Creativity blossoms into entrepreneurship

Danny Edwards, A&E Editor
Originally published March 17, 2021

Many of us have been trying to figure out what to do with the seemingly endless amounts of free time on our hands, but junior Nalia Matias-Jacinto came up with a creative solution: making her own clothes. 

“It was April, right after COVID blew up, and I was just super bored like the rest of us and I was like I don’t know, I’m just gonna make stuff,” Matias-Jacinto said. “I would see something that I liked and I was like, ‘might as well just make it myself.’”

Matias-Jacinto started out making things just for herself. “I just started making my own clothes, mostly with patterns that I would buy, and then I made fleece sweatpants and I didn’t really think much of it,” she said. 

But her idea took off when, “Later in winter break I wanted to see if other people would want [the sweatpants],” Matias-Jacinto said. “I put it on my Instagram and I got so many DM’s. I didn’t expect it, I thought maybe two people would want a pair.” 

She sells these fleece sweatpants on her instagram. “People usually just DM me what color they want and their size and then they’ll Venmo me and I make them,” Matias-Jacinto said. “Usually they come pick them up or I drop them off.”

She buys her fabric from Jo-Ann’s and spends a lot of time working on each pair. “If I’m grinding on it I can maybe bust out a pair in two days, but I usually like to take my time just to make sure that they’re as perfect as they can be,” she said. “I’ll start with all my pieces, I’ll sew them together and then I’ll put in the elastic and stuff.”

Matias-Jacinto was very excited with her initial sweatpants idea. “You know when you see someone make something and you’re like wow, why didn’t I think of that? It was kind of like that but I was happy that it was my idea,” she said. 

For now, Matias-Jacinto is content with keeping her business in her Instagram DMs. “I didn’t really want it to be a whole big thing. I just wanted to do it when I wanted to,” she said. 

But, that doesn’t mean she’s not keen on expanding her designs. 

Since the frigid Seattle winter is melting away, she’s having to think about ways to adapt. “No one wants to wear fleece sweatpants when it’s 80 degrees outside.” Matias-Jacinto said. “So now I’m trying to think of something that is more spring/summer but that hasn’t been done before. I’m having a hard time with that but I’m sure I’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

To get a pair for yourself contact @madebynalia on Instagram.