Meet Critter Fink: Writer & Closet Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Critter Fink and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Critter, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I saw no other path to the future. I would force myself to think about becoming an economist or an urban planner or some other normal, but different job. Those moments at graduation parties and funerals– when someone asks you what you want to with your life– I always wanted to have an answer that people would fawn over. Walk away from the conversation knowing that I was headed down the right path. But it was always just an answer to end the conversation. I decided to fully pursue a creative career when I decided I wanted to dream about the future. And I won’t let go of that liberation. I wake up every day and make jewelry, write down my thoughts and my needs, put on clothing that I made or reimagined. I don’t have a simple answer for other people’s parents about what I do, but I wake up every day and get to keep dreaming. And that’s all I ever needed out of life.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started The Clothing Detailers with many ideas and very little focus. I found out very quickly that I can’t do everything all at once, so for now, TCD is a styling service focused on utilizing client’s pre-existing wardrobe in new ways and a virtual storefront selling vintage/upcycled jewelry and clothing. I’ll be re-launching theclothingdetailers.com in early June!

My business officially started a few years ago at my twenty-second birthday party. I was standing on the ottoman in my living room with all of my friends and announced the launch of “critter fink fashion.” What was it exactly? I don’t really know, an Instagram account that I locked myself out of after a few months, might be the shortest answer. It was my first attempt at anything in the fashion world and I had a great time taking pictures and styling outfits for it. I love the phrase “fail faster.” I keep trying and if something doesn’t work for me I move on pretty quickly. I adjust. I experiment. I ask questions and then rephrase the question and answer it again. I couldn’t find a purpose out of simply posting pictures of my outfits on Instagram. Then, in early 2020, I started playing with the idea of leaving my job at a clothing store to start my own business. And then I did it. I started TCD as a closet organizing service in February 2020 and I had a huge client immediately. I was excited and focused on closet organizing and could feel myself building momentum and then, well, you know what happens next. I tried virtual organizing and it didn’t work for me. I could feel the excitement drain from my body every time I attempted to recreate my vision virtually. I should have focused on writing during the pandemic, but I didn’t want to write about all of the awful suffering and I couldn’t find joy.

By the summer of 2020, I needed to do something, and I started making jewelry again. I’ve always made necklaces for myself, but I posted a few and quickly found myself flooded with orders. It wasn’t where I started, but I rode the wave. I made good money selling jewelry on Twitter and Instagram and it kept growing. I let myself get more creative with the pieces and it just kept getting bigger. I don’t buy any new materials for my stuff, I buy bulk costume and vintage jewelry and remake it into wearable art. It’s sustainable and produces one of a kind pieces. I’m expanding into doing the same thing with clothing. Now that I’m fully vaccinated, I finally feel comfortable launching my Closet Therapy services in-person. I realized it’s hard to do something virtually if you have not done it a lot in person, I want to offer virtual services in the future, but I need to get my feet wet first. Right now, I’m hyper-focused on my new collection coming out in June and redesigning my website. I’m incorporating my writing into the site and completely changing how I release new items (lesson learned, I cannot beat the Instagram algorithm. I have to respect, fear, and play its games). My vision is to build a store that sells redesigned clothing and jewelry from all types of artists, for now, it’s just me.

I learned so much in 2020, but my biggest lesson was inaction leads to nothing, action leads to something. It sounds so ungodly simple to type it out like that, but I love to mull and worry. Worrying about everything that could go wrong leads to nothing. Watching everything go wrong and learning from it leaves you with a tangible life experience. I never wish to go back and change anything, I just remember what I did wrong and try not to repeat it. I hope people will follow along with me as I push for sustainable options in the fashion industry, better exposure for all body types, and TCD might look different a year from now, but I’m here now, ready to style the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am self-admitted shopaholic, so I would be at every vintage and resale shop in town. I’m based in Pittsburgh at the moment and my favorites are Three Rivers Vintage, the Antique Mall at the Ohio River, and wayyyyy out of town closer to my hometown, The Printer’s Cabinet and Curiosities (well worth the drive). I also very firmly believe in lounging around interesting places. My go-to spot this summer has been Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park, spend the day at Phipps Botanical Gardens and then lounge on some delightful grass. The Carnegie Library is also a great lounge spot and they have a hidden window where you can see into the dinosaur exhibit at the natural history museum. The Mattress Factory and the Warhol are both excellent museum stops. I’m a terrible person to go out to eat with because I go to the same two restaurants, but if you’re in Pittsburgh, you must go get a grilled cheese from Chantal’s Cheese Shop, thank me later. And if you need a drink and some karaoke, I’ve never had a bad time at P-Town (small gay dive bar in PGH, no relation to Provincetown).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to say thank you to my mom here. She’s a doctor and has had an unimaginable year with the pandemic. Huge thank you to her and all frontline medical workers because I legitimately cannot fathom how difficult this experience must have been. When she went through her schooling, it was a clear path to her end goal. She allowed me to have a less linear life and encouraged me to do so. I tried so hard to avoid a creative career and pursue something simpler, but never let me forget my dreams. Life is always easier when your mom supports and loves you unconditionally and I’m so grateful to have felt that my entire life. And she was my first fashion icon; she showed me how to be the best dressed person in the room and to always buy the shoes. I would not have been able to see my own dreams without her support.

Website: theclothingdetailers.com

Instagram: personal @finkyouup // storefront @TCD_shop

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-fink859aa186

Image Credits
Madison Vaughan (silver suit + cowboy hat) Ashlee Keeney (pink) Rocky Markulin (red harness) Critter Fink (jewelry)