Q&A WITH / HUGO LOVES TIKI
has about 10 animals in the house at all times.
The only animal that would let Hugo come near
it was a feisty cat named Tiki. Tiki would let Hugo
pet her (even though it was more like smacking).
She would growl, but never hurt him. She would
follow him around and explore the backyard with
him even though she was a loner. I was looking at
a picture of them together outside climbing rocks
and she was sitting next to him looking up at him. I
realized that not only did Tiki love Hugo, but Hugo
Loved Tiki.
Q: Have you always been interested in fashion
or being in the fashion industry? I have. Cliché, I
know, but as a young child I tried to draw sketches
of clothing on models. I remember it very vividly
because I also remember thinking I was so awful
at drawing. Ever since that moment, I have
avoided showing my drawings at every turn. Even
in college when I had to take drawing classes for
my photography degree, I would always tell my
professor that I was awful at drawing, and that
I was there for photography, so please grade
accordingly. I was very embarrassed by my lack
of ability even though I enjoyed it so much. But,
having children changes everything. I couldn’t
afford to pay an illustrator. My drawings were not
awful if you thought a child drew them and then
I convinced myself that would be my excuse if
anyone ever called me out on my bad graphics.
Now, I can’t stop drawing, and it really does bring
me the most joy of all the processes in creating
these collections.
Q: What does your design process look like?
I research a lot. I Pinterest for color combinations.
I look up 70”s and 80’s clothing patterns and
vintage items on Etsy. I look to my children to see
what they are really into for illustration inspiration.
I think a lot about my childhood and look through
old pictures, and I use my toddler clothes my
mother saved for ideas. Then I go to the computer
and start drawing. Some ideas I sketch out in my
notebook if I can’t get it right on the computer first.
Once I have the pattern and colors down, I send
the graphics to a printer for large format prints and
put everything side by side and start to edit and
form a collection.
Q: Do you remember the first thing you ever
designed? Probably in high school. I have a slew
of bad pieces throughout my life from me trying to
tackle sewing projects. I'm not the best at sewing
either. I don’t have the patience to go slow and
paced and perfect. It really drives me nuts. But,
my mom is really great at it. She helped me and my
friends make hippie tank tops to wear to a Phish
concert when I was 18 and made every wonderful
Halloween costume in my childhood from scratch.
She also helped me make a striped crop tank
top for Hugo when he was 1. A few people on
Instagram actually wanted to buy it. So, I knew
there was something in me that wanted this so
badly. I kept trying regardless of all my failures.