turned floral designer and I was instantly intrigued. I learned about how Nicole first foray into florals with the FLWRY, a subscription-based floral CSA. After leaving architecture she decided to delve into florals for good and creates one-of-a-kind floral arrangements and installations. For photos, links and more on this episode check out https://www.supraendura.com/blogs/news

We are so excited this week to have Angela Monaco on the show. We met a few years back at the Rad Girls awards, we were actually both nominated for 'Designer of The Year'. Neither of us won, but we got to chatting and I started to follow her brand. It was so great to hear about the evolution of her line and the curated and collaborative experience she has created with Ritual Shoppe. To get the full show notes, photos and links visit: https://www.supraendura.com/blogs/news

We have a great episode this week I got to talking with Jestis Deuerlein, of Done and Dusted. I happened upon the Done and Dusted studio one day at the Bok building and was blown away by their one-of-a-kind dusted backdrops. Done and Dusted specializes in creating custom photo shoot backdrops, wall finishes for retail environments and set design and construction. They have worked with some big clients like Anthropologie, free people, and Ikea, but they have also done some really cool collaborations with local photographers and designers. It was great to talk with Jestes about her business and brand and her love of creating spaces.

This week we have an amazing artist, craftsman and serial entrepreneur: Daniel “Rickard Guy” Mcrorie. Dan grew up in Winnipeg Manitoba and from an early age, he was making T-shirts and repairing his shoes. He began working as a cobbler and then built and ran his own shoe repair and custom leather shop, which he ran all by himself. He, later on, moved to Brooklyn where along with running his own business he co-founded Knickerbocker Manufacturing. Along with being a craftsman, Dan is also an artist, his work has appeared in Vogue and Atlas Quarterly and he recently gave a talk at the MoMA during the ‘is fashion Modern exhibition. With all these amazing accomplishments Dan is an incredibly approachable and generous. I love picking his brain about manufacturing because he knows so much! I loved our talk about the ins and outs of running a business along with honing your craft.

Elissa Bloom is a powerhouse in her own right. I know her personally, as she was my director when I was a part of the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator. PFI really helped me learn more about the business side of the fashion industry and Elissa was a great mentor to myself and many of the other designers who have gone through the program. Before the PFI Elissa launched and ran her own accessories business. It was great to sit down with her and talk about all she has done and learn about what it takes to make it as a fashion designer.

This week I sat down with the amazing Antoinette Marie Johnson, creator and founder of Cohere, a creative agency that specializes in cohesive storytelling in real estate, food, and hospitality. She has helmed remarkable projects such as the revitalization of 990 Spring Garden in Philadelphia, the Baltimore Harbor Market, and recently has branded a major initiative to increase food sustainability. What blew me away was that the inception of Cohere came out of a turbulent time. Johnson’s story is a story of perseverance, of hard work, and of success. She is a Philadelphia native, an urban planner, a creative, and a woman I very much admire. It was great to talk with her about her journey and passion. She has both grit and grace and a passion for sustainability.

Welcome to the second season of the Supra Endura creative conversations podcast. We are so excited to kick this season off with a conversation with artist Carla Weeks. I got to visit Carla in her studio and learn about how she found her way into her craft. Carla’s artwork ranges from painting to murals to textiles. She has a deep understanding of color and shape and layers her motifs to make a cohesive collection. She works in her studio in west Philly her doggy Aggy, but also loves to travel and finds inspiration in the natural world.

Welcome back to another solo episode with me, host Gabrielle Mandel. I talk about what I learned in the next five years working in the fashion industry. With my budding startup, Supra Endura, I applied and got accepted to the fashion business accelerator the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator. I go over what I learned and how I managed to grow my business as a solo entrepreneur. I also started to work for Urban Outfitters and began to teach at Made Institute. I talk about what it was like pitching and then executing collaborations with Urban Outfitters and The Wistar Institute. In 2017 I got offered a full-time design role on Anthropologie’s Home textile team and I talk about how I balance my full-time work with running my business. The episode is full of great creative business take aways and what it is like to really work in the Fashion Industry.

Welcome to my first solo episode of Supra Endura: Creative Conversation. In this episode, I talk about my first five years of working in the fashion industry. After graduating at the height of the recession, I moved to New York with just an internship and a sublet. I chronicle what it was like working as a design associate at J. Crew, a technical jewelry designer at Rebecca Minkoff and my crazy freelance gig working for the Nicki Minaj and Adam Levine line for Kmart. I also talk about the beginning of Supra Endura. I want to share all that I have learned working in this crazy and fascinating industry. Spoiler alert, I quit 2 jobs with nothing lined up. While it felt crazy at the time, I knew I was unhappy and I trusted myself enough that I would figure it out. Each job I had taught me a new set of skills and strengthened my work as a designer. One of my first jobs ( it was part-time, but I am counting it!) was working for an independent designer who was a solo entrepreneur. Working with her really helped me understand how I could one day run my own business. It was great sharing this and reminiscing, I hope there are some helpful tidbits to help you with your own creative adventures.

We have finally wrapped up the first season of Creative Conversation and have started to do work on the second. This is a short reflection of what I have learned so far along with giving you an inside peek on what is to come.

