TAILOR PROFILE SERIES WITH AMY NUNWEILER
Style /
September 2022
This series follows Tailors from around the world - highlighting their craft, passions, love for the brand and the impact they have on bettering the planet through extending the life of your garments. For this volume, we interviewed Amy Nunweiler from Vancouver, British Columbia, where she talks about repairing your favourite pieces and how growing up in the 90’s inspired her craft.
MEET AMY NUNWEILER
TELL US ABOUT YOUR SPECIALTY AS A TAILOR?
I would say I have two specialties; repairs and chain stitch embroidery.
For repairs, my focus is specifically around Sashiko style. Sashiko mending is a traditional, decorative Japanese embroidery style that is done by hand and signifies a garment that is worth passing down through generations. Sashiko is a beautiful way to signify a culture-driven focus on wasting nothing. As for chain stitch embroidery, I love embroidering interesting typography, as well as flowers.
TELL US ABOUT GROWING UP IN THE 90's AND THE IMPACT IT HAD ON YOUR JOURNEY TO BECOMING A TAILOR.
I grew up in a very typical 90’s family - so denim was a staple. I remember both my parents wearing their 501® jeans every day, even still they swear by the fit. In terms of tailoring, a core memory for me is customizing my favourite Levi’s® denim jacket. It was a perfect thrift find; I added panelling from an old pair of red and white pinstripe boxer shorts, lined the inside of the bodice with an old soccer hoodie, and strategically placed pins and patches all over. I must have worn that jacket 4-5 days a week for 5+ years. I still have it too, so there’s a lot of sentimental value sewn into it.
SINCE SUSTAINABILITY IS A CORE VALUE WITH LEVI'S®, CAN YOU HIGHLIGHT HOW YOU BRING THIS TO LIFE IN YOUR WORK?
I’m a huge advocate for repairing and extending the life of your denim. Every pair can be fixed, depending on the lengths you’re willing to go to revive your favourite piece. Through preventative and restorative repairs, our customers can keep garments out of the landfill and actively choose to consume less. And when a customer chooses not to repair their jeans, I’m more than happy to use the denim and upcycle or recycle the fabric.
TELL US ABOUT THE LEVI'S® PROJECTS YOU'RE MOST PROUD OF.
Two garments stick out in my mind. The first is a denim jacket I embroidered in honour of International Women’s Day. I spent time thinking about how I wanted the future wearer of the jacket to feel while wearing it. Also, I asked myself what this jacket could showcase about the diverse women around me. I landed on creating a unique arrangement of flowers, with each flower signifying a different trait.
Secondly, I’m wearing a pair of vintage Levi’s® that I thrifted and completely restored with a mix of darning and Sashiko style mending. I easily spent over 30 hours on these jeans and I’m beyond happy with how they came together. I love working on vintage jeans and completely reviving them so they can be worn again.
CAN YOU SHARE A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE WITH A CLIENT
Recently, I had the pleasure of working with artist Mathias Horne. Mathias came into the Tailor Shop with a pair of vintage Levi’s® jeans, he was extremely passionate and excited to see his idea come to life. We chose to embroider “SAVE THE HIGH SEAS” down the pant legs of his jeans; they turned out amazing! Mathias has been wearing them at the United Nations negotiations for The High Seas. This is a beautiful example of how design can advocate for sustainability and continue to bring awareness to the bigger issues at hand.
I’m inspired by all aspects of nature; the textures, colours, and silhouettes are a massive source of inspiration for me. As well, I really appreciate when an item is extremely functional. I want to get the most out of my garments and showcase their versatility.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU AS AN ARTIST?
Two words come to mind – nature and functionality. I’m inspired by all aspects of nature; the textures, colours, and silhouettes are a massive source of inspiration for me. As well, I really appreciate when an item is extremely functional. I want to get the most out of my garments and showcase their versatility. Clothing is meant to be worn.
HOW HAS DESIGN IMPACTED YOUR LIFE?
Everything in life has an aspect of design, ranging from architecture, to clothing, to furniture, to the label on your favourite condiment. Design is everywhere, as a Tailor and fashion designer, I’m frequently on the lookout for purposeful design that inspires me. It’s difficult to put into simple words the impact of design on my life, as my life is constantly being shaped by the act of design.
WHAT ARE SOME SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES YOU LIVE BY IN YOUR TAILOR SHOP?
I always resort to the four R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose. When someone brings in a well-loved pair of jeans or a jacket, my mind starts thinking about the right repair techniques I can use to revitalize the garment. Especially, when a client comes into the store wanting to replace a distressed pair, I’m always quick to mention that the old pair still has a chance to be revived and worn. If a jean is beyond a repair, or the client isn’t interested in fixing up their piece, I’m more than happy to reuse the denim to the fullest extent. I’m often using excess denim for repairs or new garments. As a last resort, denim is also taken to our local fabric recycling depot. Denim is valuable and worth recycling if repairing isn’t an option.
We’re committed to making better choices and better clothes. Because when we make better, you can buy better. And what you buy better, you can wear longer, so you can buy less and waste less. Most importantly, as we look at our own resource consumption, we’re making great strides to be circular-ready, pioneering innovations that can scale to drive positive change across the industry. It’s all part of how we’re making things better so you can #BuyBetterWearLonger. The Levi's® tailor shop is the perfect place to upcycle your denim or restore that well-loved piece.