maker: Deborah from Taxicdc
I’m always really, really impressed when people show me some cool shirt, or piece of art and tell me that it used to be a painters’ drop cloth, or some bizarre part of a motor. I know people with mad skills who can repurpose things without even giving it a second thought. My sister in law has a knack for repurposing placemats into wall décor that is always the perfect touch to the room she is decorating. She looks at a stack of cork coasters and sees Lego art for her boys’ room. She looks at an ikea trashcan, and sees the perfect wall pockets for her kids’ school work. She finds an abandoned shelf on the road, and sees lockers to hang up coats and bags. Some people just have the “cool” gene. Like Deborah. She’s another one like that. And her ability to see the unique design in a discarded vintage piece just amazes me. Meet Deborah of Taxicdc!
-Angie
please introduce yourself!
Hi. I’m Deborah Brosenne, and I grew up in the MD suburbs of Wash. DC. I went to school in NYC for design at Pratt Institute and Parsons.
what do you make or do?
I reconstruct and redesigned Vintage clothing.
where can we find your creations?
You can see some of my current designs on my website www.taxicdc.com, my etsy shop and in my store in Echo Park on 2148 W. Sunset Blvd. and various stores throughout the US.
how long have you been creating and is it your full-time job?
I started making clothing when I was 5 years old. I use to create play and make believe costumes for me and my sisters. My mother bought me a sewing machine when I was 12 years old and I’ve been designing and recreating since then. I opened a store right out of college and have been designing since. I started redesigning vintage clothing when I moved to LA around 2003.
is creativity a luxury or a necessity for you?
It’s a necessity. I don’t think I could ever have a job where I couldn’t express myself. It can be really scary sometimes because there is no security, but I would rather take the risk and have the freedom to create. What I want to do with my life is make stuff. I love using my hands every day to create items that people can enjoy and use in their lives.
where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in everything from the media to walking around and doing errands. I try to check out what my favorite designers are doing. And I find a lot of inspiration from street style.
what would be your perfect day off?
Not having any kind of schedule or agenda. Being able to just do anything and have no obligations….btw-I’m still waiting for the perfect day off…lol 🙂
what inspiring advice would you give to other creatives be they established or just starting out?
I would tell them to go for it. Don’t be afraid to take chances. The only way we can get better is to do. Everyone makes mistakes. You can only learn and grow from mistakes.
I believe that you need to be somewhat fearless to create.
