Issue 64 / DIY Diva Denise Wild Dishes On Sewing And Her Accidental Passion Career

by Daniel Pillai

DIY Diva Denise Wild Dishes On Sewing And Her Accidental Passion Career

Oct 10, 2016

Denise Wild speaks to ANOKHI about her eclectic career in do-it-yourself projects, her innate love for sewing and her brand new partnership with Brother Canada!

Denise Wild needs no introduction. But for those of you living under a rock, in a nutshell, Wild is a sewing, craft and DIY guru. But wait, there's more. She's also a TV host, author, magazine editor and an accomplished entrepreneur. You guessed it, she does not sleep. How could she? She's dominated the DIY space for over 10 years and she's done it with integrity, authenticity and lots of style.

Wild started what was North America’s largest sewing school and founded the only online sewing portal to focus on fashion and style. She ran both companies for 10 years with locations in Toronto and New York City before selling them to the global leader in craft publishing, F+W Media. Denise is also the founder of LoveSewing magazine and the founding editor of BurdaStyle US magazine.

Aside from her impressive list of accomplishments, Wild has appeared as a DIY expert on top tier shows in Canada and the US including Cityline, The Shopping Channel, the TODAY Show, The Morning Show, Inside the Box with Ty Pennington, Breakfast Television, Daytime, The Marilyn Denis Show, Steven and Chris, Sew It All, Fairchild TV, NBC Mobile News, and Morning Live. She works as a spokesperson and brand ambassador for a number of high-profile companies including Walmart, Avery, HomeSense, DeSerres and Harlequin. A pretty impressive resume, don't you think?

^{Denise Wild on City TV's Cityline with host Tracy Moore.

Photo Credit: www.denisewild.com}

Adding to the resume is her newly launched partnership with Brother Canada where for four months she will help Canadians nurture their skills, knowledge and passion for sewing, DIY and crafting using Brother's high quality line of sewing and embroidery products and legacy in the industry. Wild will do this through a series of vlogs, DIY videos, meet and greets and various editorial projects.

"We’re delighted to be working with such an inspiring and passionate professional," said Victoria Salvador, senior manager of corporate communications at Brother Canada. "Thanks to Denise's expertise and charm, we will be able to reach and engage with our consumers in a fun and educational way. Brother is about inspiring creativity for generations and in working with Denise, we’re confident that she will help us do just that.”

^{Denise Wild as ambassador to Brother Canada.

Photo Credit: Brother Canada}

So with all of this, you would probably think that Wild made it a goal to have an accomplished and well paved career in DIY. I mean, how could she not, right? Ten years in the business, two companies successfully built and sold, a sewing school, published books and a long list of reputable publications and brands in her repetoire. She's essentially DIY gold! But ask her and it's a very different story. "It was never my intention to turn my passion for sewing and DIY into a career. It just happened!" she told ANOKHI. "I would sew, make and create for myself, and then I started doing it for people around me. Because sewing is my passion, it's naturally something I want to spend my time doing."

^{Denise Wild showing off her sewing skills on The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda.

Video Credit: YouTube – Denise Wild}

And sewing defintiely is a passion for Wild and she never stopped herself from sharing that expertise and passion with avid viewers and readers across North America. She's the author of the popular sewing reference book Mend & Make Fabulous, and has worked as a magazine editor and editorial director since 2000 for top national publications including FLARE, House & Home, Faze, BurdaStyle and, of course, ANOKHI Magazine. Wild has written for numerous publications and television networks including Hello!, Elle, HGTV, W Network, Sew News, Glow, Elevate, Chatelaine and Slice. Denise is an avid speaker and does live appearances, stage presentations and classes across the country and at consumer shows including the National Home Show, the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, the Vancouver Home + Design Show and the BC Home + Garden Show.

^{Denise Wild doing what she loves, sewing.

Photo Credit: www.denisewild.com}

But after all of the accolades and numerous big name brands, shows and publications to her credit, Wild's apprecation for her work is quite humbling. Ask her about the most inspiring projects she has been a part of and her answer may surprise you. "I'm very proud of my wedding dress. I made it without a pattern and without a muslin from an image in my head. Plus it only cost me $62 after taxes for all the materials and supplies," she told ANOKHI.

^{Denise Wild on her wedding day wearing her DIY wedding dress.

Photo Credit: Denise Wild}

"And I love all of the projects I made on Holiday Makeover (a show Denise hosted on MakefulTV). From the elaborate string art to the fun, interactive colouring table, it was great to create unique, thoughtful pieces for different people celebrating different moments," she continued.

^{Denise Wild's string art tutorial on MakefulTV's Holiday Makeover.

Video Credit: YouTube – Denise Wild}

Having a career in this DIY space must be a challenge. With the increasing popularity of YouTube personalities and beauty gurus using the online space to build their profiles, and the endless barrage of pointless, meaningless videos that become viral (yes often times those include a DIY trick or two too) it must be tough to continue the momentum. But to Denise that is a far cry from what she is worried about because she's more concerned about just making time to do the work. "The biggest challenges I face are probably what everyone faces across any industry: Trying to find the time for all my to-dos and striving to perfect that work/life balance," says Wild.

^{Denise Wild

Photo Credit: www.denisewild.com}

"An initial challenge back in the day was breaking through some barriers when some people didn't understand that young people sew, that sewing is fashion, and that making and DIY-ing isn't like the old days when you did it solely to save money. Thankfully, Project Runway swept the nation, Pinterest came along, and the maker movement made its mark," she continues.

So given that she's seen and done it all when it comes to the DIY space and been so successful at it, what's the advice she can offer others looking to build a brand and career in the same space? "I'd say the most important thing is to be yourself!" she tells ANOKHI.

"Everything you touch and everything you create should be a true representation of you. And don't ever stop. It may not be a straight path to your end goal, but you'll always get there if you are constantly moving forward!"

^{Main Image Photo Credit: www.denisewild.com}

Daniel Pillai

Author

Daniel is the Digital Media Manager for ANOKHI MEDIA and the host for ANOKHI's entertainment channel, PULSE TV. As part of the dream team, Daniel manages all multiple channels under ANOKHI’s portfolio, while also training new on-air talent, and showing budding p...