Customer Spotlight: Ispaci 
We adore a good story here at PillowCubes. You know the kind we're talking about.... stories that grip your interest and pull you in, inspire and encourage you to pursue your own dreams and passions.

As we’ve mentioned before, we’re big fans of hearing our customer’s stories and learning more about their brands and products. It’s always a joy to see how our pillow forms are transformed into creative beauty, and today we could not be more thrilled to share the story behind our friend Cherise’s company, Ispaci!

1) Tell us a little about ispaci. We want to hear about its background, what you specialize in and focus on, and your mission as a company!

Ispaci is a custom studio designing colorful pillows full of texture and beauty through the creative reuse of designer textiles - samples, remnants, clothing - helping reduce waste.

We celebrate self expression by providing customers with an artistic piece that is a personal reflection of self.

Our studio’s story is one of passion, spirit, collaboration, and community - powerful elements that are central in our values and how we operate as a company. 

Photo Credit: Toranj Norooz

2) How long has ispaci been in operation? How did you start?

The first pillow was designed about three years ago right after moving to LA for my inner 8th grade self, who has had a passion for creative, handmade items her entire life.

The project has grown organically into a business with the goal to be my authentic, creative self and help others do the same while making use of beautiful, designer fabrics.

As a kid, I made things daily. My Grandma encouraged me to be crafty and creative. In 8th grade I launched a business making Easter ornaments, selling them to teachers at school and door-to-door in our neighborhood. I loved the creative entrepreneurial hustle.

When it was time to grow up, I stopped making things. I know many people can relate to losing site of a passion. Moving across country to LA - a massive city that celebrates creatives - was exactly the change I needed.

I was ready to make something, but when I arrived in LA I was renting a small bedroom with barely room for a bed.

A friend of mine worked at an interior design retail showroom that was closing its store and they were selling large textile samples at a crazy discount - too good to pass up, especially given my life-long crush on textiles. That was the day I decided to make pillows, I squeezed a small table into the corner of my bedroom, purchased a sewing machine on Amazon, and YouTubed my way through learning how to sew a zippered pillow.

Photo Credit (Right): Toranj Norooz

Designing has always been the focus and the most joyous part. I gave myself a creative challenge to design a pillow that didn’t look like any other so I made an oversized (almost the size of a body pillow), multi-fabric pillow. This larger size served two purposes - fun and function. It was the right scale to mix fabrics (allowing me to create something truly personalized), and it also replaced several individual pillows, which reduces the time and energy needed for styling.

When I started making pillows, the creative reuse of fabrics - samples, remnants, and the like - was a solution to the desire to make every pillow custom for the client. I needed endless options. So I started looking around me and asking questions.

Friends in the interior design industry came to me with bags of small textile samples that were no longer in use or could not be stored. The volume of textile samples cycling through design firms is incredible, so they are thrilled I can reuse them. I sort and store what I can use, and donate what I can't to schools and a non-profit that works with adult artists with disabilities. Or I make jewelry and other craft items with friends. I feel so honored every time I receive new fabrics. For me, there is something almost spiritual about being chosen to receive these pieces, and to transform them into something new and beautiful.

Textile waste is a huge, growing challenge for our planet and is a topic I care about deeply. I love that I am reducing waste in our local community while stimulating the local economy through small business.

Working with a large variety of materials also pushes me creatively. Learning to create with what I have on hand has resulted in incredibly diverse designs and a wide range of shapes and sizes. It helps me see differently.

(Photo Credit, Above: Cherise Rollins)

3) Share a little about your recent collaboration with Wendy Stevens-Mizee:

Wendy Stevens-Mizee (@artbymizwendy) is an incredible ink and acrylic painter that I connected with this year on Instagram: the tones, textures, energy, elegance and power in the movement of her wave paintings resonate deeply with me. There is something incredibly stunning and calming about her work.

Photo Credit: Wendy Stevens-Mizée

We discussed the idea of collaborating to design a custom pillow based on her artwork in her bedroom and were both so excited about it, we jumped in together! Wendy encourages her clients to choose pillows that tie into their purchased artwork, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to show how this can be achieved and have a ton of fun while doing it.

I selected fabrics based on the photos Wendy shared of her bedroom and artwork. Wendy had a list of items she loved, all inspired by the ocean - blues, bubble and coral textures. I pulled fabrics that had ocean textures and colors from the waves and coral in her paintings. I used a deep blue color as the base that would pop perfectly against her silver bedding. It was so much fun to dig through my piles of fabric samples searching for the right pieces!

    
Photo Credits: Photo Credit: Wendy Stevens-Mizée

I also created a design that emulates the curve of a wave inspired by Wendy’s artwork. It’s subtle, but it softens the design and draws a strong tie to her artwork. This is the first curved pillow I’ve made. It’s so stunning, I can see this being used in future pillows.

“I love that you were truly inspired and were able to really embrace the waves of my artwork. I’m so impressed with your design work and the quality of craftsmanship. I absolutely love it. You knew what I would want before I even wanted it. That’s a special gift you have.” - Wendy Stevens-Mizee

Photo Credit: Wendy Stevens-Mizée

4) What sets ispaci apart from other small shops and pillow providers?

Every pillow is custom-designed from start to finish and can be made any size. It’s all about creating a piece that truly reflects the client - his or her colors, style, and personality. By choosing an Ispaci design, they are also making an impact in our local community by purchasing designer items created by reusing textiles that would have been discarded, reducing waste right here in Los Angeles.

We have an online shop with ready-to-purchase pillows; however, the focus is on custom-designed pieces because the goal is to create a piece that is truly reflective of the person. I love to collaborate in the design process - it brings me the greatest joy to make something special for someone else, and to be a part of transforming discarded textiles into a new item. At times, I take other elements, like vintage kimonos or a special dress from someone’s childhood, and incorporate them into the design. I also include hand-painted designs to add a layer of art into the textiles. The possibilities really are endless.

5) Why did you choose PillowCubes inserts? Please share a little about your experience working with the PC team.

The quality of the product, materials, and design details are so incredibly important to my product and brand. PillowCubes (PC) has been with me from the beginning and is a premium product! The insert material and quality is half of what makes my pillows so great and of true lasting quality. Many people don’t know that about pillows - having the right insert (material and size) is what brings the design to life and creates the shape and texture that my customers experience. Plus, it is the most huggable insert and still holds its shape.

I searched long and far for a supplier that could not only meet the quality standards, but also has the flexibility in size necessary for our custom designs. I love that PC will make any size for me at a wholesale price, keeping costs down for my customers.

I have a 100% handmade product, so it’s important to me that PC makes their inserts by hand in the US and is a family-owned business. They flat-pack all of their inserts, minimizing the environmental impact of emissions during shipment. They have excellent customer service and give extra attention to every one of my orders, checking them before they leave the facility.

Photo Credit, Above: Cherise Rollins

6) Anything else you’d like to add? Do you have any new products coming soon or plans for growth?

There is always something new in development - we are a custom studio!

Collaborations with clients, designers, artists and suppliers are my focus. You’ll be seeing many more of these in the near future, especially design collaborations with textile artists. I’m always experimenting with ways to transform the textiles through textile art techniques.

I want our work to continue to give voice to the topic of textile waste while educating our community on ways we can all make a positive impact. Embracing the interior design community, my local LA community, and empowering other creative entrepreneurial women are especially important to me: I want to keep building up others, and our planet, as we grow.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHERISE AND ISPACI:
Visit the Ispaci Online Shop >>
Sign Up for the Ispaci Newsletter Here>>