A crochet fashion brand handmade with love! Queer owned small business providing all your colorful crochet needs. Custom orders available.

I am a queer Latinx crochet artist who moved to Austin last fall after college and began selling my work this summer. I sold a piece on a online store called Thirst for Humanity and was encouraged to continue selling my work and looking for more non traditional ways to sell. I've been crocheting for 7 years and love the idea of creating a colorful and inclusive environment for buyers to explore and expand their ideas of what crochet (fashion) is.



What made you want to start your business?
Making others feel comfortable and confident in their bodies, like it has done for me.

Did you have experience or did you learn as you went along?
I've learned as I went, self taught through YouTube and making plenty of mistakes.

What is your production process like?
Hours of crocheting (and binge watching shows), sewing pieces together, if needed. Each piece is made completely before starting the next project.

What makes your brand or process unique?
It's fluid, constantly changing. Colorful and eclectic.

What challenges have you overcome as an entrepreneur?
Everything was (still is) a challenge. It was a massive learning curve to understand how to communicate with customers the value of your pieces though images and description. Learning to get deposits before buying materials (yarn) since you can't hold everyone to their word... Etc. So many small lessons that I didn't learn until actually beginning.

What is your favorite thing you've created?
I am currently working with friends for their brand and I am making matching sets that have bunny ski masks. My favorite is the orange set that has a fuzzy corset and one tiered ruffled pant leg as well.





What does the queer future look like?
The queer future is full of endless possibilities, spaces like these that are by queer people for queer people, allow us to define what queerness looks like.

Who are your favorite queer creatives?
Glenda Lissette, Broobs, Digdogdig (on insta)

Your favorite LGBTQIA2+ non-profit or community orgs?
Black and Pink, Trans [email protected] Coalition





#handmade #latinxowned #lgbtqia2+owned #queerowned #smallbusiness #womanowned #disabilityowned

My Evolving Wellness creates wellness product experiences that can be used to begin, continue or expand rituals that bring you home to yourself.  Creating them has been profoundly healing for me.  See them as allies to create a sense of calm, peace, balance, joy and ease.  My intention is that they be a reminder to create space to slow down, turn inward and take radically beautiful care of yourself.  

Be Well, Stay Well, and Activate Your Inner Magic.  

Myesha (she/her) was born and raised in Oakland, CA.  She currently works in public health and is passionate about transforming community health at the macro level.  Myesha loves hiking, biking, dancing and making candles.  





I needed something creative to focus on.  It's been a healing process for me.  Also, I LOVE candles and really wanted to create my own.  They (the candles, scents, designs) started coming to me in my dreams as if they were already here in the physical form.  They had their own personality and healing benefits.  So I brought them out of the dream world into the physical as medicine.  

I work on one candle at a time and I create batches.  I'll make a batch of Natural Mystic, then a batch of Healed Healer, then a batch of Bloom.  I design or infuse the candles before the top completely dries, so it takes a bit of time, and timing to create the products I make.  

Yes!  I've been making candles for years, but just started in 2019 making them for money.  

I love that it's a wellness brand that will evolve as I do.  I love that I created scents myself for my signature line and that they are completely unique and unlike any other candle out there.  I love the quality of oils I use.  It creates an amazing healing aromatherapy experience.  

I've overcome losing lots of money in the learning process :)  I've overcome candle mishaps and selling only on Instagram for my holiday pre-launch last year.  

My favorite thing I've created is my Natural Mystic candle.  It is truly magical, meditative, ground and elevating.  It is transformative.




I think the queer future looks like joy, honor, value, sparkly bubbly magic.  

HeyAssante, Dustin Ross, the folks over at blknspace.  

Our local LGBTQIA2+ org - Oakland LGBTQ center









My name is Shareef Hadid Jenkins. I come from a long line of fashion entrepreneurs. My great grandmother was a dress maker and my father is a high end scarf designer. Today I carry the baton by creating BoiPKG. Pronounced Boy Package with the reclaiming of the societal boy B-O-Y to B-O-I. This is an example of claiming and reclaiming your own identity. I set out to create a brand that is not limited by gender constructs. Clothes have no gender. BoiPKG is here for you to order what makes you feel good about you. How ever you identify nonbinary, transgender, genderqueer, male, female, LGBTQIAP, it is my goal for BoiPKG to be a brand for you to feel free to be your truest self.

I Shareef design nonbinary gender free clothing and work closely with Tyler Neasloney to construct the pieces/samples and we custom fit to customers, by getting their measurements if they live for and in person fitting if they are local.

We also work with manufactures to recreate pieces and wholesalers to buy popular items for the store.

 I thought there needs to be more representation and that's how it all started. I needed a purpose. I started BoiPKG because I wanted something that would make me excited to get out of bed for. That not only would be a business that pays the bills but that can build community, and create jobs for trans communities that find it hard to get a job because of discrimination.

I owned a modeling business in 2001-2003. That was my first "learning on the job" experience running the show. For seven years I worked in management at the Gap in the 90's when they were opening up 500 stores a year. That gave prepared me for much of what I do now.
The designing is new and e-commerce and marketing on social media is all "learning on the job".

BoiPKG is the most diverse brand in America. If you watch our fashion show on YouTube/BoiPKG you will see it. Its important to give visibility to communities that hardly see them selves in media, thus we use trans models, nonbinary models, two spirit models, humans form all demographics. It is our mission to not only create clothes that all genders can wear, but to also focus on specific items for trans masc , trans men, trans femme, trans women, and trans nonbinary communities that are gender affirming. I would categorize BoiPKG as queer visible.

