My Story
My name is Stephanie Harford and I'm a self-taught fashion designer and photographer/videographer based in Southern Oregon.
How I started
From Photographer to Fashion Designer
Back in the winter of 2019, I had a friend who donated a sewing machine to me when she didn't have the time or space to use it, but originally was inspired to use it to join me on a journey for a business idea I had. I merely dreamed of being able to sewing dresses myself but always feared the imposter syndrome. But after she donated the machine, I played around with it and started watching YouTubers who shared their own videos of how they made dresses. I got fairly addicted to watching these types of videos and wanted to learn more come 2020/2021.
My Obstacles
Financial stress is my biggest stressor
It was difficult to concentrate on my plans because my husband and I faced a lot of financial difficulties. It would make it so hard for me to want to get out of bed or even look for more work in photography/videography. When I started sewing, I would get super stoked to make something but had a ton of distractions during that first year and a half. I then got pregnant in 2021 and didn't do any sewing at all due to fatigue and hormones and more financial stress. But something changed when my son was born!
Committing Full Time!
Motherhood changed me
When my son was born in September of 2021, I was awakened somehow. I got in a routine where every time my husband was home from work and when the baby would sleep, I would escape to my sewing room and work on something. I told myself I would put all my other business plans on hold, stop stressing my failures, and just learn how to sew for fun. I'm so glad I did that! It started my official journey.
In 2022, I started posting on Instagram reels and TikTok all of my behind the scenes time lapse videos of my sewing and the final reveals. I started growing traction with a following and loved releasing the next dress.
In 2023, I had my first pop-up shop and wardrobe provider event that helped me see how much more confident I've been in this field of work compared to photography. I started arranging collaborations with my designs, working with talented photographers, hair stylists, and makeup artists as well as a florist on some occasion. To see my designs come to life in these beautiful photo shoots made me feel like I was accomplishing my dreams.