image courtesy of betsi. isn’t she cute!

Tell us a little bit about you. How old are you and where do you live?

My name is Betsi Goutal, I’m 25 years old, and I live in Waltham MA. I’ve lived here about a year now, after having moved around a lot in my early twenties. I’m loving the feeling of finally being a bit more settled down, and being closer to Boston. There is so much to do and see in the city, I’m really kind of a city girl at heart despite growing up in small towns.

What do you love about indie style? What is it that inspires you?

Indie style is generous and brave, because it’s such a form of self-expression. Wearing something because it means something to you, expresses your personality, brings you joy – that’s a form of art. Stepping outside the mainstream of what’s hip and trendy to say something meaningful with what your wear is a courageous act of sharing yourself and your spirit with those around you.

How did you get started designing jewelry?

It’s tough to say, because I’ve been creating and designing with every crafty thing I could get my hands on since I was a wee sprat. I’ve been designing jewelry pretty much my whole life, but got started doing it for a living because I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and I knew I had to choose one of my many interests and settle to it, at least for a while. I’m sure somewhere down the road I’ll be doing something else. Right now my work is mainly with beads, but I’m looking into adding some sewn items like headbands and arm warmers in the next year. My creativity drives me, and is always pushing me toward new things.

Give us your favorite undiscovered designer/shop.

Every designer is discovered, by some one at least. But probably my favorite little-known designer is Lindsay from Kid Pirate. She designs awesome characters and graphics and makes them into tees and buttons, and recently even started doing belt buckles. The designs are super amazing and cute, and she has such a distinctive style. I bought this great neon pink ray gun tee from her and I really wish I’d bought it in a more fitted size, but she’s since discontinued it. Her designs are often limited run, so if you see something you like you’ve gotta grab it!

What do you see out your window right now?

Ugh, one of those dreary grey days! Aside from the overcast weather though, the view is pretty lovely. I live about twenty minutes from the wonderfully hip and geeky Cambridge, but living on a little side street I still these amazingly picturesque suburban views. My studio has three windows, facing two directions. From one window I can see beautiful flowering trees in one neighbor’s backyard, and in the other direction is another neighbor’s front yard where lately at nights I’ve actually seen bunnies frolicking around in the dark!

the surprise!

Betsi is kind enough to give away the boombox necklace I was so excited about!

To enter, just hop over to her store and tell us what your other favorite piece is. Leave a comment on this post and you’re entered!

You’ve got until May 23rd, 11 p.m. Pacific to enter.

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take five: betsi from zlanarama

Oak is full of handmade items that you need to own, like, yesterday. For example, these pebble earrings, $25.

Find out more about Keara and Oak Boston in this fantastic installment of Take Five.

Tell us a little bit about you. How old are you and where do you live?

My name is Keara, and I am 20 years old. I grew up in Nashua, NH, working in my mother’s children’s/maternity clothing store. I moved to Boston a few years ago, and I love living in the city!

What do you love about indie style? What is it that inspires you?

I think that handmade indie style is even more exciting. Even if the designer made 50 of the same piece, each is still going to end up being one of a kind. You know that the artist was a person sitting at a sewing machine making sure they were satisfied with the final product… not a nameless machine in a warehouse spitting out thousands of the same garment. This same ideal applies for jewelry, printing, etc.

What has been the most hectic part of setting up a brick and mortar shop?

Oh jeez, finances! It’s hard to stretch your resources, but it can almost make it better when you have to be creative with how you spend your money. The other hard aspect was actually finding the retail location. I looked and looked for months, and then the perfect spot fell into my lap.

Give us your favorite undiscovered designer/shop.

I can’t pick a favorite at Oak! But, I do love this new designer “Joodito” that I have yet to contact. Very fun, modern clothing. Designed right here in Boston. I will have to get in touch with her soon!

What’s sitting on your desk right now?

I’m writing to you via laptop right now. But, next to me I have a Dunkin Donuts coffee, my ipod and Aveeno face lotion.. and lots of messy papers.

(Photo: courtesy of Keara)

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take five: keara, owner of oak boston

Maki Squarepatch has been all ove lately. I’ve seen them featured on a buncha of blogs, both for their design and their eco-friendliness. They use recycled clothing to make bags and all sorts of cute stuff. Xin of the sister team took a minute (or five! that’s cheesy, sorry) just for me! She’s the one on the right in the photo above, Enqi (the other half of the team) is on the left and the pretty kitty is Maki Sqaurepatch.

Check out her answers below and definitely check out their site, which is having a killer sale right now.

How old are you? Where do you live?

I’m 24, and live in Singapore.

What’s your inspiration? How did you get started?

We got started in July 2006 with the key goal of recycling from pre-loved apparel and fabric scraps into something whole new, colorful and fresh to another person’s eyes.

What is it about indie fashion that you like?

That its a little like indie films and music, they are raw and unpolished, making art within limitations. There’s no stopping, and that should be the way.

Tell us your favorite undiscovered site or designer.

The girls of pencilsandneedles.blogspot.com.

What is going on in your workspace at this second?

Padding up an old bag of mine, so i can carry my new polaroid camera around.

Take a peek at Maki Squarepatch here.

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take five: maki squarepatch

New feature!  We’ll see how often I can do this, but I’m inviting indie designers and small business owners to answer five questions for me, a mini-interview if you will.

Kelly over at Killer Cotton is my first guinea pig. KC is a great listing of indie stores and designers. It also lets you rate and give feedback on the businesses on everything from design to product quality. It’s a great place for me to discover new stores to feature on the site and a great place for shoppers to find what they want.

How old are you? Where do you live?
I live in Los Angeles in my tiny, yet stylish, apartment from which I run Killer Cotton all by myself.

What’s your inspiration? How did you get started?
I first tried to start my own indie fashion line, but it was a big bust because I quickly found that I don’t have a talent for creating clothes. My real passion was always seeking out great underground styles made by somebody else, so I turned that into my business, and Killer Cotton was born.  I built the whole site myself in my spare time at my boring corporate job. It took about 8 months to complete, and was a ton more work than I ever thought it would be. It’s still a ton of work, but I love every minute!

What is it about indie fashion that you like?
I love finding that perfect little dress that isn’t quite like anything out there in the mainstream, or the hand-knit sweater that could never be mass-produced.  Even if it’s just a little hair clip, or cool t-shirt, indie fashion allows you to really define your own style, and not be dictated to by the mega-stores and over promoted design comanies.
Tell us your favorite undiscovered site or designer.
This is a tough one. I am looking for new designers every day, and adding new sites to Killer Cotton all the time. So much so, that we are launching a “new sites” tab on Killer Cotton to keep track of all that’s new there.  So I can’t really pick one. Sorry to evade the question, but I really do love them all!
What is going on in your workspace at this second? 
I’m at home, so in my workspace right now my two dogs are sleeping on the floor behind me, and my roommate is making a huge racket rushing to dry her hair and get ready for work. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I don’t have a regular corporate job anymore.  It’s the best!

Are you a designer or business owner and would like to be featured? E-mail me at the address on the sidebar and we’ll make it happen!

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Take Five: Killer Cotton