Meet the Green Queen of Fashion, Deborah Lindquist

Deborah Lindquist learned to sew on a treadle machine at her grandmother's side on a Minnesota farm. By age five, she was already working with fabrics and hand stitching, skills taught by her grandmother, a professional seamstress. That early exposure to making things by hand, combined with growing up in a rural environment where nothing went to waste, shaped how she would later approach design. The farm upbringing gave her an understanding of materials and their potential that went beyond typical fashion training.

After studying at the University of Minnesota and Parsons School of Design in New York, Lindquist started her brand in 1983 with belts and jewelry made from vintage leathers and salvaged trim. The first belt set the template for what followed: taking discarded or overlooked materials and turning them into something worth wearing. She worked with materials that most designers would pass over, seeing possibilities in worn leather, vintage trims, and fabrics with history already woven into them.

When she relocated to Los Angeles in 1989, she expanded into clothing. Her pieces used vintage curtain fabrics, sari remnants, jacquards, and floral barkcloth sourced from thrift stores and estate sales. Each jacket, bustier, and vest was unique, mixing textures and colors in unexpected combinations. The Los Angeles move proved significant for her business. Boutiques around the world began carrying her work, and musicians including Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Paula Abdul wore her designs. The performer clientele helped establish her reputation for creating pieces that worked both as fashion and as stage wear.

Lindquist became particularly known for transforming secondhand cashmere sweaters through hand-cut appliqués, embroidery, and detailed stitching. She developed techniques for deconstructing these sweaters and rebuilding them into entirely new garments. Over time, she incorporated hemp, organic cotton, modal, deadstock fabrics, and retired military parachutes into her work. The military parachutes, in particular, became a signature material because of their durability and the richness of their colors. The resulting garments, ranging from skirts to gowns to jackets, are labor-intensive and visually layered. Each piece can take dozens of hours to complete, depending on the complexity of the embellishment and construction.

Her studio has maintained a consistent approach: treating each material as though it has value and history. Every garment requires significant time and handwork, a deliberate counterpoint to mass production. Lindquist has said she sees her role as revealing what a piece of fabric can become rather than imposing something onto it. This philosophy extends to how she sources materials. She spends considerable time hunting for the right fabrics, often purchasing items that others might overlook because they see the potential for transformation. Vintage stores, estate sales, and textile suppliers all factor into her sourcing process.

The process itself is highly hands-on. Lindquist does much of the work herself, from initial design concepts through final construction. She cuts, stitches, and embellishes each piece, making decisions about placement and composition as she works. This approach means production is necessarily limited. She cannot produce garments in large quantities, which has kept her work in the category of small-batch, artisan fashion rather than commercial ready-to-wear.

In addition to designing, Lindquist now teaches online courses in eco-conscious design and fabric embellishment. The curriculum covers appliqué, beading, reverse appliqué, and methods for sourcing and working with upcycled textiles. She also offers mentored courses with coaching calls for students who want more direct guidance on technique and creative decision-making. The teaching component has become a significant part of her practice, allowing her to share techniques she has developed over decades of working with unusual materials.

Lindquist has been working in fashion for more than forty years without significant shifts in her core approach. She has built a practice around repurposing materials that might otherwise be discarded, using traditional techniques like embroidery and appliqué to create garments that stand apart from commercial production. The work is slow, detailed, and rooted in the belief that constraints can drive creativity rather than limit it. Her career demonstrates that it is possible to maintain a design practice focused on craftsmanship and sustainability while building a recognizable brand and clientele.