Maya Gwynn
With KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn with Black Perspectives IE, a show where we learn about the amazing things members of the Black community are doing in the Inland Empire. My guest today is Garland Hayes-Soto, master craftsman and head tailor at Couture Man Sewing. Thank you so much for being here.
Garland Hayes-Soto
Thank you so much, Maya, for having me.
Maya Gwynn
Of course. So I want to start from the beginning. How did you first get interested in sewing and fashion? Was there someone who introduced you to it?
Garland Hayes-Soto
Yeah, definitely. So growing up, I used to be a singer - a singer, actor, performer. That's what I wanted to go to school for. A friend of mine showed me a fashion show. He's like, "I'm gonna go to FIDM, to go to fashion school," and I'm like, "What's fashion school?" I didn't even know that was a thing. I saw Raven-Symone sew. I saw Lisa Landry sew, from Sister Sister. And I'm like, wow, you could go to school for that. So that's how I kind of got started. I started making my vest for prom, doing my vest, doing my sequins one at a time, trying to do it by hand. And then I went to fashion school. I got a job at Universal Studios Hollywood, and the rest is history.
Maya Gwynn
Throughout your career, like you said, you worked at Universal Studios, you worked with organizations like the Los Angeles Ballet, and you had your work featured on Pretty Little Liars, which meant a lot to me as a millennial.
Garland Hayes-Soto
Oh yeah, me too.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah. And created garments and alterations for clients like Tracee Ellis Ross and Melissa McCarthy. What was it like working at that level? And is there one project that stands out to you as like your favorite that was maybe surprising?
Garland Hayes-Soto
You know what? Working at that level is a lot of pressure. Because I feel like there's a lot of obstacles and a lot of things that I had to overcome. One being a Black male in a female-dominated industry. Also, just being a Black person in that space where all my coworkers, my bosses, they were not Black, so I felt like I had to code switch. So I had to like speak this way. I didn't want to be disrespectful sometimes, even though they were disrespectful to me, because these women had something that I wanted. You know, they had the power and they were able to make these dresses and do these alterations for these high-powered women, essentially. And I wanted to learn, so I had to sometimes be quiet and make sure that I listened and not like pop off. A project that stood out for me - okay, so I was working at the Yellow Croc Couture in West Hollywood, and in walks in Muni Long.
Maya Gwynn
Oh wow!
Garland Hayes-Soto
This is in 2013, 14. This is before she was Muni Long. But she had already written California King Bed for Rihanna. I already knew who she was. Priscilla Renee. So, my boss didn't know, and I got to make a dress for her, and it was so so so exciting. That's like a moment that I... I will not forget. Oh, especially and working with Tracee Ellis Ross, that was iconic.
Maya Gwynn
She's like my fashion icon. I love her. I love that you talked about that it wasn't just race that you had to deal with, but also gender as well. When I think about fashion, the first people I think about are Black men. So, what kind of obstacles did you have to go through specifically?
Garland Hayes-Soto
Going to fashion school, I definitely had to make sure that I was dressed up all the time. That's how I felt. Maybe we didn't have to do that, but we felt that obligation to be dressed up. And then in fashion school, I felt like it was multicultural. There was a lot of different races. A lot of my teachers were Armenian, Russian, Jamaican, so I didn't feel the pressure there. But trying to get into the industry, working on these shows, like it was not very mixed. So I had to make sure that I was on my p's and q's as well, making sure that I showed up on time. I didn't want to fall into those regular stereotypes. Let me have me on time. Yeah, make sure I look my best. That way, I'm able to push forward, and they could see my work first.
Maya Gwynn
After years of working in fashion entertainment, you felt called to shift your focus towards teaching. What inspired the transition? I think it was in 2021, so I'm assuming COVID maybe had something to do with that.
Garland Hayes-Soto
So we have to go back. So that was my second calling for teaching. So I moved back to the IE in 2016. I got a job at Joann Fabrics. R.I.P. to Joann.
Maya Gwynn
R.I.P. Joanne.
Garland Hayes-Soto
And I was working at the cut counter. I got to help people like with their fabric. What kind of fabric do you want? And I knew everything, how to make -
Maya Gwynn
What made you want to move back?
