We love these absolutely adorable Buddy sweatshirts by L.A. designer Violet Valen. Every shirt is one-of-a-kind and handmade: it's like a wearable work of art and a friendly teddy bear all rolled into one piece of clothing! Violet often incorporates vintage fabrics into her designs, and she recently told us all about her love of thrifting.

What inspires your work? I'm inspired a lot by my trips to Tokyo. People there are very fashion forward, they aren't afraid to be daring and have fun with it.

Who are your favorite designers? Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano, there both experimental and whimsical.

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves? I can't go without my brightening facial balm by Boots. Right now, my fashion faves are soft, thinned out vintage tees and my white cowboy boots I picked up in Harajuku. I rarely buy new clothes though. 9 times out of 10, you'll find me thrifting. Vintage coats are my other weakness, which is ironic because it's never cold in LA.

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers? Create from your heart, you'll be the happiest.

Where can people find your work? You can see my latest collection on my website, violetvalen.com, and it's for sale on Shopflick.com.

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there and we wanted to find out more about what makes these creative types tick. If you do too, check out more of our Indie Designer Interviews.