Hello, I’m Shanya, the one woman force behind Out of Many Studio (OofM). I started OofM after working in the fashion industry for a few years, and witnessing the magnitude of waste that was being generated. This led me down a rabbit hole of waste. There’s just so much crap in the world! I didn’t what to contribute to that anymore. As a creator of tangible things I want my work to be lasting and to hold more value to the people who consume it.
I initially started Out of Many Studio, a design practice that is dedicated to transforming waste, discarded or end-of-life materials into treasures, as a way to confront the challenges of what to do with my own waste. For one, I never knew what to do whit my clothing and textile waste. Beyond reselling or donating them - as we know, this can be problematic -, the only other option seemed to be tossing them in the trash, which is even more problematic and is something that you should NEVER, EVER do! Also, the mountain of plastic bags that we’re currently sitting on is something that seriously keeps me up at night.
Out of Many Studio currently creates handbags, dresses, and home and art objects from a thoughtfully curated collection of waste or end-of life textiles, and natural eco friendly materials. End-of-life plastic bags are used to create some home and art objects
knitting…
When I was an undergraduate studying Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, I had the option to choose a design specialization in the fall of my Junior year. The options to chose from were; sportswear knitwear, evening-wear and children-wear. Without hesitation, I knew that I absolutely wanted knitwear to be my area of specialization. I wasn’t a master knitter and at the time I really only knew how to create the basic knit and purl stitches however, after getting an overview of the knitwear design process that semester, I knew that it was the direction that I needed to go in.
I gravitated towards knitwear more than any of the other disciplines because I felt that it would allow me the most creative freedom within the framework of design. I knew that I could have a more artistic approach to design with knitwear, because the process is such that the knitwear designer is responsible for creating the actual knit textile in addition to the overall silhouette design. I was very intrigued by the idea of using different textures and knit stitches to create a visual story within a knit garment. I’m a curious person and I love exploring the unknown and figuring out what a specific material, for example can do. I suppose that in someway, my inner artist was yearning for an outlet, and I saw knitwear as an opportunity to express my artistic side.
Knits are soft, cozy, textural, sculptural, timeless, artistic designs that tell stories! At the core, my creative practice with knitting, like the rest of my work, revolves around honoring the lives of materials through re-use and preservation. My focus is to create pieces that tell stories, ask questions and challenge convention. Most of my pieces are one-of-a-kind or made to order. Commissions are accepted. Click here to learn more!
bags…
For a long as I can remember, I’ve had an attachment to bags. I remember even as a kid that I would always carry around a bag and my great-uncle affectionately referring to me as “pocket-book”, This became hi nickname for me, either because I always had a bag, or because I was always attached to my mom, or both… I can’t remember. Either way, my connection to bags has been in the making since my early years.
Before I even started attending design school, I was making bags of all sorts for myself and friends. In college, I lived off campus and needed a very large and durable bag that was suitable to tote around all of my art and design supplies. I had a locker, but the tools were expensive and I couldn’t afford to purchase multiples. I needed to be able to transport my tools back and forth so that I’d be able to work from home as well as from school. Although accessory design was not a part of my program, I applied the construction skills that I learned and spent the next few years iterating on designs for the perfect and most durable carry-all tote bag (see my giant leather tote). Over the years, I’ve developed portfolio bags for interviews and meeting, laptop / sketchbook bags that are ideal for creating on the go, and a convertible satchel backpack for when your bag gets a bit heavy, or perhaps you’re riding a bike and need the convenience of having a backpack. I even developed my own unique stitching technique that is uses in the construction of all my leather goods.
I began using leather after my metal rulers would consistently pierce through the bottom of my bags, even when made from the strongest canvas that I could find. This experience taught me just how important the material selection is, and I still have that last bag that I made for school.
My impetus for designing bags is driven by function and inspired by materials. In those early days of bag-making ventures, I discovered that I could purchase large pieces of “leather scraps” that had minor surface imperfections for much less that the regular cost. This was my introduction to the world of waste leather. Today I still use leather scraps combined with natural vegetable tanned leather my bags.
dresses…
coming soon!