Meet Sierra Letinsky | Textile Artist

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

Hi Sierra, why did you pursue a creative career?
I decided to pursue an artistic and creative career for several reasons. I always loved working with my hands, and although I had studied graphic design in school, I realized that I had a passion for creating unique pieces that were not only artistic and beautiful, but practical, tangible, and helped fulfill a role in a customer’s life. I had also worked enough traditional jobs over the years that I realized that I needed a creative outlet in my life, and figured I’d regret it if I never tried to find a way to pair making a living with my passions.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I hand-dye clothing and accessories using a technique called ice-dyeing. Ice-dyeing is a form of tie-dye that creates beautiful watercolor-like patterns all through the clothing and products that I create, and I love how every piece is unique and one-of-a-kind. The Ice-dyeing technique is related to traditional tie-dyeing in that it uses similar dyes and binding techniques, but the dye remains in powder form and is sprinkled on top of a layer of ice that slowly melts onto the fabric below. It’s taken a lot of practice and trial and error to find what patterns and color combinations create the best results, but I absolutely love the workshopping aspect of it. Some of my favorite products to dye are robes, sweatshirts, velvet scrunchies, and bamboo socks to name a few, and I love to see customers get excited about a piece that speaks to them.

As with starting any business, it’s been quite the journey to get where I am today. There have been high highs and incredibly low lows, and running a business during a pandemic has definitely been a difficult thing to navigate, but it’s been so rewarding to come out the other side stronger, more knowledgeable, and feeling more successful than ever before. I’ve learned that the bigger the risk you take with your business, the greater reward, so I’d encourage anyone that’s on the fence about growing their business or taking the next step to take that leap to reach the next level of growth, whatever that may look like for you.

I want the world to know that you can be who you want to be. You don’t have to fit into the mold of who you were expected to be or do, and you can actually make a living doing something you love. It’ll take hard work and determination, and you may have to sacrifice a lot along the way to get there, but you can and will get there.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in one of the best “foodie” regions of the world – the Bay Area of northern California. I’d start with hitting up the Peruvian restaurant “Limon,” one of my favorite spots in San Francisco. Then I’d head out to the Napa Valley and do some wine tasting at Clos Pegase in the quieter countryside outside of the hustle and bustle of Napa itself, before stopping by Bouchon to get macarons.

I’d end the trip by taking a drive inland to Kru, the best sushi and cocktail spot in Sacramento.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my husband, Aaron. He has been so supportive of my business and helps immensely with everything that comes along with it. He helps with my pop-up shows and is always willing to help other vendor friends, it really is so sweet to watch.

Website: www.thewildestco.com

Instagram: @thewildestcompany