Meet Rebekah Joy | Textile Artist, Designer & Pattern Maker

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

Hi Rebekah, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
I started my first business in 2013, offering custom sewing. Any project that someone brought to me (other than a wedding dress) I would say yes to. I loved that I was getting to sew every day, and it was financially comfortable because there was very little upfront cost or risk for me. Each project was guaranteed to be paid.

I did that for four years, and I’m glad for that experience. However, one day I realized that I wasn’t happy. I was bursting with ideas, and instead of bringing them to life, I was bringing the ideas of others to life. I am grateful for every single one of my clients from that time, because without them I don’t know if I would have had the confidence to do what I am doing now. Once I made the decision to prioritize my own enjoyment, happiness and satisfaction in this work, everything changed. I felt empowered, and that immediately began to show in my work.

To me, that is the root of the concept “find work that doesn’t feel like work.” I think that financial pressure and anxiety can sometimes point us toward making the work that we think others will want, or toward avenues of work that feel more safe. It was scary to create work from my heart, to create a collection without knowing whether anyone would buy the pieces. And sometimes it still is! But I have found that if I trust my intuition, and do what makes me happy, things tend to work out.

So that is a long answer, but trusting myself and prioritizing my enjoyment in the work have contributed greatly to my feeling of success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a textile artist, and my current project is Flux Bene. Flux Bene is a line of minimal waste clothing. All of our pieces are one of a kind and gender neutral. And they all have large, functional pockets.

Through textile art techniques like dyeing, quilting, printing and embroidery we are adding value to clothing that has already been through at least one life cycle. We are creating pieces that will be used and loved for many years. I still see people wearing our early work, and that is truly the best feeling.

My goal is to facilitate the reuse of 10k garments, and in the process help to change people’s views on up cycled clothing and what it can look and feel like. An important part of reaching our 10k goal is to publish patterns for all of our designs, so that people can make their own Flux Bene inspired pieces at home.

Currently, people can shop our quarterly releases of new pieces and our sewing patterns in our webshop (fluxbene.com).

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.
When friends and family visit me, I like to take them to my favorite local shops- Synthesis in Shadyside has truly dreamy plants, planters, small home goods and delightful scents. Gold Dust Floral & Wildcard in Lawrenceville are great spots for gifts. Apteka, Brillobox, Fujiya and Point Brugge are some of my favorite spots for eating & drinking. The Mattress Factory is my favorite museum in Pgh.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who have influenced and helped me along this journey. I fully credit the organizers and participants in the early years of Handmade Arcade (handmadearcade.org) with showing me that self employment through art was a possibility.

The folks at Fashion Revolution (fashionrevolution.org) were an important source of information when I was first learning about worker abuse and pollution in the global garment industry. Without their reporting and organizing, I may not have fully grasped the importance of buying less, buying ethically made, and making clothing last as long as possible. That is truly where the concept for Flux Bene was born.

Two local Pittsburgh designers, Kelly Simpson-Scupelli (kellylanedesign.com) and Rona Chang (ottofinn.com) were very helpful in my early stages of development. Their feedback and support meant a lot at a time when I was still unsure whether Flux Bene could be a viable project.

Finally, all of the sweet friends who have supported my work from the beginning, and those who have helped me sew! There are a lot of sewing hours behind these pieces, and I have been lucky to have some talented friends helping to share the sewing work from the very beginning. Thank you Katie & Annika! Lindsay Hagerty of Part Time Poodle (parttimepoodle.com) has been helping me since 2020, and I really don’t know where I would be without her expert sewing and friendship.

Website: fluxbene.com

Instagram: @flux.bene

Other: TikTok: @flux.bene