This week we are so thrilled to have Naomi Stein of Design Manifest on the show. Naomi has an amazing design sense and makes every interior design project she works on picture perfect. Her style fuses modern and glamour with a hint of bohemian. When I first met Naomi, I was fascinated by the fact that she is self-taught. She joined her father’s contracting business, learned the ropes, and eventually began doing interior design projects. She helped grow the business into what it is today, and is seen as a tastemaker in the greater Philadelphia community. I loved hearing about her journey and what she learned along the way.

This week we have on DC Boyd of Neutral States Clothing. Neutral States Clothing was born out of a desire to see knit and woven fabric come together in one garment. The main goal of Neutral States is to bring knits and wovens to a neutral zone where they can coexist together in a beautiful and complimentary way. DC designed and creates all clothing and accessories in Philadelphia who has been hand knitting for fourteen years. She is also the proud mother of two.

My guest today is my good friend Pia Panaligan. Pia has worked in a lot of different spaces within the creative community: designing, styling, art directing and producing. We got to talking about her career and launching her collection Senpai + Kohai which she ran with Melissa Choi. Along with working full time as a stylist, Pia decided to launch Humanitas Movement. With Humanitas Movement She has been putting together a diverse range of thoughtful events and talks focused on social impact. She has culled some of Philadelphia's coolest designers, makers, and collectors and wants to give them a platform to talk about complex ideas within the industry. It was so much fun to wit with her and talk about her journey.

This week we are so excited to have the multi-faceted Tim Eads on the show. Tim Eads has worked as a graphic designer, art instructor, master printer, and artist for over 20 years. He was a Master Printer and Project Manager at The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia from 2009-2015 and he’s called Philly home ever since. He currently works with talented artisans in his low-waste, sustainable workshop to bring his vibrant designs to life. I delved into his latest project of creating abstract wall art that he creates with tufting guns. It was an amazing conversation about how you can continue to evolve as an artist.

This week I am so excited to bring you a conversation with my close friend Ivy Thompson, designer and creative director of Visantine Collective. I met Ivy while we were both living in NYC. At the time, Ivy was dreaming about starting her own line, and I was at my first job in the industry and could not fathom going out on my own. Through the years we have become close friends and fashion business confidant. Ivy took some time to travel the world and work with indigenous artisans in both Peru and Indonesia. It is fascinating to hear what she has learned about the process of creating and her commitment to sustainable clothing. I admire her ambition and rethinking of what the fashion industry should be. I was so happy to get to sit down and do this interview. Ivy has so many great stories and insights and I wanted to share all these gems with you, my listeners.

This week we have Collen Wyse on the show to talk about her business the Philadelphia Trunk Show. Colleen is one of the sincerest people I know, and she has really made it her mission to champion small, local designers. She hosts one-of-a-kind selling events that are also mini fashion shows and video presentations where she introduces influential Philadelphian’s to up and coming designers. I have gotten the chance to watch the magical experience Colleen creates. Before this Colleen worked at Vogue, In Style, and W Magazine and took those experiences and used them when she started her own small business. I also love this because Colleen demonstrates that you don’t have to stay in one lane, she has experienced so much in her life and each job got her to a new opportunity. I really loved sitting with her and talking about her evolution and all she learned along the way.

This week we sat down with Nicole Haddad, founder and creator of Lobo Mau. Along with running her own business, Nicole has been an instrumental part in nurturing the Philadelphia design community. Whenever I step into the Lobo Mau studio I know I am going to see great friends, amazing hand-pressed screen prints and an exchange of ideas on how to excite the customer about clothes made locally in Philly. Nicole has been running her brand for over 10 years and is very committed to slow fashion. Over the last year, it has been exciting to watch Nicole’s brother, Jordan Haddad join the business and watch how this brother and sister team continues to grow and evolve their business I got to chatting with Nicole and I am so excited to share this exchange.

Before I ever met Alana Oates, I was dazzled by her shoe collection: Llani Shoes. Some of my favorites from her collection are delicately embroidered slip-ons or shearling and cheetah haircalf moccasins that look so comfortable. Meeting her was also an absolute delight. Before launching her own line, Alana worked for some big brands where she learned how to design, how to work with vendors and how to create something her customers would love. She launched Llani with a Kickstarter and then grew the brand from there. It was great to hear how she figured it out and how much she values the relationship she has created with the craftsmen and women who create her shoes.

This week we got to talking with Rachel Ford, founder, and creator of Made Institute. Made started as a way for Rachel to teach sewing lessons out of her apartment and has grown into a full-fledged institute and working fashion studio. We chat about Rachel’s experience working in the fashion industry and her time learning couture techniques at the Philadelphia Opera. What drove Rachel to create Made Institute is her love of the craft of sewing and a desire to revitalize the independent designer scene in Philly. Rachel is so warm and giving and it is great to talk with her about her inspiring journey.

We sat down with Veronica Miller Jamison and got to talking about her art and how she found her way into her career as an illustrator. As a kid, Veronica was always drawing but just saw this as a hobby. She pursued a degree in journalism and ended up landed her first job at NPR. While working, Veronica realized she wanted to pursue fashion. She decided to pivot and went back to school for fashion design. It was during her graduate program, Veronica realized she actually just wanted to draw. She landed her first big client while still in her fashion grad program. After that Veronica really started to grow her business as an illustrator and has worked with some big clients: Hallmark, Marie Claire, and Bloomingdales. In 2019 she will have her first illustrated children's book out. Veronica also teaches at Drexel University and Made Institute. We got to chatting about creativity and how to grow your brand as an artist.