BoiPKG has been blocked from advertising on Facebook or instagram because of swimwear pics and guys with out shirts on. Which when we could advertise brought in a lot of business. This helped us develop and seek strong relationships with our customers and influencers. We also started selling at parries, charity events, and producing our on fashion shows and fundraising for trans health which gave us more visibili

As soon as quarantine hit we just created an in person selling schedule at regular monthly events in NYC. The first thing we did to adjust to this new world, in line with giving visibility to communities that have the least, we had and Instagram Drag King Contest/ We has over 75 contestants from around the world, Australia, London, Toronto, India. This helped with sales, visibility and creating a larger community that let people know BoiPKG was a brand for and about them. We also started M-F for 30 minutes a day at 2pm interviewing each contestant in every country till this day.

6am Peloton Bike, 745am check in with friends for motivation to get though the day in this new world. 9am-1pm Boipkg, process orders, working on marketing books etc.
1pm research IG Live guest 2pm go LIVE on Instagram for 30 min interview.
3pm go for a walk. 5, process order and run to the post office. When things pop into my head that need done, I go to my computer, or sales come in at any hour I usually process them with in minutes. I work on taking time in the late afternoon to watch tv, or walk with a friend and practice my trumpet (I'm in a marching band).

What is the production process like?
I get inspired and talk to my team about ideas, then go to the fabric store go a little crazy and we start sewing. 

YES

My goals for the future is to make BoiPKG as big as Adidas or NIKE, a brand that every one wants to have, with the difference being that we use models of all genders and body types and disabilities, when you look at BoiPKG you see the real world that we live in and you can relate.





I love when I receive letters from young people telling my how much it means to them to see versions of them selves on our social media, and letters that talk about how the fundraiser we just did helped them get home safely or eat when they had no food. That lets me know that this is worth something bigger than me.

I'm hopeful that BoiPKG will do enough good and create products that people need that investors will see our worth.

I'm hopeful that we will survive this pandemic and go on to show our pride to the world.

Who are some of your favorite queer creatives?
Sandra Berhartd, Marco Marco, Tina Twirler, Theo Germaine 

The Gender and Families Project. TGIJustice Transgender, Gender Variant, Intersex Justice is an organization that provides services to trans communities targeted by police. They provide money to inmates to call their families, housing and job training then they get out, some times even bail.

Fair Fight Action, started by Stacey Abrams, to fight voter suppression across the USA.

Zombie games in VR scare the heebie Geebies out of me! I once threw a headset across a yard when like 20 Zombies came at me out of nowhere, I threw the VR headset and ran into a bush on my butt.





There's just two of us behind the scenes here at Rise and we're always open to connecting with inclusive orgs and collaborating on events that center LGBTQIA2+ communities. 🌈

If you have an upcoming virtual event, advertising campaign, or just want to chat about queer community online - please fill out the form below and you'll hear from us 🤓

If you run into any issues feel free to contact us >>>  Rise Team 
Or reach out on Instagram >>> @RiseMarketisgay




What made you want to start creating or selling?
I have always been a writer by nature. Poetry is my magic and heart song and my purpose but it's excruciatingly cerebral and takes so much from me. I turned to making stained glass at a time when I needed a break from words. Through glass, I'm able to express myself visually in a way that is very healing.

What do you wish someone would have told you when you started? Did you have experience or did you learn as you went along?
I wish that I had known about "toxic hustle culture". I wish I could've warned myself about the burn out, about the exhausting overhead of selling art or how there always comes a point at which a creator will feel influenced to make things that other people want rather than make the things that their heart wants to make. I learned that in this moment- you have to be protective of yourself and your vision.

What do you love most about your brand? Or the work you produce?
I like to make brutal things, abstract things, strange things. I like that my work reflects these weird realms that I travel through.

What kind of challenges have you had to overcome as a small business owner? As an LGBTQIA+ artist or entrepreneur?
I think the biggest obstacle is perfectionism. It's difficult to abstain from comparing your work or your process to other artists. Sometimes I spend all this time making something and then I never photograph it or sell it because I don't think it's "good enough" and then a year later I'll pull it out of a box and feel an overwhelming disappointment in myself because the piece is just stunning. It's strange how we hold ourselves back.

What does a typical day look like for you?
I wake up, make breakfast, drink coffee and try and start my day in my studio. Sometimes I get into something immediately and sometimes it's takes me longer. I second guess the things I make a lot but it's helpful to get a fresh perspective in the morning. If I'm ever frustrated with something I'm working on the best solution is to take a break and come back to it.

Who are some of your favorite queer artists or creators? Queer owned businesses?
I love @nora.hidalgo, they are a queer latina badass who makes size-inclusive garments that are straight up hot. I also love @unrulypatchouli, a very cool queer artist who makes amazing earrings and artworks.

Any organizations you love and would like folks to hear about?
There is a wonderful instagram page called @atxreparations where posts by local BIPOC folks in financial need are shared and boosted. It's a great place to find places to give back locally.

One last random thing about you! Can be totally random!
I don't regret my tramp stamp. 




#shopqueerallyear #austintx #jewelry #accessories #queermade #texasbrand #texasartist