Young Designer’s Vivid Dreams
In a basement studio in Springs, amidst sewing machines, scissors, spools of thread, mannequins, and fabric, Temidra Willock enthusiastically presented a colorful collection of clothing she designed and fabricated and hopes to make accessible soon to the broader world. The small space was filled with sundresses, scarves with decorative trim, boxes of reversible beach hats, beach bags, and clutches, designed and sewn with dreams of a lucrative business under her label, Vivid Blueprint. It is “what I am meant to do,” said the 22-year-old designer.
But making her dream a reality depends in part on being able to raise $3,500 by May 1 at midnight. Ms. Willock signed up for kickstarter.com, which helps to raise money online and offers rewards for those willing to offer their support. Pledges from $1 to $1,000 are accepted, and thank yous range from a simple personal note to T-shirts, scarves, and skirts.
With 20 days to go to reach her goal, on Tuesday she had nine backers who had pledged a total of $852. The money will fund such things as labels and tags as well as marketing and sewing machine maintenance.
If all goes well, she said, she will be able to get Vivid Blueprint off the ground and eventually expand into textile design. “I love prints,” she said.
Her current collection is “easy to wear,” she said. “Throw on a sundress, a hat, and grab a tote,” she said. Designed for a day at the beach that turns into a last-minute movie or dinner, this is life for many women of all ages living in the Hamptons, she said. She described her creations as “relaxed and comfortable.”
Ms. Willock, who grew up in Springs and graduated from the Ross School and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, begin sewing clothing when she was 8 as an alternative to the expensive outfits she couldn’t afford for her American Girl dolls.
Her mother taught her how to sew by hand. Soon she was making Halloween costumes, then sundresses and more. Samples of her designs can be seen on the Web site, vividblueprint.com, and those who wish to support her label can do so at by searching Vivid Blueprint at kickstarter.com.