Meet Ashton | Fiber Artist

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

Hi Ashton, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m from Los Angeles and Orange County — born in LA, kindergarten through high school in Orange County; while living in LA throughout most of it. Growing up in Orange County as a black girl was quite an experience! I’d like to say that I couldn’t imagine what it would be like in 2025, but I can. Although I wasn’t exactly an outcast, I definitely felt marginalized it times. This had a huge impact on who I am today — I try my best to make those around me feel included and validated in whatever space we occupy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always like creating art in many mediums, but nothing really stuck until I started to crochet during the pandemic. My grandma taught me to crochet when I was young, but I’d just make a hat or two every so often. As the lockdown progressed, I quickly grew tired of watching TV, and read through all of the books on my shelf. What else was a girl to do!? I went rummaging through some of my things and found some nice yarn — I made a few beanies, and like that the yarn was gone. I liked the yarn I found in my stash, so I looked into where I could find some more. Before I knew it, I had a whole Ikea kallax fixture full of yarn, with no plan in sight. Eventually I got tired of making beanies, and additionally ran out of people to give them to. I started to look up patterns online, and make different things by assembling multiple squares to start my journey into creating apparel. I’d always wanted to attend fashion school — I couldn’t sew to save my life, but I always felt such gratification after creating something I could wear. After crocheting some pieces that (I think) were hardly wearable, I started to get the hang of it and really churn out some things that I was proud of.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I spent my late teens and twenties in Northeast LA (Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Silverlake, Los Feliz), and it is probably my favorite part of the city. Goldline in Highland Park is always a good time, they spin vinyl every night and have quite a collection on display above the bar. For food — Happy Family in Monterey Park has the most delicious vegan and vegetarian AUTHENTIC Chinese food. Another great Chinese food spot (for omnivores) is Eagle Rock Green Dragon. If we get tired of Chinese food, you can throw a rock in any direction and find a great food truck on the street. We would definitely hit up some museums and galleries — the Norton Simon Museum might be my favorite. MOCA (both locations) and the Broad are great too. LA is a great destination for live comedy — there’s always a good show on any given night.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shoutout my maternal side of the family! The phrase “it takes a village” really rang true in my upbringing — I was raised by my mom, two of her sisters, and my grandma. My mom’s side of the family is from Belize — My grandma taught me how to crochet, so I thought it only fitting to name my business after something that would pay homage to her and my cultural background. “Belikin” is the old Mayan name for present-day Belize.

Website: https://BelikinCollective.etsy.com

Instagram: @belikin.co