WHO SHE IS
Jaleh Naasz, Fashion Designer & Educator, Creator of Isabel Azam Customizable Dresses for Girls
WHERE SHE LIVES
Lafayette, CA
SUCCESS STORY
Recently ran a successful Kickstarter campaign and launched my own line of dresses for girls where the girls have a hand in the design at every step, including the look and fabric. This way they learn about the process of making clothes and have fun too! I’m also proud of learning to speak English, getting through undergrad in 3.5 yrs., receiving my Masters of Fine Arts at age 23, finding an awesome dude to spend my life with, and having natural childbirth — twice!
WORK SCHEDULE
I am working now — at 3 a.m. on a Monday night — because there is peace and quiet and I can think. Work schedule revolves around kids and when I schedule fashion camps, etc.
KIDS
Persia (4) and Raven (1.5)
SANITY VICE
Wine and time off to decompress, have friends.
RECENT SMART READ
Sourcing and Selecting Textiles for Fashion by Erin Cadigan. I am writing content for an online fashion course, so my readings are textbooks and fashion magazines currently.
FAVORITE MAGAZINES
Vogue, US Weekly, Kids National Geographic (for creative inspiration)
FAVORITE TV SHOW
Breaking Bad, The Bachelor series and Real Housewives
GO-TO WEEKNIGHT DINNER
Accidentally made the best meatballs ever! Forgot the garlic and didn’t have any parsley and substituted ketchup for tomato paste (don’t judge). Then ran out of time with my husband looking over my shoulder and anxious for dinner, so I fried them in avocado oil for a few mins. and then sprinkled what I thought was garlic powder, but was granulated onion and then baked them for 7 mins. Wow, is this how crazy recipes come about?
GO-TO TECH
Adobe Creative Suites for graphic design, Google Drive, Dropbox for file sharing and online storage, WGSN.com for trend research, Getty Images, Square e-commerce and Sqaurespace for Website building.
BEST TIME-MANAGEMENT TIP
1) Organize!! It helps that I’m Type A, but before I can ever take on a large task (i.e., set up an industrial sewing machine that just arrived in my design studio), I need to get through my e-mail inbox, clear my desktop and desk. If there is ever a day when I can’t find that one tool that I know I have, I lose it and spend the entire day reorganizing.
2) Make lists and write every tiny thing on it to keep your mind clear, such as “empty dishwasher.” This way as I check them off, I can remove the mental strain and when I look back,I know I did stuff, even when it feels like nothing was done. Household chores, when I’m too tired to fold laundry, I lay my husband’s tees flat in a stack so they don’t get wrinkled and he can fold them when he wants.
BETTER WAY TO SAY WORK-LIFE BALANCE?
Self identity. Mom life balance.
HOW DO YOU WORK FLEXIBLY?
I try to work when I’m mentally balanced and motivated. Sometimes, such as tonight, I am working at 3 a.m. Sure tomorrow, I’ll be the late mom at school drop off and be scrambling a little, but I got all my bills done, orders updated, Yelp page setup and this interview done!
