We were lucky to catch up with Sara Collazo Romay recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sara, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic definitely comes from my family. I grew up watching the members of my family work hard to build their own businesses. My uncle and aunt owned a language school. My grandparents owned a restaurant and my dad owned a newspaper stand right across the street. My childhood was spent crossing the street between one business and the other, hanging out in the kitchen with my grandma or reading fashion magazines sitting on the stand’s floor. I watched my family work long hours and most days of the year, for a while I thought I didn’t want that life, but it turns out there is a sense of freedom, purpose, and agency that comes with owning your own business that I think I was primed to gravitate towards. It drives everything I do and I think it is what I was always destined to do.
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?
I am a weaver and textile designer based in Kingston, NY. I started La Pequeña, my handwoven textile brand in an effort to reconnect with every step of the creative process after working as a designer for a fast fashion company for years. I now have ownership of the full process: from designing, to making a warp, weaving and sewing each of my textiles by hand – using ancient weaving techniques with a contemporary sensibility to create timeless and functional pieces that will elevate any space.
La Pequeña (meaning ‘the small one’) was created to reclaim our every day moments. My textiles are woven in small batch production in my home studio.
I grew up in a coastal city in Spain, where I spent countless hours sitting on the floor of the stand, reading every fashion magazine my dad sold, mesmerized by all the color, pattern and beauty. The other half I spent sharing meals with my family at the restaurant. This was the time where I got to see my uncles, aunts, and cousins – everyday at lunch, our full attention on each other.
As I grew up and moved far away, I found myself craving those mundane moments, reliving them in my mind. I realized that those small, seemingly insignificant times were quite literally the foundation of who I am today. My textiles come from that very personal place. They are memories captured, meant to become part of your every day. They are the smell of your favorite dish, a lit candle, a worn in towel – the pieces of a puzzle that build a life overtime.
I make textiles for the home because this has always been my happy place, you can shop my pieces at https://lapequenatextiles.com/ or visit my instagram @lapeque_textiles
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I am still quite early in my career, so I think my most important skill right now is to stay nimble and be quick on my feet. Being an immigrant has made me adaptable and a quick learner, skills that are integral in business. While my designs come straight from my heart, I take a lot of feedback from my customers. I listen to their needs and try to react to them in a way that makes sense for my business. I think going to markets and talking directly with people has been incredibly beneficial so far, even if attending markets might not be my long term goal. It’s helped me understand who my customer is, what they can stand to pay, and what they like.
I also have the hunger to exercise my creativity and continue to learn about my craft (weaving). Most people think that creativity is something that just pours out of some people and not others. In my experience, the more you practice creativity, the more creative you become. It is definitely a muscle you can grow, if you stay curious and humble enough. I try to keep my eyes open for color combinations that excite me, learn about other crafts as well as my own, and try to peel the layers to understand what I like and why.
Lastly, the one quality I am constantly developing is to stop trying to be a people pleaser. Understanding that not everyone is going to be my customer. Not trying to make everyone like me. I feel like if I do this, I’ll end up watering down my product and become unremarkable. Staying true to who I am at the core of my creativity and my values. The right people will find me with time and they will become loyal. I believe that repeat customers that connect with me and my pieces are the key to a healthy practice.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I would absolutely love to collaborate with other creatives. My partner is a musician and producer and one of the things I am admittedly jealous of in that industry is the many of opportunities he gets to collaborate with others.
I recently got the opportunity to design a weaving draft (pattern) with a yarn store/weaving school and that was incredibly fun and fulfilling. I hope I get to work on more projects like that in the future.
Weaving can be quite a lonesome practice, which I generally like. However, because textiles are literally everywhere we look, the opportunities for collaboration, while not super obvious are kind of endless. I would love to collaborate with natural dyers and potters, but my dream would be to one day collaborate with a furniture designer to make design and make an upholstered piece together.
If you think we could work together you can email me or reach out directly on Instagram!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lapequenatextiles.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lapeque_textiles/?img_index=1
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