INTERVIEW: DEVYN OF THREAD HEAD DENIM
Local “stitch-witch” bringing resistant merch and more to the masses
Devyn, the owner/operator of Thread Head Denim, in the middle of her studio surrounded by the tools for her craft.
Thread Head Denim is a company recently started by Devyn Del Ville in Charlotte, NC. She specializes in embroidering designs that are important to her with a penchant for women’s rights and human rights. My Wife and I love her work and we were excited to find out she’s so close to us. I took a few hours to get up to her place and ask her some questions.
We enter a room exquisitely decorated with antique dolls, mirrors, and sewing supplies. Multiple large embroidery machines were lined up against the wall, kissed by the sunlight pouring through the window. There were a few boxes of blank shirts lusting to be kissed by a needle.
Originally from South Florida, between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Devyn has moved to North Carolina and back a few times over and says that she doesn’t know what exactly keeps pulling her back. She loves thrifting and repurposing clothing and furniture items and hanging out with her grandma and her daughter, Riley. While thrifting, she’s always on the lookout for Kewpie dolls, vintage thimbles, sewing machines, clowns, thread with wooden spools and Betty Boop memorabilia. Thread Head Denim is on the rise and I’m seeing more and more of her clothing pop up.. and for good reason.
“THANK YOU, GRANDMA!”
At age 15, her grandmother gifted her an old sewing machine.
“when I was a teenager she gave me one of her old sewing machines and I, at the time, was going to goodwill a lot and I would just buy things and cut ‘em up and ya know..hot glue clothes. Make stencils and like..use fabric paint.. Ya know, no formal training.. still to this day I can’t sew a garment.. but I can wing it and alter it. So I Started doing that and fell in love with it.”
What was one of your favorite things to make that way?
“Skinny Jeans! She said enthusiastically, “I’d make skinny jeans! Yep… and for all my friends, too. You couldn’t get ‘em like that back then, ya know?
The first thing I actually embroidered was a Harley Davidson Logo. I have it here somewhere.. just onto a piece of a fabric and I have it cut out and in a drawer somewhere.”
This Harley Davidson logo is the first thing Devyn embroidered.
Did your Grandmother teach you at all or did you just go for it?
“She taught me embroidery. During Covid, ya know, the place I was working, and the world, shut down. She had gotten me this (points to a sewing machine) and that has the embroidery attachment to it. She said ‘well, ya know, you got time to kill so I’ll teach you how to do it.’ And she did. I caught on pretty quickly and I fell in love with it! It’s therapeutic in a way for me. I didn’t think it was going to morph into a business per se… I was just making stuff that I liked then just putting them on my instagram and stuff. Mercari was big at the time and I was just throwing random shit up there, ya know..and I was getting a response.”
Of course I had to ask her when she started the business exactly and where the name Thread Head Denim and the logo came from.
“So ironically, Cinco de Mayo, which happens to be my Grandma’s birthday, 2021 is when I registered it as a business. But of course, I had been doing like Cashapp/Paypal/Venmo and stuff like that for about a year. My friend Alex Thornton, he tattoos at 510, drew the logo.
For the name, initially I had started with vintage denim; taking the pockets off and embroidering them. I thought ‘this is really fun but it’s kind of inclusive and not something I felt like I could..[keep doing].’ It wasn’t sustainable. Ya know, I was buying vintage denim online and doing whatever I wanted with them. Anyway, thats why denim is in the name.”
The current logo, drawn by Alex Thornton, featuring a Kewpie, with which Devyn is obsessed with.
Kewpies were invented by Rosie O’Neill in 1909, first premiering in “Ladies Home Journal.” according to smithsonianmag.com:
“Kewpies, as seen in the magazines, were cute characters with a message, often mocking elitist middle-class reformers, supporting racial equality and advocating for the poor. O’Neill also used the cartoons to champion a cause she felt passionately about: the fight for women’s right to vote.”
As of right now, Thread Head Denim is a solo operation for Devyn, although, she did say someone that she’s been training is coming in soon to start helping her out. We also started talking a bit about working for yourself:
“I love working for myself and don’t think I could go back to working any other way. Which is ironic because I feel like I actually work way more than I did working for someone else. It’s been cool to start the process of building something that I could leave to my daughter if she should choose. It’s a cool thought, ya know. I think…I find it weird that were supposed to know what were supposed to do with the rest of our lives when were like 17-18 years old.
Devyn takes the designs and uploads them into a program that draws them in a way the machines can decipher them, stitch by stitch.
