Today we’d like to introduce you to Daisy Viktoria.
Daisy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have created custom gowns, corsets, and costumes for most of my life, and I love to bring magic and fairytales wherever I go. I started sewing when I was seven, and my mom taught me so many important basics. I have always had a passion for fashion and costuming, and over the years, I experimented and used my skill to bring my imagination to life. I wanted to dress up as fairies, princesses, historical figures, mythical creatures… everything I wanted to be was within my grasp once I had both the vision and the skills to create it. I’ve done historically reenacting my entire life, and my sewing ability combined with my desire to research and learn new skills facilitated a strong background in historical fashion and techniques. That understanding has made so many things easier in my design journey. I also love math and have used geometry to draft my own patterns since I was young. I made my first corset when I was a teenager and quickly become enamored with corset making. I still have that first one! Throughout all of life’s endeavors, my creative vision has remained constant and brought me to explore fashion and costume design as my primary pursuit. I always knew it was what I wanted to do. Even as a kid, I was selling my designs and creating custom garments for my friends. When I got to college, I studied chemical engineering, though I did also volunteer in the costume shop. I love math and science and knew that engineering would provide me with so many opportunities. After beginning my career and even earning a Masters Degree, I began to work more on my fashion and costuming goals. It is amazing how much the problem solving and analysis skills I obtained through engineering actually help me with design and business on a daily basis.
I now explore several areas within the design. My first love is to create amazing pieces, and I specialize in custom designs for clients. This can be for photoshoots, events, weddings, whatever you like! I have recently begun to offer tutorials and patterns for some of my pieces, meeting a demand I’ve had from the do-it-yourself-ers, and I am so glad to be able to offer that! I also publish both free and premium content showing my creation process, tips and tricks, photo sets, and behind the scenes shenanigans. I have taught corset making and other costume techniques in person and one on one and helped so many others to learn the skills they need to bring their visions to life. I went into creating a business with the goal to create custom garments, and it is so interesting and amazing what I have found by branching out and striving to meet the desires of those who share my inspiration. I am excited to see what the future holds!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with anything that is truly worth doing, there have been challenges to overcome. Every challenge is an opportunity for growth, should I choose to see it that way.
There have been so many little challenges along the way, like how to create a specific design, gaining new skills, budgeting and finance, logistics and planning, and so on. However, I am going to talk about the most difficult obstacle that would have always stood in my way if I had not started to address it. I was educated in engineering, not in business. While I use my engineering skills to my benefit, it has been a rocky road to learn real business skills. Having the mindset of an entrepreneur is a major shift. We are not taught to be entrepreneurs in school, and while I always had this inclination – I was selling my products since I was a kid, it has taken a huge amount of work to nurture and grow it into an effective mindset for running a business. Before I realized that, most of what I did in business fell short. It turns out, no amount of tasks can offset something missing in the mindset. When you change the mindset, you also have to change habits to support that shift. This is a long term strategy, and it takes months for each set of changes to start showing results. As I have worked on both personal and business development, I have noticed that many ideals are the same in both areas. Working on myself as a person and as a business owner has been the most difficult aspect of my pursuits, by far. It is extremely difficult for the human ego to undergo such drastic change and growth, and it requires so much dedication and commitment.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I love being able to inspire and empower others to bring their own dreams to life. Sometimes the right fashion or costume piece can bring out the fairytale that lives within. I believe we are all beautiful and deserve to show off our best selves.
Each wearable art piece I create is lovingly hand-crafted with exceptional standards and materials. Every gown is designed to be unique and one of a kind. Each piece is made to fit your specific measurements for a truly custom-tailored experience. I hand select the materials for each piece and include my artist’s touch in every step of the process.
I am known for my corset gowns, and it seems that lately, I am also becoming known for my lace mesh gowns. These are created by hand, each lace applique and crystal placed with an artistic touch. My corsets are made with authentic steel boning and meant for durable shaping. They can be used for waist training or just for being absolutely fabulous! I love creating specialty decorated corsets and applying hand techniques and varied textures to make my corsets and gowns stand out.
In addition to creating beautiful custom garments to make everyone feel like the fairytale that lives within, I love being empowering others through teaching and learning. With my tutorials and patterns and individual instruction, my students have come so far and have shared so many successes.
Whether I am creating a custom piece or teaching and sharing a skill set, I love to connect with others and to help empower them to reach within and bring out their inner beauty and fantasy.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The desire to always learn and grow is so important. There are countless skills and mindset shifts I have needed in order to pursue the path of my dreams, and none of that would have been possible without an underlying hunger for growth and knowledge. There is no one telling me what to do or where to go for information. It is my deep desire to gain knowledge and to become the best possible version of myself that is the very core which empowers me and enables me to keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://daisyviktoria.com/
- Email: daisy@daisyviktoria.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisyviktoria/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaisyViktoria
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/daisyviktoria
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/daisyviktoria
Image Credit:
Photographers: Chris Broughton, Wolf’s Ink, Daisy Viktoria, Models: Daisy Viktoria, Kayla Grivois, Jessi Lou Floyed, Arielle Raycene, Masha, Abigail Robertson, J., Bombshell, Makeup Artists: Caitlin Yoes, Meredith Brown, and the models themselves
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
