the story

I had just returned from a 2 year mission to the Philippines and one of the first things I did was get introduced to my new room, at my parents house. As I walked in I noticed a duvet on my bed made from my old denim jeans, it was a patch work design of 6 inch squares all sewn together. I loved this duvet and used it every night. A few years went by and I decided it was time to move out, and my mother who made the duvet for me said it was mine while I lived here, but that I was not to take it with me when I moved out. I loved this duvet so I was a little mad and I said "fine I will make my own." This is the single act that started my life in fashion design. I went to the local thrift store and bought a 10 dollar sewing machine and made my own duvet, which I still use today. I quickly moved onto clothing after the duvet, altering all my clothing into something unique. I was always interested in being different from everyone else. I was still new to sewing and didn't really know what I was doing, I had only altered a few coats and jeans never did I make anything from scratch I was very intimidated in the beginning and never really thought I could do it. It was at this time that I faked my way into lovesac.
My roommates were doing the photography for Lovesac and had been asked if they knew anyone who could sew some things for them. They told them they had a roommate that could sew. I walked into the Lovesac headquarters and talked with their product designer, they showed me a few drawings and asked if I could sew them up for them and of course I said I could. I took the drawings home and freaked out not having a clue how to sew them together. I screwed up a lot but managed to sew them together and I took them back in and showed them to Heidi and Shawn and they loved them. They asked me if I wanted to come aboard and help Heidi with the product design, I said yes. I worked at lovesac for two years as the product designer and loved it I learned to sew and design while I was there. When I felt it was time to move on I quit and finished up my political science degree at the University of Utah and began doing Nappi full time. I started by making clothes anything form dresses, to shirts, and bags. I had yet to make a pair of jeans, but felt it was time. I was a little nervous to say the least I had attempted a pair about a year ago while at lovesac and it was a total disaster. I was determined this time to get it right, so I took my favorite pair of jeans and took them a part and made a pattern. The first two pair were utter failures, but the third was beautiful. I wore that pair everyday for a month taking notice of what I liked and didn't like. I them made pair after pair until they were perfect. Having a perfect pair for men I took to the womens. I spent about two year perfecting the fits, making dresses, bags and doing runway shows. It was during this time that I was also looking to find a factory in LA California to make the jeans, this proved to be very difficult. I would call factories and get hung up on, I got so frustrated and desperate that I drove to LA and walked around downtown trying to find someone to talk to, I found no one. I went back to my uncles house defeated I told him of the struggles I was having and his girlfriend told me of some friends they had who were getting jeans made in LA. I called them and hesitantly they gave me the number to a factory. I called them and set up a meeting for the following day. The meeting went very well and they agreed to make my jeans.