December's Fibernista Ms. Tei Batson of Fierce Threadz

Graphic Angst

I had the opportunity of interviewing Tei Batson of  Fierce Threadz. Her collection is akin to Carolignia Herrera in the fashion world. Ms Batson creates lovely designs for the fierce woman in mine. Her designs are daring ,sexy and well hand crafted. Buyers will find that she uses premium yarns and only the best accoutrements to complement her designs. Please Join me in welcoming Ms. Batson to the Fibernista of the Month Family.... Below you will find her interview and a few scoop pics of her designs..

Tei can you tell us about yourself, how we can contact you and let us know where we can check out your beautiful weork? Also, tell us what makes your products different than anyone else?

I started writing poetry at age 4...I know, you're wondering what in the world does poetry have to do with crocheting...lol. if you would just bare with me for a lil bit, you'll see what I mean. Poetry came naturally to me...like breathing. Words slipped in, under & around my imagination. Coiling themselves into beautiful symmetry that begged to be spoken. Kind of the way yarn loops & curls around the hook as the kook slides in, under & around creating masterpieces of design. See? Crochet is how I express my poetry in a tactile form.

 Tei, tell us how you started on your journey of doing what you love, and tell us about  any experience or education which helped you along the way

The first time that my nana put a hook in my hand, I was 6. To be honest, she put it there more so to keep me out of her hair than to really teach me to crochet..lol. I had already began hand sewing at age 5 & designing clothes for my Barbie dolls, it wasn't a far stretch for me to turn that hook & yarn into a skirt for my doll. Once I realized that I could make a fabric that I could work with...OH BOY! I was crocheting with everything that I could get my hands on. I never used patterns when I was young. The thrill was in designing my own as I went. 

Smoke and Mirrors

By the time I was 12, I was selling my designs to fellow students & a few teachers in middle school. Headbands, skirts & chain necklaces were my specialties. High school brought about a new type of creativity, fueled by all the latest fashions & wanting to stand out from the crowd. I designed clothes for friends, family & scarves for a few teachers. Being a military brat & living all over the world helped broaden my sense of design awareness. I was amazed at how women from different countries would put their own spin on how they wore a simple clothing article ...like a scarf. These observations led me to add versatility into the pieces that I designed.Over the years, I slowly but surely gained clients, a few at a time, from all over the world due to my travels. I did impromptu showings of my latest designs online via webcam on yahoo for people to purchase.  But it was not until my clients began requesting that I make FIERCE THREADZ an online presence, did I think to do so..

 Your name is Fierce Threadz - Who or what is fierceness, who is the brand modeled after and why? How did you get inspired with that name.

 How did I come up with the name? Actually a friend used to always call me fierce. They said I dressed fierce & walked fierce, so I simply added that to THREADZ & Voila.....my designs finally had a name!  Fierce Threadz is the baby birthed from those years of frogging, sweat & tears...lol. 

 Tei can you tell us how we can contact you and let us know where we can check out your beautiful weork? Also, tell us what makes your products different than anyone else.

My clothing is meant to make women feel absolutely beautiful & comfortable in their own skin. My designs are for the woman who wants something different. The woman who loves haute couture, but wants it a lil more wearable, a tad bit funked up with a drizzle of poetic soul. The FIERCE THREADZ woman is confident & bold. She IS every woman..

5. What do you see in the near Future for FT? What would you like the public to take from what you are putting out? 

I see FIERCE THREADZ as a well known brand & showing at Fashion Week in NY no later than 2014. I also have plans to work with underprivileged girls & young women who are interested in fashion design.

You can find FIERCE THREADZ at www.fiercethreadz.etsy.com & https://www.facebook.com/FierceThreadz.1

Thank you Tei for your interview with HDU , and wlecome to the Fibernista of the Month Family... Love your work !