South African illustrator and designer Heather Moore is truly a self-made woman.  Her line, Skinny laMinx, has grown leaps and bounds since she began it as an experiment in 2006. Looking to move away from a particular kind of illustration work she’d been doing, she learned to screen-print and sew and experimented with all kinds of materials.

She blogged about her projects and sold her designs through Etsy and before she knew it, she was receiving wholesale orders. It’s all history from there, as Moore’s business has flourished to include her own retail showroom, licensed designs and more. Her conversational and friendly twitter feed is full of personality and is a great place to stay abreast of her work and adventures as she shares quips about her daily life as well as championing the good work of fellow designers and artists.

For more info, check out Rena Tom.