Cassidy Montalvo on DIY, Sisterhood & Why Handmade Fashion Is Here to Stay

Sometimes a creative calling doesn’t begin with a grand plan; it starts with a craft that brings an unexpected stillness and focus that’s been with you from the beginning. For Cassidy Montalvo, that moment came during COVID, when long hotel shifts at the iconic Hotel del Coronado were suddenly replaced with quiet days at home in San Diego.

Restless, newly married, and looking for an outlet, she turned to TikTok on a whim, sharing simple hair tutorials to pass the time. What began as a private creative escape quickly snowballed into a viral journey of community-building, one that transformed time into purpose, and a few casual videos into the foundation of a digital sisterhood built on creativity, confidence, and making something beautiful with nothing more than your own two hands.

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Adar S: I think it's fair to say that you truly live by the “if I can't find it or buy it, I make it” quote!

Cassidy Montalvo: Mm-hmm.

Adar S: When did DIY shift from being just, like, a hobby for you to becoming your creative superpower, and even more… a personal outlet?

Cassidy Montalvo: Yeah, so I think it's a mix. I grew up pretty low-income. I have 5 sisters. We lived in the DC area in a one-income family. So it was just a tight budget growing up, and I always loved fashion. I was always very into fashion, but didn't have access to follow the trends. I lived off hand-me-downs for the most part, so the only way to have that outlet was to create what I wanted, and that was really important to me. And thankfully, my grandmother was a seamstress, so she gave me her old sewing machine, and she taught me some tips and tricks. Then I would take the pieces I had and make them the best I could.

Baggy jeans and bell-bottoms were in, so I figured out how to slim the leg and bell out the bottom, where I would use fabrics from t-shirts to make a bottom. Things like that, that I would do to, I guess, fit in, but also express my own style.

My parents always had the rule growing up that we weren't allowed to just sit and watch TV. We had to be doing something. That also gave me this habit of not being able to sit still and watch a show. I always have to be doing something. And so… that's where I would craft a lot. Even now, what I do is I sit, and I craft, and it's just become such an outlet for me in so many ways, but it kind of was a necessity, turned into hobby, turned into… lifestyle.

Adar S: That makes sense. Well, going off of what you just said about expression, I noticed that many Gen Z creators view DIY as a form of self-care and empowerment. What's your take on that? Did making something with your own hands change the way you see yourself, or even your confidence?

Cassidy Montalvo: Oh, I think hugely. I think it really gives you almost trust back in yourself. Everyone struggles with self-doubt and confidence. Part of growing up is learning that, and when you can make something that you're proud of, it just gives you such self-approval and confidence. I think it really allows you to trust yourself more, and it makes you value yourself more, because you've made something useful. That's something people are really tapping into right now, especially with the economy being the way it is, where a lot of people are turning to DIYs.

I think they've always assumed, “Oh, I can't do that, I'm not artsy,” or what have you. Now that they're forced into the situation, kind of how I was as a kid. That was just such a big discovery for me, and it was such a way that I think I found confidence in myself, and I found trust in myself, because I didn't think I could do it, and then I did.

Adar S: Makes sense, I can totally see that. Many of your followers say crafting with you feels calming and almost therapeutic. Has DIY ever helped you through a difficult or overwhelming season in your own life?

Cassidy Montalvo: Oh, every tough season. I think it's one of the few things I can do where my brain really has to focus on one thing, so it can't go in the 50 different directions it wants to go, because I feel like my brain is always going, and so the one thing that helps me hone in is when I'm doing a craft, because you have to really focus on the stitch you're doing, or what you're lining up, or what you're measuring, or if you're bedazzling, or what have you, that's where your focus is going. It's kind of the one thing that allows me to shut everything off and hone in on that. It's honestly gotten me through so, so much. Yeah, necessity, hobby, trend - it's kind of all of those things in one for me.

Adar S: That embodies social media in itself, right? Like, a lot of noise, a lot of distraction, a lot of different things that can easily steer you away, and next thing you know, you're focused on a million things for the next hour and a half. Now we're starting to see a return to custom-made and upcycled fashion on social media. Why do you feel that people are craving these “made-by-me” kind of pieces instead of fast fashion right now?

Cassidy Montalvo: People are craving individuality. I think fast fashion was more of a trend, and people thought it would become a lifestyle.  But what happened is, like, this effect where everyone started looking like everyone else, and we all got bored. I really do. I've never been a huge fan of, like, the monochrome neutral look, so I love this season we're going into of fashion with textures, patterns, and colors, because that's what the fashion world's moving towards with this huge surge of DIY. And I love it. I love watching people go into vintage stores and thrift stores and make things for themselves because they can't find what they want in stores, since everything looks the same. I really, really think that it's gonna have a huge shift in fast fashion and put a big damper on it, which I think obviously would be great for the environment. It's been really cool to see the change.

Adar S: Yeah, I agree, and I actually like that you mentioned that things are becoming more individualistic, and people are wanting to show their personality more instead of looking like everybody else. You've also built a community around what you're doing, and many in it often describe you as the “big sister” they never had. How intentional is that tone when you create content? And what does that role mean to you personally?

Cassidy Montalvo: I mean, honestly, it means the world. It wasn't intentional to begin with. I am a big sister; I have 5 sisters. So it's just very natural for me. My sisters and I grew up, again, in a very small house, so we were all very, very close. We were homeschooled, so we were together all the time and leaned on each other a lot. And so I think being a sister is just natural. And I've always been such a girl's girl, like, I would rather spend time with my girlfriends any day than do anything else, even if it's just sitting around doing a craft.

