Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Johnson.
Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
South Carolina Chic really started as a way for me to connect more with my school and school community. I was a fairly new teacher and the school that I worked for had just been through three principals in three years. School moral was pretty low and I was looking for a way to boost school spirits. So I decided to design a t-shirt for our new school theme (it was a Hollywood theme). That one design ended up being very popular and most of the teachers in the school that I worked at ordered it. And once I got one design done, I found that I really enjoyed creating shirt designs.
I spent the next few years really focusing on teacher shirt designs and nursing shirt designs (my mom was a nurse at the time). Then, I discovered my local farmer’s market in Greer! That was really the turning point for South Carolina Chic because I realized that I could sell t-shirts at markets instead of just relying on word of mouth. I then started focusing more on shirt designs that everyone could enjoy (not just teachers and nurses). I started designing fantasy themed shirts, floral shirts, and funny shirts. One of my very first designs that became popular was the “Not a hugger” shirt with an angry hedgehog on it. This shirt debuted just before COVID and became pretty popular quickly.
Since then, I average about 40 markets a year. I have added products like tea-towels, earrings, and bookmarks. I have refined my shirt designs to mostly focus on book and fantasy themed designs. And, I have have found my niche audience. Really, I design things that I would personally wear and then find markets where I would like to shop. This year I have really focused my attention on teacher and librarian conventions, book festivals, comic cons, and renaissance fairs.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, there were probably some struggles along the way but I was so new to doing markets and making shirts that I really had no idea that I was struggling. The hardest times were when my business really took off but I was also still working full time as a teacher. I spent all week at school and then almost every weekend at markets. I was working a lot of hours teaching and still had to go home to make product. I would spend months without a single day off to decompress.
But God has really blessed me. He provided me with opportunities (even during COVID) and supportive people. I was able to find good markets where my wares were appreciated. I found great market friends that were willing to share knowledge and resources (like the best markets to attend and advice on how to target customers). And I have 2 parents that have really supported me in my South Carolina Chic journey. In fact, my parents even helped me at my very first market!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Hi! My name is Emily and I am a t-shirt design artist. While it doesn’t sound like much, t-shirt design can actually be pretty complicated. Each design element (from fonts and images to shirt colors and ink types) all have to be carefully considered. Often, once I get an idea, I have the full picture of how I want it to look in my head. Then I just have to figure out how to create that look.
What sets my t-shirts apart from other t-shirts is the care I put into each design. I work hard to find the perfect color (and even the perfect shade of that color) for each design. I also put a lot of thought into how each shirt feels. A lot of my customers like my shirts for their feel. I use a lot of blended fabrics (brands like Bella Canvas and Next Level) so that the shirts are very soft. Finally, I spend a lot of time on each design. I have an idea in my mind of how the finished product should look. If I cannot get my final piece exactly how I want it, then I won’t produce it. Sometimes, I will leave a design unfinished. Other times, I will let it sit for awhile and then come back to it. But one thing I absolutely will not do is produce a design that I feel is not completely “just right.”
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I do spend a lot of time getting inspiration from Pinterest. Pinterest is a great resource for finding ideas and inspiration. Other than that, I tend to design based on things that I enjoy. Recently I have been into reading (especially since I got my Masters in Library Sciences). As a result, I have been more focused on reading and book themed shirts recently. Also, since I was a teacher, I spent a lot of time working on teaching-themed designs. Finally, I enjoy a lot of sci-fi and fantasy genres so I tend to do a lot of work in those genres as well.
For actual design work, I tend to use the app Procreate on my iPad. It’s a great app for layering different design elements and makes it really easy to manipulate different parts of the design while leaving other parts locked. The only draw back is that it does not export design files in svg format (which is the majority of what I use).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.southcarolinachic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southcarolinachic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southcarolinachicgville/