Garland Hayes-Soto
I just really, really felt like I was losing myself. And I was losing my boundaries, and I was losing how I was raised. There was a lot of things that I definitely felt like I need to go back home. And I'm so happy that I was strong enough to admit that and do it because a lot of people end up getting stuck somewhere and they can't come home and they're homeless and no, you should go home before you even get there, if you know you're struggling. So I moved back home. I got a job at Joann's, and they gave me an opportunity to teach at Joann's in 2018. So I really really loved it and my passion for fashion. Everyone was excited about my class, especially being a male sewing instructor, that made me really stand out. You know, so I was like, okay, it was great. In 2020, I had to pivot my business because no one was going anywhere. I was doing alterations and making garments, but no one was needing that. So I'm like, dang, what do I do? How do I make money? So I thought, oh, I was a teacher at Joann's. Let me go back to teaching, so I got an opportunity. Well, I created the opportunity for myself through the city of Ontario.
Maya Gwynn
Which is a theme for you.
Garland Hayes-Soto
Yes. You got to make your own opportunity. Don't wait for them to come.
Maya Gwynn
I love that. I love that we got to where we are now, and you offer several services through Couture Man Sewing, including one-on-one sewing lessons, group classes, Redo, Revamp, Recreate service where people can alter, restyle, and transform clothing they already own. Can you walk us through why these services are important and what do you feel like people learn about themselves when taking sewing classes?
Garland Hayes-Soto
I feel like once they learn how to sew and use the machine, I feel like they're really keen in on, "Man, this is harder than I thought. This is harder than I thought, and this takes so much time. And you really have to respect your tailors. Maybe they're also aware of, "Wow, so all the clothes that I wear, people actually make them." Maybe you feel like, oh, like machines make the clothes. No, people are operating the machines that make the clothes, and the machines are not stitching and folding. The people are doing that, so I feel like it really sheds a light on manufacturing and production. All the hands that touch the garment, from cutting out the fabric to pinning it together, doing the machine. This is like a lot of work.... So I can't take $40. I'm sorry. $40? I need more than that.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah, that is such a great point. We're gonna move to our rapid-fire portion. I'm excited to hear your answers. If your work had a theme song, what would it be?
Garland Hayes-Soto
"Work, work, work, work, work, work." Because that's what we do.
Maya Gwynn
If you had to teach a master class or give a TED Talk on a random skill you have besides the skill that we're talking about right now. What would it be?
Garland Hayes-Soto
Definitely performance. Because I feel like performance is not just about singing or acting; it's about showmanship and showing yourself. Because a lot of the opportunities, like the one I'm sitting in right now, just came from me being myself online.
Maya Gwynn
Definitely, that's a good one. And as someone who's a lifelong IE resident, what's your favorite IE restaurant or landmark that reminds you of the Inland Empire?
Garland Hayes-Soto
I really like B's Maple House. It's a soul food restaurant. It's in Fontana. Really, really good food.
Maya Gwynn
All right, and how can people keep up with you and support the amazing work that you're doing?
Garland Hayes-Soto
Of course, you can find me online on my website couturemansewing.com. You can just Google: sewing teacher. I'm sure I'm going to come up. I'm sure I'm going to come up. My Instagram cms_sewing. Find me on TikTok cms_sewing as well for all your sewing needs, whether that be a sip and sew workshop, a private sewing lesson, or we even offer group sewing parties. So you and a party of 10, we facilitate everything. We bring all the machines and materials, and we can come and have a good time.
Maya Gwynn
That sounds like so much fun.
Garland Hayes-Soto
Yeah, it is a lot of fun.
Maya Gwynn
All right. Thank you so much, Garland. This was such a great conversation.
Garland Hayes-Soto
It was so fun. Thank you for having me.
Maya Gwynn
Garland Hayes- Soto is a master craftsman and head tailor at Couture Man Sewing. Find this segment and others at kvcr.org/bpie. To directly support this segment, visit kvcr.org/bpie. Donate support for this segment comes from the M.E.C.C.A IE Fund at the Inland Empire Community Foundation, advancing racial equity and supporting long-term investments in Black-led organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Join us again next week for Black Perspectives IE. For KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn. Thank you.
