Maker Spotlight – Get To Know The Face Behind The Brand.
Meet Mariana from La Sujet Designs. Mariana lives in Austin, TX and started La Sujet in February of 2020, right before the pandemic. Making things with her hands has been a hobby of hers since she was little. She started La Sujet around 6 years ago, sewing makeup pouches, faux leather bags and Aguayo bags. Aguayo is a fabric woven by the indigenous people of the Bolivian Andes. At the beginning of 2020 she discovered polymer clay and completely fell in love with the material and its possibilities. She started making and gifting them for birthdays and to family members. After receiving positive feedback, she decided to start her own business making earrings and selling them on Instagram. One day she hopes to have a full line of accessories including her jewelry, bags and even clothing and shoes. Mariana finds inspiration through so many different things and people, with culture and nature being the two main things that inspire her to create. Some of her hobbies include everything that is crafty (she loves DIY projects), nature (camping, hiking, mountain biking…). She considers herself an adventurous person, so if you’re up for an adventure you’re already her favorite person. Mariana also loves traveling and wanted to DIY a van into a tiny home and travel through the US making her earrings in the van and selling them online. When this adventurous Sagittarius is in maker mode, she enjoys listening to podcasts and to music. She tried watching series, but didn’t like not being able to watch the show while she sands or drills the pieces.
La Sujet Designs specializes in classic, feminine earrings that are made from polymer clay, and can contain freshwater pearls. She also has a line with 14K gold filled styles with pearls. Mariana currently does not accept custom orders. Her website is located in her IG bio.
Here are some words from Mariana :
-What made you want to start creating?-
“I can spend hours and hours doing things with my hands and have been that way since I’m little. I would make little pots out of dirt at my grandparents’ ranch back in Bolivia. I knew I had to do something where I could make a living and at the same time do one of the things that I enjoy the most.”
-Would you like to share any family info? Pets?-
“I was born and raised in Bolivia by my mom and grandparents. My mom and dad divorced when I was little, so I spent the majority of my holidays and summers with my grandparents at a tiny town in the Amazonian part of Bolivia. Had a wonderful childhood along with all my cousins and friends. My family is very close and they are the most important thing in my life.”
-What is your MOST FAVORITE item you have created?-
“My Talavera dangles.”
-What makes your shop unique? What is your specialty?-
“My inspiration from different cultures and nature. I know many artists get inspired by this, but each of us use that inspiration differently and that’s what makes each of us unique in what we do.”
-What is the story behind your business name?-
“The name of my business goes back to my childhood. One of my favorite teachers, my PE teacher used to call me “la Sujet”, which in Spanish “la” is the pronoun used for females and “Sujet” is my last name. The nickname stayed in my mind throughout the years and whenever I decided that I wanted to start a business that name only made sense to me. It reflects my identity as a Latina and Spanish speaker and it includes my last name, so it’s perfect.”
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