PATTERN’s 2018 STREETExPO is just around the corner. Slated for July 28th, it is the only creative lifestyle fashion trade show in Central Indiana and PATTERN is highlighting just a handful of the innovating brands that will be showcased at that show. The STREETExPO aims to serve as a conduit between brands, buyers, designers and fashion lovers continuing to bring attention to Indy’s fashion aspirations and talent. To learn more about the event and becoming a vendor, visit the STREETExPO info page here.
Stephanie Renner removes her septum piercing, puts her hair up to conceal the purple strands and pulls a turtleneck over her tattoos. She may play drums in the four-piece indie rock band Hex Mundi, work as a graphic designer and own the apparel brand Myth, Maker, but today she’s going to work at Column Capital, her parents’ financial advising firm.
“It’s totally not my style, but it pays well,” she laughs. “I’m a client service representative and I work the front desk so I handle everybody that comes in and out. It’s two different worlds.”
Raised in a conservative Christian family, Renner came to the realization that she didn’t share her parents’ faith while enrolled at Heritage Christian High School. While she describes herself as a deeply spiritual person, her ideas on organized religion are less conventional than those of her parents.
“The secret to my spirituality, or the way it works with me is that I don’t embrace any particular religion,” she says. “But the archetypes and the truths that you have to understand on an intuitive level, I try to find those. They seem to resonate at some point in each religion.”
Renner’s fascination with ancient cultures and their religions led her all the way to Italy, where she lived and studied in 2012.
It was through her extensive research that she developed her unique worldview and a passion for female empowerment. Now, she hopes to educate and inspire people to be more aware and in-touch with themselves.
“That’s kind of my focus now, helping people heal the feminine in everybody, not just women. It’s a polarity of two opposites. We all house a variation, so it’s important for everyone to embrace the feminine aspects of themselves.”
Myth, Maker was born out of this desire to connect people to the natural and feminine world. She currently sells hoodies, tee shirts and tank tops as well as accessories such as prints, patches and panties. All of the products are designed and printed by Renner.
“I really like both (designing and screen printing),” she says. “Both of them are kind of tedious. The whole screen-printing process and sketching and augmenting a design can take a while, so it’s really nice to have the kind of creative part where I get to come up with ideas and flesh it out. They balance each other pretty nicely.”
If completing the entire design and production process alone sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is. That’s why Renner’s first goal is to grow Myth, Maker to the point where she no longer needs to work at her parents’ office to make ends meet. Although she used to be skeptical of living and working in Indianapolis, now she’s confident that it’s a city where she can find success as a creative entrepreneur.
“I think that everyone is starting to really embrace new things, especially learning how to cultivate and work with plants and holistic healing and supporting local makers and local music,” she says. “Everything seems to be exploding because I used to really not want to live here. It’s exciting and it’s really fun to be a part of. I’m really happy with how things are going here.”
Follow Myth, Maker online:
Website: www.mythmakershop.com
Instagram: @_myth_maker
