Mireille Villarqui is an actress, a baker, a speaker of five languages, and now… a seamstress and clothing designer. In January, she decided she wanted more and quit her job as a chef’s assistant. “I got tired of having these remedial social conversations, just surface level stuff,” she explained. “I don’t have a surface level life.”

“I’ve always considered myself an inventor,” she says. “I want to produce inventions, whether they be clothing or something else that’s technologically savvy and aesthetically cool.” Having lived abroad in both France and Spain, Mireille (pronounced Mere-AY) has a diverse sense of style that she hopes to apply to making utilitarian clothing more fashionable. Not knowing how to sew, she had trouble getting into clothing design programs until she discovered Custom Collaborative’s Training Institute, which requires no previous experience.

Interviewing with Ms. Veronica, our Entrepreneurship Coach, was the final step towards pursuing her life-long goal of sewing. “At the time I was nervous because I didn’t have a job. It was now or never for me,” Mireille reflected. “You’ll find a way,” Ms. Veronica told her, and she did. Not only did she learn to sew, but also how to design clothing and be a more sustainable member of the fashion industry, all while weathering a deadly pandemic by herself.

Socializing can occasionally be frustrating for her, as people often ask family related questions to make small talk. “My mother is probably the person in the world who’s hurt me the most and caused me the most pain,” she explained. “It’s kind of painful when people ask you about that as a light-hearted conversation.” At fifteen, she became a mother herself but was forced to give her son up for adoption due to her status as a minor. Her mother arranged the adoption and signed off on it without her consent. Although she isn’t close to her family, she worried about one particular family member nonetheless, “I was concerned about my father who I’m not in contact with, and with whom I’d been hoping to bridge a relationship.”

For Mireille, isolation was the biggest challenge COVID-19 brought, “I used to sign up for a lot of cultural events. Everything was canceled. That was a big part of how I kept busy and learned new things.” She was disappointed to know that two commercial acting projects she’d just completed would never materialize due to the pandemic. Another project that promotes music therapy was delayed. She also felt the pain and loss of her CC peers, many of whom lost friends and family and fell ill themselves.

For weeks, there was construction outside her window, forcing her to stay muted on Zoom. As many of us now know, it’s hard to stay engaged virtually when you can’t experience the full auditory component of an environment, especially when learning hands-on skills. “I got Zoom overwhelmed after a while,” she admitted, but stayed positive nonetheless. “It was great to be able to focus on that in the time of COVID, I don’t know what else I would have been doing. I didn’t have anywhere to go, any family to go to.” Not only did she appreciate the distraction, but also the sense of belonging and community with the other women in her cohort. Mireille emphasized the positive effects of “being in the presence of strong women mentors on a regular basis.”

CC’s dedication to sustainability also resonated with Mireille. “Being from Oregon, I’ve been recycling forever. I’ve been in that mindset for a long time,” she said. “To be able to carry that over to fashion - it really opened my mind. I didn’t know the extent of fashion as a pollutant. People don’t know!” Luckily, CC is letting more and more people in on fashion's dirty secret. “I’m very grateful to be aware now,” she said proudly.

“I’m finally truly myself in auditions that are self-taped, it’s easier for me to follow my artistic instinct. I’m able to look at the auditions from a director’s perspective.”

— Mireille Villarqui

The digital design Mireille created (with instructor assistance) based on a goose poop she saw on the sidewalk.

Mireille is a deeply creative person and her CC experience only heightened her creative instinct. When the program began, she brought her wide array of interests into her design and sewing projects. During the program, she’d seen a very strange looking goose poop on the sidewalk, which she photographed. Being a baker, she made cookies inspired by the curious shape and then created a digital clothing design based on the cookies! Now, she applies her new fashion and business skills to her other passion. “I’m finally truly myself in auditions that are self-taped,” she said triumphantly. “It’s easier for me to follow my artistic instinct. I’m able to look at the auditions from a director's perspective.” During the program, she borrowed a mannequin from a nearby store and used it not only to make clothing, but also as a supporting character for a taped audition.

Mireille Villarqui in an audition with her reversible tote bag, using a mannequin sporting her blouse as a prop.

At first, she couldn’t pinpoint a favorite experience from the Training Institute, but soon, she couldn’t stop listing them. Due to remote learning, the program shifted its emphasis to clothing design rather than manufacturing. Mireille loved learning about and relating to famous designers, “Coco Chanel could have let herself be a victim of her time, but she rose above her situation. She didn’t have an easy life but she made her way up… We studied Alexander McQueen, whose story was inspiring!” she exclaimed. “We also studied Thom Browne, another prolific designer, who didn’t have the skills to sketch and who would draw his initial ideas using the shapes of circles, squares, and cylinders etc.” She also credits CC for curing her procrastination. “Being alone in my room, not going to class, made it easier for me to slip into that [procrastination] mindset… but [CC] made me realize that anything I procrastinated wasn’t actually that hard… When you’re climbing a mountain and you get to the top, you can see more clearly.” She also made a shirt using a pattern she came up with that our lead instructor had never seen before.

Mireille isn’t exactly sure yet which sector of the fashion industry she’d like to enter, but is considering costume design due to her passion for entertainment. She’ll be taking a computer science course soon to add more skills to her repertoire (as if she needed any more!). Reflecting on the whole experience she said, “being able to break down clothing and see how it’s made - I like having that ability. That, to me, is a super power.”

Class of 2020: Mireille