Royal Oak resident and budding entrepreneur Dijana Bucalo has combined two passions—family and fashion—to create a business called Dijana Creative Sewing and Embrodiery. The store, located in Midtown, in the heart of Detroit, offers custom handmade men's and women's clothing.
For all of her life, Bucalo has wanted to create clothing. Her fashion aspirations sprouted when she was a child in Bosnia as she and her sister learned to sew from their mother. There they would find clothes they liked in magazines and try to recreate them.
“Making the clothing was a way to challenge ourselves,” Bucalo explained.
A former refugee of the Bosnian War, Bucalo’s knack for embracing challenges has kept her dream alive in the face of great hardship. After the displacement that sent her to a refugee camp, Bucalo immigrated to the United States in 1996 with her husband and 8-year-old daughter with only $100. She spoke no English.
Working at a swimsuit manufacturer, Bucalo had to adjust to the English vernacular of the textile industry and learn on the job how “to speak and understand…just plain English.” While doing so, over the years, Bucalo raised her daughter and started her own sewing business at home.
Bucalo grew her small company enough to move it in 2012 out of her home and into a storefront at Midtown’s International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit. She attributes that big leap to her encouraging customers, saying “My customers gave me the confidence to do this.”
With a new space and a growing customer base, Bucalo needed to expand her business knowledge. Like many entrepreneurs, however, she did not have much time or money to devote to going to school. That is when she learned about the ACCESS Growth Center.
"ACCESS was a godsend; it was like winning the lottery," she said.
Dijana signed up for training through the Immigrant Entrepreneur Development Program's IGNITE course. The advanced business training course helps immigrant entrepreneurs and other business-minded individuals develop marketing, branding and customer service plans, while connecting them with financial resources, investors and support from local industry representatives.
Dijana's mission is to change the way people clothe themselves by offering a variety of locally-made products. To date, her business has attracted several prominent companies in Michigan, including Detroit Circus, Flanagan-O'Hare School of Irish Dance and Madame Cadillac Dance Studio.
Dijana is currently working with IGNITE business coaches to develop a marketing plan and will soon be hiring employees.
"I want to be someone that other immigrants look up to and can help in any possible way," she said.
For more information on Dijana, visit her Facebook page online.
