2024 Renegade Craft Tour! →

Renegade Craft Fair

May 6, 2016

Stay Home Club

Maker Spotlight

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Stay Home Club is a “lifestyle brand for people who have no life…We are a club that never meets, but a club nonetheless.” I don’t know about you – but that is a club I want to join! Montreal-based designer, Olivia Mew created a line of clothing and accessories that reflect the theme of this club, offering designs created in-house and those of collaborating artists.

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Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting history behind it?

It came from one of my favorite song titles: “Stay Home” by American Football, but also happens to describe the original intention of starting the business – giving myself the ability to work from home! Over the years we’ve grown into a team with a bigger office space, but the original spirit of Stay Home Club remains the same.

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When/Why did you start working in this particular craft/field?

After finishing a university degree in fibres, I was still attracted to the field of illustration. Combining the two into a surface design endeavor seemed natural.

What do you think sets your designs  apart from others?

A swath of small t-shirt/accessory companies have entered the market since we began in 2012, many with a lookalike aesthetic and similar themes. When we started putting out t-shirts with slogans like “Stay Home Club,” “Awful,” and “Boring is Best,” they were coming from a genuine place – I’ve always felt this way about the world, and strongly identified as a disdainful person in my early 20s who didn’t want to go out and party. It’s been slightly frustrating, but also amusing watching this attitude become quite a trend. I suppose I can say that the genuine sentiment behind our designs is what sets them aside from many other brands.

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Have you sacrificed anything to create your business? If so, what was it, and do you have any regrets?

I never really wanted a social life anyway…hah.

What has been your proudest/favorite moment since creating your business?

Definitely when the company incorporated and I was able to put 3 other people on payroll. The feeling of having this business support not only myself but others, too, is pretty amazing.

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How does the city you live in influence your work?

Montreal has a large artistic community which I think is in part related to our rent being cheap compared to most big North American cities. It’s a place where if you work hard, you can be self-employed and really live well.

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All things Stay Home Club:

Website

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Twitter