Meet Terri Buckner and learn about Nuevintage, the bohemian brand she’s created. She works with vintage clothing and materials to make her one-of-a-kind pieces and we can’t wait to see what she’s come up with for this upcoming season!
A piece from the FW17 collection in progress
How did you get into fashion? Tell me a little about your background.
I attended school for fashion merchandising and became a visual merchandiser in my early career, so I have always had an interest in fashion. It was later in life that I discovered my love for designing. I have always collected vintage clothing and I owned a small vintage clothing boutique in Los Angeles. After moving to Omaha six years ago from Los Angeles, I shipped the majority of that vintage clothing here to possibly open a new boutique. The clothes were stored and things were damaged, so in place of tossing these beautiful garments and fabrics I started to repurpose them and that is what led me into design. Late bloomer, but full of passion.
Describe your brand and the point of view you wish to convey. What category does your brand fall under?
My brand, Nuevintage, is eco-friendly and one-of-a-kind. Each piece is made from vintage materials, ranging from the 1940s to the 1980s, and is designed to be free-spirited, unique, and comfortable. Fashion is a statement of who we are. We can tell a story without even speaking when it comes to our apparel and style. I wish to capture the "free spirit" and the fun in people - the feel good, confident, and unique individuality that each of us possess. My heart is bohemian and I want to share that vibe. My brand’s category is probably women’s wear, street wear, or formal… it’s hard to say… it’s the life of the garment that takes hold of the creative process in me.
A FW17 look from the OFW runway
What are your personal goals or goals for your brand?
I enjoy making one-of-a-kind pieces and expressing my own creativity. My goals are to establish a functioning website where my creations can be purchased, to continue in shows, and to promote the brand. I would love to be the next "Free People" or have a capsule collection with the company. I am currently working on a professional website which I intend to launch before Omaha Fashion Week in August. Fingers crossed that I accomplish this goal! I would also like to do limited runs of my designs at some point in the future. I feel the vision is bigger than me at the moment, but I have these desires on my heart and by believing anything is possible, I want to win at what I do.
Describe your favorite project or projects that you have worked on.
I have many favorite projects. One is the hunt of unique vintage, visiting Los Angeles and seeking out cool finds at flea markets and swap meets. The Rose Bowl is one of my favorite haunts. My collection for FW 2017, which I showed at Omaha Fashion Week, was one of my favorite collections. I worked with rich velvets and vintage fabrics in a different way than I have before. It was more of a tailored look for me, yet still had the bohemian signature mark of Nuevintage.
Where do you look for inspiration?
Inspiration comes from many different sources for me. I can notice something unseen to others; see the beauty in discarded objects, nature, and magazines; or just taking a long walk can inspire my creativity. Most often a thought just comes to me, then I think about how it can be done... the magic of creating something from nothing… the imagination is pretty mind-blowing to me.
Describe some of the specific inspiration for your new collection.
I love anything with texture and mixing textures. I create as an artist, first, and don't often view myself as a designer… there is more freedom to me vs. structure. I free style on a dress form, since I cannot sketch. I will pull garments from my vintage collections that catch my eye and start there. This future collection is called "Bohemian Queen." I have been reading a book about queens and how much influence they have had in the span of time. We, as women, are powerful and I decided to express that, from my perspective.
The upcoming SS18 collection in progress
What kind of materials do you use and why?
I only use reclaimed fabrics and vintage. There is so much history in things that often I wonder who owned them and how they felt wearing then...then I add my creativity. A friend of mine just recently said that there is so much feeling in my designs, and sometimes I believe this is true because of the history of the fabrics. I have such a love for past era clothing and I love that I am able to re-utilize and repurpose them.
What kind of special processes do you use and what effect does it have on your work?
I really just construct on a dress form. Sometimes I think of it as engineering, taking a vision and putting the pieces together, then stepping back to look and see if it’s "right" to my creative eye and, if not, I'll start over or shift things around. I am self-taught and I'm certain I spend way too much time getting things right, but I always know when it is. Maybe the "special process" is using 100s of pins - haha! I pin everything together first, that's how I actually construct things from my mind’s eye. I made a skirt for this upcoming collection and it had hundreds of pins. I'm not sure this is an actual process!
Learn more about Terri at her website and see more of what inspires her on Pinterest. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to watch her progress as fashion week approaches!