Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Montero.
Hi Angie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for sewing began when I was little, I was always dreaming about what my quinceanera and wedding dress would look like. In high school, the prom dress I wanted was way out of budget, so instead of looking for a different dress, I told my mom I would just make my dress. She was a bit shocked because she knew I had no idea how to sew. And she was right, I had no idea what I was doing. Nonetheless, she bought me a sewing machine and we figured it out together. I’m pretty sure I was late to prom because we were still sewing lace onto my dress, but somehow, we made it work. To this day I have no idea how the dress stayed up, but it did, and I was in love with it. In college, I majored in Fashion Design at The University of North Texas, where I studied sewing, pattern making, draping, and design. Right after graduation, I accepted an internship in New York City at Nicole Miller. After a few weeks, my internship turned into a full-time position, and I ended up staying in New York for a year. Although my time in New York was amazing, I knew my heart was still in Texas, so I decided to move back home. Once I was back home, I worked as a designer for a western company, but a friend of mine had asked if I was interested in making her wedding dress. She had seen my work all through college and was confident I could bring her vision to life. For the next year, I was working as a designer during the day and a dressmaker at night. While at work I found myself wanting to be at home working on the dress, and while at home working on the dress, I found myself not sleeping. So, I decided I would quit my full-time job and focus on custom dressmaking. I was terrified my parents would be upset with me for leaving the security of a 9-5 job, but surprisingly, they were my biggest supporters. Shortly after that, I finished my friend’s wedding dress and it was stunning. Watching her walk down the aisle in something I had created was the most rewarding thing I had ever experienced. From then on other friends came to me asking for bridal alterations, custom bridesmaid dresses, custom evening gowns, veils, bridal accessories, you name it, if it was a custom piece, I could do it. It’s been 8 years now and I can say I am so proud of what Herrera Custom Bridal has become. I run an at-home studio where I specialize in bridal alterations, custom wedding gowns, custom prom dresses, and vintage redesigns. This business has allowed me to do what I love and provide for my family all while giving me the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom to my son and daughter. The days are chaotic, and the nights are long, but I am so grateful for what this small business of mine has provided.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been easy. My main fear at first was wondering if I would have any clients. Taking that leap of faith and giving up the stability of full-time job was probably the hardest part. With each client, I put in my best work and just hoped that word would spread from there. Now, almost all my business is received by a referral from one bride to the next. I am so thankful for my clients because they have played a huge part in growing my business. Another struggle I had along the way was knowing my worth. I started young and I have always worked from home so I think some thought I might be the “cheaper” option. When in reality, the work that it takes to take apart a 3-5 layered gown, rework the structure of the dress, put it back together, and then close it up and make it look like it was never touched is incredibly time consuming and requires a lot of skill. In the beginning, I knew what my skill level was, but because I was young and new to the game I really undervalued my work. Now, clients reach out to me specifically because of the quality of work I provide. To have someone come to me and trust me with such an important gown is such an honor.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a bridal seamstress; I specialize in bridal alterations and custom wedding gowns.
As a bridal alterations specialist, I am known for doing major redesigns such as resizing gowns that are 2, 3, 4 sizes too big or small. I also pride myself in taking an off the rack dress and completely redesigning it into whatever vision the bride has in mind. One of my all-time favorite projects is when I get the opportunity to take a wedding dress that has been passed down multiple generations and redesign it into a more modern style for the bride.
As a custom dressmaker, my goal is to bring the clients vision to life. Most of the time this is a wedding gown or prom dress, where the client can’t find what she wants in stores. Sometimes the client is looking for a particular fit, color, or quality of work that can’t be found in a boutique, so that’s where I come in. Custom gowns take around 6 months and we start completely from scratch. Everything from the patterns to the fabric is made specifically for the client. The client is as much as a designer in the piece as I am. Each fitting we work with a new sample, perfecting the fit and all the other details until the final design is created. It truly is an incredible process.
I would say my skills in sewing combined with my knowledge of how these gowns are made is what really sets me apart from others. I am able to completely tailor a gown and also create a custom pattern for that same piece to transform it into an entirely different design. With those two things combined, the possibilities are endless.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is going to the movies with my dad. He would always take me and my sister to watch whatever movie was coming out that weekend. He introduced us to all the greats, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Marvel, Batman, etc. We would load up on movie theatre popcorn and get seats right in the middle of the theatre. After the movie, he would take us next door to the Toys-R-Us to buy a toy from the movie. We always had a limit on what we could spend, but one time after we just watched Jurassic Park, I found the most awesome Jurassic Park toy that was double my limit. My dad slipped me a $20 bill and told me to tell everyone that I was going to pay the difference with my allowance(I never got an allowance). I handed him the $20 bill and “paid” for my toy with my “allowance”, I was so happy! To this day, those are still some of my favorite movies and now I look forward to sharing those movies with my kids.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.herreracustombridal.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herreracustombridal/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HerreraCustomBridal
Image Credits
Misty Dawn Photography
Organic Bliss Photography
Heart Box Wedding Photography
