Maker’s Lane Ep. 2: Inez Galvez, the Fil Am fashionista behind EZ Threadz
In celebration of APA Heritage Month, we’ve collaborated with Studio APA and Hyphen Magazine to present Maker’s Lane, a webseries directed and produced by NYC-based artist Sahra Vang Nguyen. Each episode in this 5-part series features an Asian Pacific American entrepreneur from a distinct creative field in New York City. New episodes every week throughout May!
I discovered NYC based fashion designer, Inez Galvez, through my good friend Gabriela who was obsessed with Inez’s accessory line, EZ Threadz. Not only were EZ Threadz products gorgeous, Gabriela was stoked to discover a dope, Filipina female designer who was on her own hustle. So when I was brainstorming my wish list of entrepreneurs to feature in my web series, I definitely wanted Inez in the mix to showcase her NYC story in the fashion industry.
Inez Galvez began her fashion career by creating pieces from scraps found in thrift stores. Today, her company EZ Threadz uses local fabrics as well as material from as far away as Japan.
I spent about 3.5 days with Inez filming different parts of her life–working in her apartment, picking out fabrics, visiting her boutique retailer, running production orders at the garment factory and finding time to grab a sandwich at the corner deli. Inez showed me that running your own business is a 24 hour job! There is always something to work on or think about when trying to grow your brand. One of the most valuable things I took away from our conversations was how to balance integrity and values in the choices to grow capital and business. There can be no entrepreneur without passion, and there can be no business without money.
Whether you’re interested in the fashion industry or not, Inez’s story is an inspiration for all dreamers and aspiring entrepreneurs looking to create their own frequency. Enjoy!
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