Hey! I’m Lesley Ware, a fashion-as-self-care advocate and maker. I am the author of five books—Sew Fab: Sewing and Style for Young Fashionistas, My Fab Fashion Style File, How to Be a Fashion Designer, 101 Ways to Love Your Style, and Black Girls Sew which will be released in June 2022. From my desire to spread love through fashion, I developed Art to Ware, a socially conscious pop-up shop where we sell reworked and one-of-a-kind garments by a variety of independent designers with the support of ChaShaMa. You can currently find Art to Ware in Port Authority. As a joyful leader and pioneer in the world of fashion education and design, I help young people expand their creative talents through personal style. I have developed and led specialized education programs with several institutions, including Parsons School of Design, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Times Student Journeys and New Visions for Public Schools. I have contributed to Martha Stewart, Sew News, Clam, KiKi and more. Most recently I launched a DIY series with Nuuly and CreativeBug. In 2008 I founded The Creative Cookie, a blog that was a behind-the-scenes look at New York’s fashion scene. Currently, I’m designing my second collection, creating what I call “quirky girl bridal wear” inspired by my recent nuptials. My other upcoming projects include the release of a fashion history podcast. I live in New York with my husband and two kittens.