Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Estudillo.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Melissa Estudillo and I am a photographer, videographer, dancer, and up incoming clothing company owner.
I take pictures and videos for Good Vibe CBD for about 2 years and I also work freelance gigs such as family portraits, wedding videos, etc. I’ve been taking photos for about 5 years and videos for about 4 years. You can find my portfolio at meliimages.com.
I manage GVM Studios and I also teach a few dance classes there. I teach Beginner Hip-hop and Beginner Heels on Wednesday evenings and Tween Hip-hop on Tuesday evenings. I have loved dancing all my life but started officially training about 4 years ago.
I am in the process of getting my own clothing company named SUS Street up and going. SUS Street stands for sustainable streetwear and is made from pre-loved clothing items that are reworked into something new. This not only keeps old clothes from being thrown away but also reduces any waste that might have been created if everything was manufactured new. At the moment, I take orders through Instagram and Facebook and you can also find a few items at Good Vibe Mafia Shoppes.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s never a completely smooth road when trying to achieve any goal. Currently, my biggest challenge is finding a balance between everything I do. Some areas of work get more attention than others which is unfortunate because I want to make progress in everything equally.
Another challenge I run into is putting myself out there and getting noticed. When it comes to photography and videography, I’d loved to get more freelance gigs but not everyone knows about me so it’s harder to get hired often. When it comes to dancing, I want my classes to be full every week but because I am a newer teacher (one and a half years), my class sizes are always fluctuating since I am not as known in the Denver dance community.
Despite this, I can see that I’ve come a long way from when I first started so I know that I’ll eventually be where I want to be.
As you know, we’re big fans of SUS Street. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Although I am involved with different areas of work, I am going to focus on SUS Street for this question. After I went to school at FIDM for Apparel Industry Management, I realized how polluting the fashion industry is. I’ve always wanted my own clothing company so it was important for me to not contribute to that waste.
Not only is the clothing made sustainably but I even went as far as making sure that the shipping materials were sustainable too. My shipping bags are compostable, the shipping labels are made from post-consumer waste, orders are wrapped in recyclable kraft paper instead of plastic and even our stickers are eco-friendly.
Being a dancer myself, my designs are inspired by the styles I see dancers wear. The designs are both fashionable and functional and sometimes even bold. Although the inspiration comes from dancers, the clothing is not limited to dancers. Anyone who enjoys streetwear and enjoys wearing something that is a little different than something they’d find in a mall can rock SUS Street.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Creativity is most important to my success in all areas of work. For dancing, the choreographies have to be creative and fun or else people will get tired of dancing the same moves every week. For photography/videography, the shots that are more creative and taken from interesting angles really make the work stand out from other artists.
Being able to differentiate myself from other people is what will make people want to work with me. For SUS Street, having creative and different designs is what will get people intrigued by my brand in the first place, especially if they know my clothes aren’t just something they can buy at a trendy store. Creativity is what makes me original and get noticed.
Pricing:
- Photos/Videos: $100+
- Dance Lessons: $12-$50
- SUS Street: $30-$100
Contact Info:
- Email: officialmeliimages@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.meliimages.com/
- Instagram: @meliimages @dancesbymeli @sus_street
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialsusstreet/
