Meet Melanie Jasmine | Designer & Costume Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melanie Jasmine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melanie, why did you pursue a creative career?
The start of my career is a bit of a funny story. I was about 14 or 15 years old when my grandmother started teaching me how to sew. My grandmother from my dad’s side and my grandmother from my mom’s side were both seamstresses, and their children pursues different career paths, such as architecture, medicine, law, and engineering.
I was (and still am) the only family member who was interested in doing anything remotely artistic.
A few years passed, and I learned the basics of making clothes, and when I was in high school, my grandmother (from my dad’s side) gifted me my first industrial sewing machine. I slowly started making my o clothes, patterns and bringing to life my designs
It was also around high school that I discovered “Cosplay” and all the crazy clothing that I would be able to make by taking inspiration from anime, videogames, and comics. I started making costumes, entering cosplay competitions, and I started my own brand to finance my (back then) expensive hobby
Nowadays, making costumes, props, 3D printing, doing makeup, and hosting workshops is a small business of mine, and it was all because of my talented grandmothers.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
It has not been easy to get where I am today, and the path that I set for myself has always been about working hard and setting the bar higher on every project. I would’ve never thought that I would turn my hobby into a business and that it would bring me so much, the opportunity to travel across the US, and to share my experiences with fellow artists in the costume-making community.
I believe one of the biggest challenges was juggling 2 academic scholarships in college and maintaining 3.7 GPA while working a part-time job and running my sewing/costuming business. In addition to that, I started working towards getting my green card right after college, and after obtaining it, I started working towards my American citizenship
I’ve always been good at keeping myself busy, pushing the limits, keep learning and growing, not only as an artist but also as a person
As of right now, I work full-time as an office manager for a healthcare company in the DFW area, while running and growing my business at the same time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had friends visiting Dallas, I would take them to get brunch in Deep Ellum, walk around to look at the graffiti, the murals, and take some unique photos Also, I would definitely get some smoked TX barbeque, and there are so many good spots in the DFW area, but my go to is Hutchins BBQ. However, I’m also a fan of Asian food, so we could grab some eats at Don Don Poke, Jin Korean BBQ and to Somi Somi for dessert.
I would also take my friends to the Dallas museum of arts, the arboretum the aquarium and the zoo.
The trip would not be complete with some shopping, and the North Park Mall is a MUST. Finally, I would take them thrift shopping with me at TJ Maxx and Ross. All my friends know how much I enjoy a good trip to TJ Maxx
Finally, we would definitely check out Rincon del DF (my favorite torta spot) near Harry Hines and some elote from El Rancho

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are a few people who supported me throughout my career I would like to thank my grandma Anita for believing in me and being my N#1 fan and sewing teacher since I was in high school
I would like to thank my husband Fred Lindgren, for the constant support through my crazy endeavors
A few more people that I would like to thank: Carolina, Anjali and Gilbert

Website: www.mjasmine.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjasmine.design

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjasmine_design

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjasmine.design/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MelanieJasmine/videos

Image Credits
Photo credits: Fred.Camera DTjaaam ZhunTsai Media