WAITRESSING PAYS BUT SEWING STAYS
Since the business is relatively new, I was curious about what she was doing before and what lead her to try to turn this into a business.
“Waitressing. And, ya know, I had wanted to get out. I dropped out of school.. never got my GED, No professional training of any sort or college of any type so I was kinda like..talking for a year prior like ‘I don’t know what I wanna do.’ Ya know, the end game is not to be a waitress my whole life. It’s easy money, it’s fairly quick but..there’s gotta be something better, ya know? I was exploring options in different things that sparked my interest and like, nothing really stuck. Then, Covid happened and I started messing with this and I kind of changed my perspective.”
“So, when the restaurant opened back up, like, it was a leap of faith and I was fucking terrified but I was like ‘I'm not going back’, ya know? ‘I’m going to pour all my energy into this.’ ”
I love stories like this. It’s always scary taking a risk on something that could change the course of your whole life…but fortune often favors the bold. In her “about me” section on her website; it mentions that for a while, sewing had taken a back burner to life.
“Do you care to talk more about that? Was it just work or was there a bunch of stuff going on?” I asked.
“Sureeeee” she she says with an almost-laugh while glancing around at the ceiling…
“There was a bunch of stuff going on… I got pretty messed up, ya know? Drugs and alcohol were like the main focus for me and I was kinda wrapped up in that lifestyle for years so any form of hobby went right out the window. I kinda took back off and once I got sober and got my shit together, I was like ‘I need hobbies, like… I need things to do with my time. I don’t even know who I am anymore’ ya know? So after having her [her daughter] and like, gettin’ sober…Yeah it [sewing] was totally off the radar for a while."
She sews her tag and logo into every individual piece of clothing.
DESIGNS WITH POWER AND MEANING
Devyn specializes in provocative (although they shouldn’t be) and playful designs with strong opinions on women’s rights and the current state of the country. These controversial pieces are some of her most popular and include sayings such as “Make Racists Afraid Again”, “Chinga La Migra”, “Roe Roe Roe Your Vote”, and “Radicalized by Basic Decency” among others. I asked her what her most popular one was.
“It’s gotta be the ‘Fuck ICE’ with the fingers.. and the one you’re wearing (my wife was beside me wearing the “Make Racists Afraid Again” tee). Those have been my most popular!” She pauses for a second, her enthusiasm drops and she says “…and my most stolen designs.”
She mentions how she’s come across several sellers on Shein and other places where the designs are straight-up copied but instead of embroidered, are just screen printed or heat pressed. I asked her if she ever goes after them.
“Legally I don't, unless the images are copy-written, there's not a whole lot I can do. But, the beautiful thing about social media and having a loyal following is that people are quick to tag me and comment to let others know the designs are stolen. Occasionally, I will make videos showing the shops that have not only stolen my designs, but also used my photos (with my brands tag) in them, as well as photos of me modeling them without my consent.”
Devyn’s most popular and divisive design.
Devyn has dozens of designs online for sale from Valentine’s Day and Halloween designs, cool riffs on famous logos, and fun or funny sayings to very hot-topic political takes. I asked what inspires her the most for her designs.
“Honestly the current state of the nation has always been something that has heavily inspired and influenced me. It started in 2021 with Roe vs Wade. I remember I was at the pool and my friend sent me a link to a protest and I was like ‘I’m leaving the pool, I‘m gonna make something and we’re gonna go to this fuckin’ protest.’ And ya know, It kind of sparked something in me that had been dormant for a long time. Like, I didn’t really care about *my* life so the state of the nation and the world was like [waves her hand implying it didn’t matter]. But, once I got sober, I was like ‘this is the kind of thing I need to pay attention to’ ya know, like, this is huge. Especially after bringing a child into this world. I’ve gotta take action and accountability. And ya know, teach her to as well. Teach her that we do have a voice and we need to use it. It is so important that we stand up for what we believe in so that definitely drives me.”
Its fun to make random, cute little things and sell ‘em of course, but the stuff that I’ve been making recently and the stuff that I make with the most intention…it's like… it’s political ya know… and it’s purposeful and meaningful.
“I remember I was at the pool and my friend sent me a link to a protest and I was like ‘I’m leaving the pool, I‘m gonna make something and we’re gonna go to this fuckin’ protest.’ “
“So I love the style, I love all the messages and they seem very rational to me while they may seem radical to other people. How often do you receive negativity and how do you deal with it?”
