Threading together creators, profits and passions

Sewing is Mimi G. Ford’s creative lifeline, and she makes YouTube tutorials to help others pursue their dream careers.

By WP Creative Group

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From the beginning of her YouTube channel back in 2010, Mimi G. Ford’s goal was teaching others how to make their own beautiful, long-lasting clothing, regardless of size or income. Mimi, known as Mimi G Style on YouTube, never imagined just how impactful her online sewing lessons would become.

What she did know was how empowering she herself found sewing. 

Taught by her aunt in Puerto Rico, Mimi learned to sew when she was only 12 years old. She returned to her skills years later, during a tough time in her life. She was a homeless young mother and sewing opened up the door to financial stability. “I knew I wanted to give my kids a better life,” Mimi recalls. “Sewing did that for me.” Eventually, sewing did much more for her — a book, academy, podcast, fabric line, fabric store, online community and role as vice president at Design Group Americas.

From passion to profit

The pace of Mimi’s professional momentum began picking up in 2014 when a major fabric brand noticed her YouTube success and offered Mimi a licensing deal to partner on sewing patterns. Mimi, who values community and education, ensured that each of her licensed patterns was accompanied by a YouTube tutorial video. 

Before long, Mimi took her passion for sharing sewing techniques to the next level. “I saw that the tutorials on my YouTube channel were popular, so it gave me the idea of creating a more structured learning platform,” she says. In 2016, she launched Sew It! Academy, a subscription-based online sewing school.

Mimi explains her content philosophy very simply: “Teach your audience something that adds value to their lives.” Sew It! Academy prioritized adding that value to as many people’s lives as possible. 

Inclusivity and accessibility were top priorities when Mimi concepted the academy. She kept tuition costs much lower than a traditional trade school. “A lot of aspiring fashion designers come to Sew It! Academy because they can’t afford fashion school,” Mimi says. After taking her courses, she says proudly, “They go on to open alterations businesses, become designers of their own lines, or they work in the costume industry.” Mimi now has six employees, over 50,000 Sew It! Academy monthly subscribers and multiple fabric licensing deals. A creative center and fabric shop are in the works, and Melanated Fabrics, her new fabric company, is already shaping up to be a success — thanks, in large part, to the support from her YouTube and Sew It! Academy subscribers.

Pandemic point of pride

Even with all of those accomplishments, Mimi beams the most brightly when she talks about how she’s been empowering people during the pandemic. “People were messaging me about making DIY masks,” she recalls of the early days of the pandemic. “So I did a video, and it got around two million views.” 

But the video’s success wasn’t defined just by views. “We had so many messages from people who were not only making hundreds of masks for themselves and for frontline workers but also were selling them and starting side hustles because they couldn’t work,” she says. “That really helped a lot of people be able to get by money-wise.”

Suited for success

Watching her followers carve out their own entrepreneurial path has become a point of pride as Mimi shares her own business story. “Sometimes it just takes seeing someone that looks like you and has the same struggles as you to see what is possible,” she says. “This is the reason I share as much about my journey as I can.” 

And her journey extends beyond monetary success. “My story is about creating your own path, being an entrepreneur and taking control of your life and dreams,” she says. She aims to go beyond the typical “here’s how to get rich” trope. In fact, she created a business podcast with the goals of helping “as many people as possible create the lives they want” and “opening their eyes to the possibilities.”

Mimi’s students are embracing those possibilities and turning them into realities. Destinee Macklin, who goes by Mack the Tailor on YouTube, is a former police officer who was injured on the job and enrolled in Sew It! Academy. At first, Destinee sewed to busy herself during recovery, but then she applied what she learned to crafting custom clothing. “Before she knew it, Destinee was on her way to creating a line of suits, and now she has a full-blown business,” Mimi reports.

Another Sew It! Academy alum, Scorpio Uzuh, who goes by Sins of Many on YouTube, launched a custom clothing line, his own YouTube channel and now partners with Mimi on a line of men’s sewing patterns. 

Mimi credits YouTube with facilitating her relationship with such a broad community. “YouTube has been a huge part of my success. It has helped me fulfill my dream of teaching to millions,” she shares. 

In fact, Mimi recommends YouTube as the building block for any entrepreneurial venture. “The first piece of advice I give to anyone looking to start a business is to create content for their products or services and start a YouTube channel.” With her own story as proof, it’s a solid start for anyone hoping to turn their passion into profit.