By Liv Handmade

August 30, 2024 / Photo: Courtesy of @bylivhandmade

Liv Reinertson’s sewing journey began as a way to create her own cute, classroom-appropriate outfits. Today she makes dreamy one-of-a-kind designs through her brand By Liv Handmade.

 The former Early Childhood Arts Educator was dissatisfied with the clothing options available for her to teach in. So she taught herself how to drape and sew her own outfits — and they quickly began to garner praise. 

She eventually started pursuing bespoke fashion full time, making one-of-kind clothing out of deadstock fabric and vintage linens. Today she has her own studio/shop in Williamsburg, where she showcases her work as well as other local designers. 

Reinertson’s frocks, skirts, and sets feature flirty ruffles, lace detailing, and accents of embroidery. She says her design process is organic and that no final product is the same. She creates many of her pieces out of vintage home linens, which allows her to give new life to beautifully crafted, handmade material that may have otherwise been thrown out or forgotten. Her clothing has been seen on artists and influencers, and featured in publications from Women’s Wear Daily to Metal Magazine.

Reinertson also works with many independent artisans. For several years, she has hosted Reworked Runway — a multidisciplinary event that showcases work by creatives of all kinds. The ticket-funded runway show features eight designers and is accompanied by different music and dance performances. Past shows have featured a diverse set of designers including Meg Beck and Parron Allen.

And she doesn’t want to stop there — Reinertson is also working to launch a local fashion consortium. The NYC-based space would serve as a multipurpose studio for designers to produce their work. It would also offer educational and promotional resources for makers to merchandise their products. 

More about Reinertson, her Williamsburg shop, and her handmade pieces can be found here.