“Fairly often..fairly often. Sometimes, ya know, I will buck back and other times, as hard as it is to ignore it ..like, I try my best to. You can only do so much, especially when it’s online. Ya know, and there is an aspect of fear to it too..it’s like.. ‘ok..I do work from my home and someone could potentially order something to have my address ya know.. but I'm not gonna let that stop me. It is difficult..being a single mom living with a child. Like, all of these scenarios that could go wrong. But again, it’s so important to NOT shut up.”
She continues talking about negative comments but mentions that on TikTok there is a “Creator Care” mode that filters out negative comments. These comments can be discouraging and we discussed how people are so eager to be ugly when they’re behind a screen.
All of the machines were dowsed in stickers that just ooze Devyn’s personality.
“I believe that being uncomfortable is necessary for growth as a human, whether it’s standing up for what you believe or dealing with what other people believe.” I asked if she was ever uncomfortable at first making clothing with strong messages and how it felt to finally get that first piece of controversial clothing released.
“oh 100% it was uncomfortable. And I can agree with that.. I don’t think growth comes from contentment. I think we have to get a little uncomfortable.
It felt good. It felt empowering and definitely liberating too, in a way, because… I might look outspoken and people have this perception of me because I’m like..tattooed and stuff but like, I’m very non confrontational. I just kinda wanna fly under the radar and do my little thing, ya know? so it was a big step to put myself out there in a political sense like ‘this is where I stand’ and be very direct so it was..it was uncomfy for me, but it felt good and it felt like the right move, ya know? And the response to it was like..of course there were people talking their shit, but, most were really supportive and encouraging like ‘Girl, keep doing what you’re doing…this is important.’”
Starting to make a shirt that someone ordered. A “Fuck Ice” tee with custom emerald green thread.
We were talking about the state of the nation and the atrocities that ICE has committed and how terrible they’re treating people in the open, let alone behind closed doors when she brings up some more personal history
“One of the reasons that I have been so ‘in your face’ with the ICE shit is because I’m half Cuban and my dad’s side of the family, they came over from Cuba in the 60s for political reasons, ya know? So there is that personal aspect for me.
I remember too, growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandma; Her neighbor at the time was this man named Saul. He was a holocaust survivor. He would tell me some of his experience..in a PG way, ya know, since I was a kid..but I remember the impact that that had on me and to see similar things happening in the modern day is just ridiculous.
Like, the impact it has on society as a whole.. people have no idea.”
Some of Devyn’s Kewpie artwork along with a collection of vintage thread, which still has the wooden spool.
LEGACY & THE FUTURE
“What would you want to be known for?” I asked, knowing the gravity of a question like that.
“I wanna be known for simply standing for what I believe in. Nothing crazy like I’m not looking for fame and fortune and recognition but I just wanna be known as someone who stood up for what is right. Like if someone was asking me.. not even in the perspective of like a business, but if someone was like ‘what do you want your daughter to know you for?’ like..’what do you want her to take away from the life you’ve led if you were to die today?’ ya know, I'd want it to be that.. Just to be strong, as strong as you can be, stand for what you believe in, stand for what’s right. Persevere. And also like…little Dev or…strung out Dev..like, who would she hope to be?”
Ironing out the wrinkles from the plate that pulls the fabric taut.
After that, I asked if she had anything exciting happening in the future, she excitedly tells me she had just hosted her own brand shoot at Common Market in Plaza Midwood, Charlotte.
“It was amazing..the amount of support ..it just just blew my mind how many people came out. About 15-20 people came out. People that have supported me and the business. But yeah, it was beautiful! People were just hanging out at Common Market, taking their pictures and they were telling me ‘I need business cards because of the amount of people that came up to me with compliments’ it was just crazy. How amazing is that?
“I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE SEE WOMEN BEING STRONG AND BEING VOCAL AND THEY’RE LIKE ‘OH HEY, I CAN DO THAT TOO!’ AND THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING.”
One of her newest additions is the “Zero Chill Stitch - F* Ice Bro” embroidered sweatshirt.
Devyn also said she’s going out tomorrow to get another embroidery machine to add to the collection with plans to get a fifth by the end of the year. She says Charlotte Sewing Center is her favorite sewing store.
“Do they have names? “ I ask half joking but yeah, she sure does!
“Yeah! This one is Margot, that one is Suzy and that one I kind of named Jane Doe ‘cause I couldn’t think of something immediately.”
Preparing a shirt for embroidery.
Some of her vintage thimble collection.
Check out Thread Head Denim to purchase any of her clothing!