Carolina Lozano Ashton

I've been in the sewing industry for about 3 to 4 years, starting around when COVID began. I was doing my mechanical engineering degree at the University of Utah when everything switched to online, so I decided to go into what the women in my family had usually been doing, which was fashion. My great-great-grandma was a bridal designer, my great-grandma did alterations, my grandma ran her own merchandising store, and my mom did alterations for herself. Even on my dad's side, they made quilts for their children growing up. Sewing was always a really big part of the women in my family, and I chose to go down more of the engineering route, which is mostly what the men in my family did. What I'm trying to do now is combine both of them and make wearable robotics. I want to combine mechanical engineering and fashion because I feel like one place in fashion that isn't really recognized fully is people who have disabilities or different bodies. A lot of people with prosthetics, their pants will wear out faster just because of the prosthetics they have, and a lot of the clothing they have access to is not equipped to deal with their medical needs. I currently hold multiple positions - at Alinko, we do mascot costumes, so I'll check what orders are coming up and work on those. At my other job, it's usually alterations, so I'll see what alterations have been brought in for the week or month. I also worked at Build-A-Bear Workshop for 2 or 3 years, starting as a bear builder and working my way up to store manager. Because of my sewing background, I was able to do more intensive repairs than most locations could handle. The most intensive repair I did was when a dog had severely torn up a limited edition stuffed animal that was a child's prized possession. I was able to use scrap fabric from my school supplies, pull up a reference picture, and essentially reconstruct the face. I'm also part of the bobbin lace group in Draper, Utah, where I practice the dying art of hand-made lace. I attend the State Fair every year and have ribboned every year.