hello there fellows, how are you feeling today? how is the weather there where you live? we woke up to a colder day and a rainy one as well! add a public transports strike and this city is a chaos today! so today i am bringing you a very lovely girl, a very young, but already very talented girl! we met a while ago on one craft fair and we clicked immediately! we have so much in common and though she is young, she has a clear view of her project, what it means and what she wishes to accomplish with it! she is one of the most active persons i know! her name is {carolina bernardo} and she designs bags… clutches… necklaces… bracelets. let’s see what she has to say about her business, shall we?
hello there, how are you? so, can you tell us something about yourself? hi, thanks for your invitation. it’s a pleasure to take part of such nice blog and project. my name is Carolina, and i’m a young product designer that has developed through the years a high fascination about fashion accessories. i used to say that i like making things with things, as i can be making jewellery, bags, shop windows’ decoration or something else. something creative that makes me happy!
how did your handmade business start? do you do anything else besides that or is it possible for you to make a living out of your business? since i was i little girl, i always loved making things. at the age of 13, i guess that was the beginning of this project, as it was the first time that i begun to sell my stuff. so far, this project was paralleled to college studies. i’m now really focused on developing “macro-hobbie/micro-business”, and i have a huge support from my parents (without it, it would be almost impossible). i’m not sure how the future will be, and if i will be capable of living exclusively from the things that i make. for sure, i am a dreamer, and i have a huge conviction on my capabilities and the sense that i really need to work hard to achieve my goals. i must say that they are high, very high. how boring would be my life without high goals?
where do you seek for inspiration? as i develop a product for people to use, my main inspiration is right on the streets. seeing what people wear, what and how they use accessories and the differences between daily and nightwear… it fascinates me and i’m always looking around to catch on the tips. it’s like an instinct, but the reality is that every time i get to know a new person i end up talking about my business. as their working fields are always so different, their opinions and tips to my project appear most of the time as very useful. these tips inspire me to sustain and conciliate my work.
what do you do to promote your business? what has been helpful? this project has now 10 years, and through these years i’ve developed a nice network of friends that kindly promoted my business through their friends. people talking about what i sell is the best way to promote something. as i had the need to expand my network, i began to run a blog, and most recently a facebook page. with the help of both, i now sell online, especially to portugal.
what advice would you give for those small business owners/design-makers in portugal? work hard, trust your instincts, be true to yourself and, last but not least, explore and develop your own identity so your costumers get to know you by something specific. and please, do not copy the person next to you and what you see in magazines. open your mind and do something original, it will make you feel so much happier and proud of your process.
these bags are absolutely delicious! asides from these, carolina designed and launched a new clutch line that you can explore {here}… perfect for winter and evenings out with friends! carolina can be found on her {blog} & {facebook}. and of course, you can always run into her on craft fairs, like the one on {lx factory}.
images: carolina bernardo
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