When COVID hit, and the only outlet I had to the outside world was social media, as it evolved into this community, that community became almost like a sisterhood to me. We were all going through this really tough time together. I was finding people for the first time that really had the same passions as me, and that's the cool thing about social media.

When you grow up in an area, you make great friends, but a lot of times, the friends you make are the ones who are there. So you find a connection, you find things you love together. But when you go into social media, and people start following you because they like your content, they have the same interests as you, it's like you're finding a community of people that get you. Building that sisterhood and that community became so special.

I can't imagine not having a big sister, so as people started DMing me, like, “oh, you're the big sister I never had,” or “I never had a sister to teach me this.” I would randomly mention what I think would be a very normal thing, and I would get DMs from girls being like, “I've never heard that. Like, you should wash your makeup brushes, wait, what?” And things like that, where I think it's so normal, but it's not for someone who didn't grow up with a big sister. That just really evolved again into what it is now, where I think it's just part of who I am. I'm a mom, so I have that side of it, and then I'm a big sister, and so creating a community that has really connected with the content I share really evolved into what it is now.

A big thing for me with building my community was that I never did giveaways, or like, “like my posts for these,” or anything like that, because I always wanted my community to be people who organically found me, enjoyed my content, and stuck around for that. Not because I, like, gave them a free Louis Vuitton bag for following me. That was really, really important to me as well, and so that's another thing that I think has made my community so special, is everyone who's there found me organically and has stayed organically. I will never change that.

Adar S: What's one of the most touching or surprising moments you've experienced from followers online sharing their creations with you?

Cassidy Montalvo: Oh my gosh, it is… honestly, it's always touching. Every time I get tagged in something, or someone takes something I've shared and makes it their own, and they share their story of how it gave them confidence.

I've had people tell me that doing the DIYs, hairstyles, or outfits I've shared has given them confidence they never thought they could have. Or it's gotten them through cancer treatment, or the loss of a loved one. I'm so thankful to have had a positive impact on so many people's lives; it honestly shocks me every time. I think it reminds me so much of why I get to do what I do, and why I do what I do. I mean, obviously, everyone gets discouraged, and everyone has bad days. I have a whole folder on my phone with screenshots of these messages I've gotten, and I just go back through them. It's always the most encouraging and special feeling, and even that someone took the time to share that personal life story with me.

Adar S: That's why I like to ask these kinds of questions, because when you think of someone who's a social media personality, they're always sharing content with the world. Some people don't even let others share with them, don't allow comments, or don't allow themselves to be tagged, right? I like to ask because, for those who do, they're not always sharing; sometimes they're receiving as well, and you seem like one of those people who doesn't want to just put their side out into the world.

Cassidy Montalvo: I understand protecting your peace, but I do think it's a shame if you built a community and you don't allow them to contact you. My content has fully evolved because of my community. I was doing hair tutorials, and then people started noticing my jewelry or my outfit, so I started sharing that. Then, a lot of the jewelry I was wearing I made, so I started sharing how I made it, and people would see my dogs or my kids in the background, so I started sharing that too. So it's evolved as my audience has asked, and that's also been a huge part of becoming a close community: listening to them, being in the comments, and being in the DMs. I mean, you can't… you're nothing without your followers. You need to kind of respect and listen to them in a lot of ways.

Adar S: Yeah, that makes sense. Earlier in the conversation, you mentioned that people might not enter the DIY space because they feel they're not artsy enough. And I can also see how DIY may feel intimidating for people who worry they're not artistic enough. What would you say to someone who loves your projects but feels scared to try?

Cassidy Montalvo: I think you put yourself in a box. You never know until you try. I'm not a naturally artistic human. Like, I can't draw to save my life. That's not something that comes naturally to me at all. When people are so focused on thinking they can do it, it's because they think they can't do it perfectly. You're never going to do it perfectly. Nothing I've ever done or shared has been perfect. There's always been mishaps. You gotta get yourself out of blocks. I tell people all the time: the only person stopping you is you, and the worst that happens is… you create something that sucks. I've done that millions of times and have created really cool things I never thought I could.

You gotta stop thinking it has to be perfect, or it has to look exactly like what you saw online. I've had people do my DIYs, and it didn't turn out the way they thought it would, but it turned out better. Like, I've had people who share things that they've done way better than me, and I'm like, “That was a great idea, I didn't even think of that!” Um, so, again, you never know until you start messing.

Adar S: Okay, last question. Do you believe that DIY fashion is a trend, or something that comes every so often, or do you think that we're witnessing a long-term cultural shift toward individuality and hands-on creativity?

Cassidy Montalvo: I don't think it's a trend. It's definitely a cultural shift. I think people want to feel connected. I think the world has become so mass-produced that handmade just feels so special now, and it creates such a sense of individuality. Now that we've lived in a world where that wasn't a thing, people miss it, and it's making such a quick surge back. It's not even been, like, a trickle. It's been such a quick, like huge mass re-culture shift that I just think it's here to stay for a while. With the mass-production world that we've experienced, which was a huge trend for the last 10 years, I think people miss that individuality. I think now that, again, we've lived without it, we… we want it back.

Photos courtesy of Cassidy Montalvo.