19/08/2025
Can you do this commissioned gown for me? 👗
I've had an influx of these messages lately, and as flattering as it is to receive them, I unfortunately do not take commissions. There's a few reasons for that, and a few reasons why many commissioners are moving towards ready to ship over custom work. I want to give an explanation as well as give insight to common questions!
✨Why are so many commissioners not accepting custom work? ✨
There's been a shift in the commissioning world for several reasons. Fabrics have become harder to get with the closing of fabric stores and relying on shipping and companies who don't update their stock online as often as they should leading to lots of unpredictability. Along with that, communication has taken a huge hit in the last few years from both clients and commissioners - and to put it frankly, a few bad apples ruin the bunch. We all have seen the horror stories from commissioners who promise the world and don't deliver for whatever reason (and I am not justifying that type of behavior in ANY way), but what many in the industry don't see are the clients who make many commissioners want to quit. Some of the stories commissioners you know and love could tell but choose not to would shock the socks off you. On top of that, many commissioners need to draw a clear line in the sand because our boundaries are often not respected. Sometimes it feels like we could be on out deathbed and someone would message us saying "Wait, can you make this for me before you go?" In order to protect ourselves and our sanity, we have to make the switch to the RTS model. The final reason is that we ultimately love to create, and burnout happens when we're stuck in constraints. If you had to do the same character, same event, with the same people day after day, you'd likely feel burnt out too!
✨Why are you not accepting custom work?✨
Sewing is something I LOVE to do, but it's not my main job. I own a bakery and cannot commit to the time it requires to make custom gowns on a strict timeline. I never want to hold someone's money hostage and have them waiting on me - potentially putting their business on the line. That coupled with the horror stories from other commissioners and great clients who have dealt with questionable commissioners has given me a healthy dose of reluctance. Although the majority of the industry is filled with AWESOME clients (like actually, you guys rock), I'm always afraid I'll stumble on the bad apple, which is where RTS is more appealing (no pun intended).
I completely understand wanting custom work, I really do. I understand not everyone fits in the most common sizes produced and that we're all shaped differely in our own beautiful way, and I'm always happy to create something outside of those size ranges if the demand is there!
Hopefully this sheds some light on things! I am genuinely thankful for this community and how much you've adored my work, and I appreciate you all being understanding as to my preferred production method as well. I'm looking forward to making magic with you all and sharing the exciting things I have in store for the future!
