Fashion designer, Amanda Joyner shares her views on life during the pandemic

Although the global pandemic has derailed many lives and plans, the apparel industry has historically proven its ability to reinvent and adjust to where, what, and how consumers buy. We take a moment to check in with principals from the fashion design community through brief conversations, and views from within the pandemic. This time, we visit with designer Amanda Joyner.

Milliner Amanda Joyner is originally from San Antonio, Texas and began in the creative arts as a pastry chef. With the encouragement of her husband, she explored the art of millinery, became enchanted, and found her way to Chicago, where she began her journey to creating one-of-a-kind pieces. Since then, Joyner has created pieces commissioned by The Carrie Diaries. Her work has been featured in magazines, at the Kentucky Derby, the Grammys, and on New York’s fashion runways. Joyner was a recipient of the NEA - Indiana Arts Commission IAP Grant and bolstered her collection and her Michigan City shop, Chef Bizzaro Millinery.

Q: “Why” do you design? Has the answer to this question changed because of the pandemic?

Amanda: I grew up in a very creative environment. Both my grandmothers encouraged me to craft and paint and it quickly became an outlet of expression—be it happiness, depression, anxiety, etc. Hats always have had a soft spot with me; I grew up watching musicals and it wasn't a polished outfit without a hat. So I went from art into fashion very easily.  I have a super vivid "what if" imagination so I would find myself watching movies and thinking "Oh, what if they changed the costuming by adding something here..." and that inspires a lot of what I make. During the pandemic though my creative tank crashed. I burned myself out — in the beginning, panicking about what I could do to stay afloat while closed — and that drained me more than I thought. I recently realized, returning to the shop, how tapped out I was and it's been a very slow start to rekindling my design process. Luckily, I have some amazing clients that are pushing me to the limits and are trusting me 100% to take the lead on the design with little input. It's been great because I can sketch a variety of different styles for them to look over and that alone really helps push my drive to create. I end up being so excited I find designs they may not like — but I love! — and plan to do alongside their order.

Q: In the post-pandemic world, what do you believe you will value most as you prepare to bring back your career in fashion design? 

Amanda: Education — not just in pushing myself to know more and broaden my styles, but also for the client. While working with a designer is an investment, most people don't know what that really means for both of us. For the client, money is tight because of Covid but by working with me they are not settling for something they are not 100% in love with off Amazon. It’s not just that I try and make my hats have versatility, when I make a hat I try to put components in them that when worn on a different side or angle it creates a whole new piece. My hats come with a lifetime guarantee that if something comes unstitched or needs to be refreshed I do it free of charge. Maybe they love the hat but want to change it up, I charge a small fee just for the new trimmings. That's not something most companies do. For me, it helps me educated not just about the art of being a milliner, but the hard work that goes behind making something by hand. I'm not afraid to break down costs for a client so they really can see the big picture or what supporting a small fashion designer is, and how to appreciate things they might otherwise balk at because of the price.

Q: Are you currently learning new skills or shifting your attention to new areas of interest? If so, what changes are you making?

Amanda: Constantly! I went through the whole pandemic phase of resin art, tie-dye, graphic design wormhole you could think of just to find some sanity. I'm going to start dying my own fabrics and feathers again and possibly get into enamel pins, and jewelry making just to add another source of revenue for the shop to help get me to think out of the box and help with some financial stability.

Q: How has your creative vision been effected by the realities of the pandemic?

Amanda: When I would make something I didn't really think of its ‘sell-ability’. Which I know is a horrible way to run a business, but people and I just loved seeing what I could come up with. Now that the purse strings have been majorly tightened up I don't give myself much creative freedom to just make what I want. I really plan out what materials I have, cost, and ‘sell-ability’. In a way, it's very stifling but after almost shutting my doors, I can't help but panic about what a piece is going to cost me to create.

Q: How do you see retail changing when we emerge from the pandemic?

Amanda: Covid has really shown us just how short life can really be and people are not second guessing what makes them happy as much. So far with my clients I've had since the pandemic started, there is this new self awareness that they don't care what people are going to think. They want to do what makes them feel happy and if that means ordering a hat for an event that hasn't even been planned yet they are going to do it. I also think because so many people tried all sorts of crafts and arts during the pandemic there is a new appreciation for those that do it professionally.  

Q: Are you changing the way you do business online?

Amanda: We’ve all had to adapt and for me, it's been an adjustment. I started teaching hat classes on Zoom, which is a whole production to set up. Not just figuring out the needs of my students when I'm packing up their supply kits but the setup of having a camera on me and my hands while trying to cover all the bases I would if I could be next to them. I'm lucky in the fact I already streamed video games part-time but having to actively watch 20 videos and catching all the needs of students can be a little stressful at times.

Q: Do you have any new plans for the short term? Any new products on the horizon?

Amanda: Right now I'm still only at the shop / studio three days a week which isn't much. Those three days give me time to slowly build up my creative flow so I can really hit the ground running. There is a collection I'm working on but currently I have a table full of custom orders and that's keeping me from it. So until then, I'm just focusing on the clients until I can get over my Covid fog.

Q: With the current environment set for telecommuting, flexible hours, and emphasis on work-life balance, do you see a continued movement towards “casualization”? Would that ‘comfort’ lifestyle have an effect on your brand’s decisions going forward?

Amanda: I personally have seen the opposite. More people are planning looks for when they do get out and get to go to events. After being home for so long people are getting more comfortable dressing how they truly want not how they think society wants them to look, even myself. I used to have a very controlled but weird business look and now I'm just wearing what makes me feel good no matter what I think people will think of it. Even for people that do want comfort, there's always a way for a hat to find itself into the picture.

Joyner’s Chef Bizzaro Millinery can be found at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, on Etsy, and directly on her website where you can commission your own unique piece of art.