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

Hi Nery, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
One thing about my industry that outsiders are not aware of is that when we make something, we have a hand in every step of the process. It all starts with the fabric. When we are out looking for fabric, or come across an estate sale, we sometimes get lucky with unique and unusual textiles. Thrift stores are also a fun place for us to find fabrics. So once we find the fabrics that is when we start thinking of pattern design and production. We cut all of our garments or bags ourselves, sew them together, do the finishing and pick all the buttons and zippers. However, it doesn’t stop there. We take pictures, put it on our social media or website, make tags for the garments and price them. Lots of hours go into every make from a shirt, zipper pouch, bag and especially our embroidery services. We are hands-on with all products at each step of the process to ensure high quality.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My creative process is a little different. Most of the time the fabric tells me what it wants to be. I know that sounds funny but it’s true. Tim Gunn from Project Runway would always say, “Don’t fight the fabric”. Words to live by! My dad would sketch patterns from scratch on brown butcher paper, so did my mom. They would always look at the fabric and know exactly what to make from it and it always came out perfect, like it was meant to be. I once saw my dad making a vest and he was having trouble with it. I was surprised because my dad never had issues with construction or design. He looked at me and simply said “this fabric doesn’t want to be a best”. I was maybe 10 and the look on my face probably said “huh”? I never knew what that meant until years later. So what makes us different is we take our time in the design process and we sew in small batches with a variety of fabrics. Our makes are anything but plain or boring. We have a lot of bright colors, culturally inspired fabrics (like Dia de los Muertos), and use up all of our scraps helping to reduce our carbon footprint. This is challenging sometimes because clients may want an item that was patchworked from scraps or a fabric that is no longer in print. So we have learned to disclose quantities of how much fabric we have whenever possible. We love what we do! We want the world to know that our brand is bright, colorful and gender inclusive. Men and women can wear all of our garments.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I do not get out much. Most of my time is devoted to my business and homeschooling my 11 year old. So we fit things in where we can. We always find great places to eat and most of our family affairs revolve around food. Thus we will start with our favorite places to eat. *Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and Teotihuacan off of Airline has a great breakfast for an amazing price. Plus the mimosas and bloody Mary’s aren’t too bad either.
*Local shopping you have to head over to Mala Market on West Gray where you can find anything from handmade soap, plants, cookies, basically anything original and unique that cannot be found in a mall. You have over 50 local vendors to choose from! You can find Sew Great there too. 
*Now I love going to the museums. Houston has an amazing museum district and I often like to go there to find inspiration and refill my spirit.
*My favorite place for dinner is Lorenzo’s on Washington where they have amazing steak and the French Martinis are not too bad either!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am very fortunate to have a very supportive family. Both of my parents have amazing creative abilities and I learned how to sew from them. My father retired as a master tailor and my mother ran her own couture shop right out of our house. I learned about pattern making and how to choose the right fabric for each make from mom and dad. I am so thankful that they let me play with fabric and on the big machines at such a young age. I am also thankful for my husband who encouraged me to take the big leap of faith and open my business. One is never really sure of the potential an idea can have until you make it a reality. It wasn’t a hard decision for me, but once I started I have to admit I had a lot of self doubt. However, thanks to my supportive church sewing group, my friend Cindy White (another fellow sewer), my sister and mom (my biggest fans) and my dad’s spirit (he passed away 11 years ago) I became more comfortable with the concept of starting my own business and began to “own it”, and have not looked back since!

Website: www.sewgreatbynery.com

Instagram: @sewme99

Facebook: @sewme99

Other: TikTok @sew.great

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.