Meet Irene Camerino

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Irene Camerino a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Irene, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

It’s really a challenge to keep my creativity alive while also balancing a career, family, and community involvement. In high school, I wanted to be a fashion designer but the realist in me recognized that the world of fashion is very fickle. I like eating on a regular basis so I got a degree in Marketing with a minor in Fashion Merchandising instead.

In my 30’s and well into my pharmaceutical sales career, I realized that for my own mental health, I needed to nurture my creativity so I started collecting vintage Japanese textiles. That love of textiles and sustainability morphed into me upcycling them into modern clothing, accessories, and home decor so I could save these beautiful works of art from ending up in the landfill. In my free time, I deconstruct vintage kimono and obi; design, and sew the final product. I find the whole creative process very therapeutic in this fast paced world where everyone wants instant gratification. Sometimes the journey is more fulfilling than the actual project completion. My side business “Irene’s Originals” funds my buying trips to Japan and I’ve met so many like minded sustainable fiber artists and customers who also love the clean Japanese aesthetic. In my late 30’s, I joined the Sacramento Collective for the Textile Arts and found my tribe. I am the incoming President and hope to support the next generation of fiber artists so they can make it a career.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Right now I am straddling 2 worlds: Corporate America and my side gig: Irene’s Original. My day job is in Pharmaceutical Sales covering Long Term Care/ Skilled Nursing Facilities in Nor Ca. I am also the Regional Trainer/ Mentor for the West Region. When I am not working, I am creating or volunteering. I am a doer and when I see a need, I step up and help. Unfortunately, that means I end up on multiple projects and leadership roles; and my calendar books several months in advance.

I am blessed that my husband manages Irene’s Original leaving me to focus on designing and creating. Each item I create is made from vintage Japanese textiles and is one of a kind. I deconstruct kimono and obi, cutting out damaged areas caused by soy sauce stains, insects, and fading. The garment or accessory I ultimately design is based on what usable yardage is left and often pieced together. My clothing styles are simple classical designs. What makes my garments pop are the uniquely Japanese textiles which use Shibori, Yuzen Resist Dyeing, Ikat/ Kasuri, embroidery, and often include silver/ gold leaf embellishments.

I would like to retire from sales in 5 years and focus 100% on my art and on making the Sacramento Collective for the Textile Arts (SCTA) the gateway into our local fiber arts community and provide a nurturing and learning environment for everyone. I’d also like to teach classes and expand into doing textile tours (as I also love to travel). I typically have booths at Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, San Jose Nikkei Matsuri Festivals, SCTA’s Art to Wear & More Show in Sacramento, and Kimochi Silver Bells in San Francisco. My last show this year is Kimochi Silver Bells on December 15, 2024 at St Mary’s Cathedral in SF so if you are in the area, please stop by and say hi.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Curiosity, Authenticity, Perseverance

I am naturally a curious person. I love people and learning and ask lots of questions. I learned to sew because I wanted to be in fashion but have never take a formal class. I am self taught and learned by reading patterns and books and lots of trial and error. (YouTube would have been very helpful in the 1980’s!). I love to know the why – so I do lots of research on the various weaving and dyeing techniques, explore new sewing approaches, and ask experts for help. My first job in high school was at New York Fabrics in Fremont, CA. In addition to the 20% employee discount, another awesome benefit was the opportunity to sew model garments. Our store merchandiser would choose the newest patterns and fabrics to showcase; and the store would provide all the materials to create the garment. Employees sewed the garments; and after it had been displayed for 3-6 months, it was ours to keep. For a high school fashionista, that’s all it took to get me hooked on sewing and designing.

Becoming my authentic self was a long journey. I felt like a square peg being forced into a round hole. It took me 3 years to learn how to breathe correctly again because the corporate world had stressed me out so badly. But once I learned to relax, find my happy place and let my creative mind wander, the real me came out and it turns out she is a pretty neat person. Having perseverance is also helpful. I keep practicing until I master a sewing technique. Now the time from original design concept to first prototype and then final product is much shorter.

Find your creative passion. Take classes. Join a group of like minded artists. Keep working on improving your skills. Your journey will have some bumps, some quick turns, some circular routes, and some dead ends but I guarantee that if you stick with it, there will be lots of laughter and inspiration and you will meet many like minded souls along the way.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

My parents taught me the value of education, hard work and perseverance. I am a first generation Filipino-Japanese immigrant. My Filipino father enlisted in the U.S Navy for a chance to provide more opportunities for his 3 daughters. My Japanese/Filipino mother was unique in that she had a business degree and worked at a time when most women were stay-at-home moms. She was adamant that all her daughters complete college and we all worked during college to help pay bills. My dad ultimately lived the American Dream: earned his own college degree, rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer, bought his home and 2 cars, and saw his 3 daughters & 1 granddaughter graduate from college (other 2 grandchildren are still in college). Both of them role modeled the importance of education, hard work and perseverance and helped me be the person I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.camerinoart.com
• Instagram: irenes_original
• Facebook: Irene’s Original
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irenecamerino

Image Credits

Edwin Camerino