About

Lydia Crespo is an artist and owner of two small businesses located in St. Charles, MO - Cozy Shop and Argaman&Defiance. Lydia is passionate about small business and uses her skills in fine art, communication, and marketing to build and strengthen her community.

Argaman&Defiance is a surface design studio located in St. Charles, MO.

Lydia Crespo attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) graduating in 2010. She received the James Nelson Raymond Fellowship from SAIC upon graduation. Crespo used the funds from the fellowship to start her business, Argaman&Defiance. 

Crespo is a two time published author. Her design work as been recognized through awards, fellowships, and scholarships. Please see CV for full list. 

In 2018, the Argaman&Defiance studio moved to the Foundry Art Centre located in St. Charles, MO.

In 2019 Crespo opened brick + mortar, Cozy Shop, a place to find the best handmade products produced in the Midwest. Visit the Cozy Shop just a few blocks south of her studio at 338 S. Main Street in St. Charles, MO.

 Argaman&Defiance collection is available in over 300 boutiques throughout the US. A&D has designed for Urban Outfitters, West Elm, Target, and Google, H&M, and Paramount Plus.

Crespo has featured on Show Me St. Louis, NBC Morning Chicago, WGN's Around Town Chicago, and Craft Room Crash speaking about her collection. Most recently Argaman&Defiance was highlighted in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Made in St. Louis", Design STL "A Day in the Life", Chicago Magazine “Best of Chicago”, Chicago Tribune “16 Things We Love”, and marthastewart.com. Listen to Crespo on S2 Episode 11 and S3 Episode 1 of the Go-Forth Podcast, and Episode 3 of the Creative Living Podcast. 

 In her spare time, Crespo writes about the creative process and cultivates her creative community. She encourages everyone to stay curious. 

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Lydia Crespo - lydia@argamandefiance.com