VALENCIA ATELIER from Valencia Atelier on Vimeo.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for up-and-coming designers? What’s helped you in your journey?

The best advice I’d give someone—and it’s probably something I need to take myself—is just to be confident in what you do and what you create. Designing is an expression of yourself and what you like, and you should not second-guess yourself. Go with whatever you believe and what you feel is your aesthetic. There’s always going to be people that don’t like it, but there are going to be people that will appreciate what you’re doing. If it’s an expression of yourself, then you should express yourself however you see fit. Just be confident and don’t give up.

How do you balance being an entrepreneur and motherhood?

It’s not easy. I wouldn’t trade it for anything because I’m my own boss and I have that flexibility. If my son has something going on, and I don’t have too much to do during the day, I can spend more time with him. But then there are those times when it’s crazy hectic for me and I have him. Sometimes I don’t get home from work until like 8 o’clock at night and he’s with me. He’s like doing his homework and I’m still in the store, or I’m still with the manufacturer. He’s used to it because we’re always around family; my manufacturer is my father. But there are times I’m like, ‘Man, he’s four and he should be in the house now.’

What’s next for Valencia Atelier?

This is actually our first year in business. Right now, the way we operate, everything is made to order. As you order it, I make it. I want to still do the made to order, just because for a woman’s body it makes sense to be able to because they can customize my clothes to their body, but I also want to have some stock pieces I can put into stores.

You can follow Brittny on Instagram at @brittnywood and Valencia Atelier at @valenciaatelier .

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