Small Maker Highlight Series: Coco Melyssa
We love to see people pursuing a passion, especially if that leads them to a business idea that spreads that joy around to others! This is our interview with Bianca Caloca, founder of Coco Melyssa.
- What inspired you to start Coco Melyssa?
Like many others I developed a lot of new hobbies in quarantine to kill time but my favorite by far was tie dye. Every time I posted pictures of it my friends would flood my DMs with requests on how to buy them. I figured why not, even if nobody ever bought anything at least I was having fun.
- What is the mission behind the brand?
Tie dye got really big last year but call me the hipster of tie dye because I have always loved it. My parents were Deadheads and I think what draws people to that community is the escape. I want my pieces to help bring people a little joy and a lot of love.
- You started during COVID, what has that been like?
I think 2020 was a hard year for everyone. We went from bustling busy lives to a complete halt with a lot of uncertainty. Everyone turned to making banana bread and watching crazy documentaries together for some sense of escape from the terrible things that were happening. Starting this gave me an outlet during a crazy time.
- How do you choose what colors you pair together?
Some pieces I plan very precisely and sometimes my favorite pieces are the ones where I completely wing it. I tend to have an aesthetic in mind. My first drop I pulled color ideas from sunrise and sunsets all in pastel tones. Next I am loving desert tones so I am envisioning dusty hues.
- Will you be expanding to more stock pieces or do you prefer made to order custom pieces?
There's great pros to both. With stock pieces you have the freedom to go for it and try out what you like. With custom pieces I love bringing people's visions to life. I plan to do small drops of stock pieces so that I can always have my creative juices flowing and practice my techniques. It's also the best way for people to see what you can do and that inspires them to come up with custom orders.
You can find Bianca and the Coco Melyssa brand on instagram and etsy