Conversations with the Inspiring Njeri Summey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Njeri Summey.

Njeri, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started dyeing clothes in high school, and throughout college, I sold clothing and hemp wrapped crystal jewelry to people on campus and on Facebook. My school had a craft studio equipped with all types of dyes and supplies and I would work down there whenever I could. In that studio, I learned how to batik and was also able to take a class in metalsmithing which is where I learned a lot of the techniques that I use now. Once I graduated in May 2017, I began working on pulling supplies together and had an Etsy shop up and running within six months. Since then, I’ve been doing events and pop-ups in Denver and working on growing my online presence. Nowadays, I’m thinking a lot about next steps and where I really want this to go. I would love to rebrand in the very near future and focus on becoming more serious as a fashion label, and probably relocate!

Has it been a smooth road?
The main struggle I’ve been dealing with is “just doing” things. And by that, I mean remembering that I’ll probably never be fully “ready” for the big steps that need to be taken to make my dream what I know it can be. I think that in this field of creating your own business it’s crucial to make plans and be clear about what you’re doing, while also allowing yourself jump into things that feel scary and be very confident in that. There seems to be a fine line between adequate preparation and holding back because of fear that you haven’t done enough and I’m definitely still trying to find that line. Sometimes, the only thing that can get you fully ready for something is doing it and experiencing it, and maybe messing up and trying it again. That’s my advice for people who are just starting out!

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Honeyflower Handmade story. Tell us more about the business.
I dye clothes! I’m known for tie-dyeing, but I’m beginning to hesitate calling it that because it’s so different from what many tie-dye artists do. I use a lot of layering techniques to make my clothes. So, I’ll dye something, and then I might dye it again, or bleach it, or both. I like layering colors and experimenting with how each dye reacts with the bleach. Each piece goes through multiple processes to get a really unique look that you won’t see anywhere else. Most of my work is second-hand and vintage pieces that I find and update through dyeing and sometimes some sewing, though I’ve also experimented with creating new pieces like tube tops out of recycled t-shirts. The fashion industry creates sooooo muuuuuch waaaaaaste through creating new clothes all the time and there are such amazing pieces out there that are already made and full of potential. I love to look for things and pull something new out of them. This also makes it so that I can create 1 of 1 piece which I really love because it makes each piece that much more special. If you are wearing something of mine, you’re the only person in the world who has it.

I do make some jewelry, although nowadays my work is very clothing heavy. I love working with metals and crystals and I’m currently trying to figure out how I want to incorporate that into my work while having the clothes be front and center.

What I’m most proud of is how unique my work is. I love that when people come to my booth at an event or DM me for a custom order they tell me they’ve never seen anything quite like it. It’s really important to me to create things that set the wearer apart from everyone around them.

Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Don’t hold back at all. Life is shorter than we think and you don’t want to look back later on down the line and regret not taking risks because of fear. You are just as deserving and capable of huge, extravagant success as anyone else on this earth and big rewards require making big moves.

Contact Info:

• Website: honeyflowerhandmade.etsy.com
• Email: honeyflower.handmade@gmail.com
• Instagram: @honeyflower.art

Image Credit:
Photos taken by me, Models: Baheya Malaty, Toluwanimi Obiwole, Njeri Summey

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