designers

Coco Chanel, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and more—explore who has influenced the world of fashion the most, and who might be the next big name.

Foxy D
To say I was born sewing would be a completely accurate overstatement. But I truly don't remember learning to; I’ve just always known how. I'm sure my mom taught me, as did her mother with her, and great-granny with gran. My mother (a stay-at-home mom the first several years of my life) would fashion a whole wardrobe for my twin sister and me, creating these adorable two-pieces, Easter and first communion dresses, and sometimes would make herself one to match us. We still dress alike, usually in something we made, for her birthday. Mending and darning are second nature to me, and I’m always surprised at others' awe for this so-called “talent” I innately possess, like blinking. It started with sewing by hand—costumes, outfits, doll clothes--then I made my first dress on a sewing machine my third year in college. Sis and I have created some art. Inspired by the urge to be unique in a world full of alikeness, we've embraced using avant-garde mediums like beads and dimes to design our couture. But the truth is, I don't actually like to sew; I like the end result. The ability to make my heart's desire and wildest fantasies into a reality with my bare hands is sometimes intoxicating. There's no greater feeling. To be honest, sewing gives me anxiety. Measure twice, cut once makes me procrastinate a project far longer than it usually takes to make it. My worst nightmare came true working on my most favorite project to date, my grandmother's 80th birthday dress. But back to that in a minute...
By Lisa Kindred5 years ago in Styled
Harlem Hat Queen
As a little girl growing up in Alabama in the 60's, I was fascinated with fashion, especially hats. I was 6 years old and my feet just barely touched the pedal on my grandmothers old Singer sewing machine.
By Evetta Petty5 years ago in Styled
A Message To The World
Creating is allowing yourself to freely express the craziness that exists inside your mind. The ability to put your thoughts and emotions into a project means there a piece of you in everything you create. The curious mind running wild inside you to the point it becomes necessary to free up some space in your head through any form of art. I love the idea of having a 3-dimensional piece that can be touched, worn and smelt formed by my ideas, thoughts and emotions and having the ability to introduce myself through this form of art makes it that much more enjoyable.
By Hena Begum5 years ago in Styled
A Stroke of Genius
It was a normal Saturday morning. August 8th, 2020. I had no real plans except to lie in bed and watch television after a very long work week.
By Shelby Rider5 years ago in Styled
The Final Cut
She had been sent to the Garment District many times before, but never to this vendor. This was a new one and she knew what she was picking up was important. They were only hours away from the runway show and still had so much to do, things moving in every direction. That’s the way fashion was, and she quickly realized this at the very start of this internship.
By Emily Reinhart5 years ago in Styled
Petal Zen
PETAL ZEN-THE YEAR OF THE SCISSOR It has been a strange year. It was certainly a year of social isolation and a time of "lost and found" for many. For some, it was a year we learned to bake bread or make a mean cocktail. It was the year we were not able to be together for the holidays. In our textile studio, it was a Year for Scissors.
By Kate Beck5 years ago in Styled
Fashion, Feminity, and the Future
I work in the creative career of confidence, empowering women to be the best version of themselves. Striving to be the best version of ourselves allows us to be of service to the world. I inadvertently developed this mindset from the courageous and majestic women in my life, who inspire my work as a fashion designer.
By Ameena Abdul-Hakeem5 years ago in Styled
Blood, Sweat, and Shears
I was given my first pair of Fiskar scissors in the early 1970's. I was a budding seamstress and I loved the way that they sliced neatly through the doubled layer of carefully chosen fabric and felt so light and manageable in my small hands.. A good pair of scissors is the most critical tool for a seamstress. They have to take the fabric as it sits, not displace it forward like a wave.
By Jennifer Gonsalves5 years ago in Styled
Different Time Better Fit
Have you ever felt that you belong in a different time? I feel that way every day of my life. I don’t fit in. I’m an introvert; a natural born socially distanced, shy and barely a member of today’s society, weirdo.
By Cameron Hampton5 years ago in Styled
Making The Fit: Series
When I decided to push Abydis out there I was really nervous yet hopeful. I am very hopeful. This push is different because I was creating a series to show my work on a model in efforts to get some much needed sales, finally. I had been really working on the idea of a series after lightly and not so quietly, Instagram stalking a store that was doing the same thing. The store was sleek, pretty, and felt like somewhere my clothes could one day be located, hence my stalking efforts. I came across them (name changed for identity), Debbie Allena about a year ago and fell in strong like with the presentation and the presenter. Debbie Allena talks about a few pieces at a time, how much they are and how you should get there to purchase. I watched almost every episode to understand the store and continually see Abydis Clothing (my line name) as a new designer in their lineup. As I watched I thought, maybe I could do the same thing to get a buzz going and become interesting for the store. With that in mind, I wrote up a plan for my new series, The Fit. My series would talk about 1 outfit, a to z and when it would be available to you. Perfect. I went to work deciding which outfit to start with and how the layout and script would run. With Debbie Allena in my mind, I felt I had a sound example. I also found that writing about a garment and being sure to keep my personality and the interest paramount was a little tough. I had to go back to the 4 questions of what I wanted to say: Who am I? What is this? What’s the outfit? When can they get it? These 4 questions helped me stay on track and build something I thought was so fun and a bit out of my comfort zone. Yay for that. I even did a drawing of 4 frames for the set idea. True artist at work here. I thought out 3 episodes and called my models, who, to my surprise, were excited about The Fit also. And then came episode 1. My first model allowed me to record at her home using her background which made everything very professional. I had my script ready and a dry board to write it on. This first episode was so special to me because I was speaking right to my client, really. Looking in her eyes, describing something I wanted to make her. Yeah. As I introduced myself, the series, the model and garment, my close was to let the ladies know that these two hands made this garment just for them. A personal invitation that I thought would lead to new sales. It did! I sold 2 in 30 minutes of it going live; a feat I hadn't accomplished before. Man, this is nice! A few days later I went to work on my ORDERS with that personal statement to them in mind. I had to make each one as perfect as I could just for them. As I stressed about each stitch and seam the orders were complete and ready for delivery. I even had an end date and quantity limit to encourage exclusivity. Everyone wants something exclusive. I kept the video up and dresses active on my etsy page for 2 weeks before the next episode of The Fit was due. Now episode 2 and I was just as excited about it as the first; maybe even more. I'm a series vet now. In this episode, I discussed a summer-ready top and skirt that is worn by one of my sexier sized models. This one was made just for her. There go those exclusivity and personal factors I wanted. In describing my outfit I felt again engaged and looking forward to my ladies having something special made by Abydis Clothing. My attempt to appeal to them honestly again led to a sale. Hurray. Now I am armed with a brand new sale and a hope for more. Three sales I didn’t have before. Three sales and three new closets to grace. Installment three, here we come.
By Samantha 5 years ago in Styled
Reworked Clothing: Combining Creative Design and Sustainability.
On my seventh birthday, I was given my first ever sewing machine. It was a little, pink, plastic thing with a mini foot pedal and everything. I remember sitting on the floor by my nana, who in contrast was sewing on a big industrial machine, and cutting out her leftover scraps only to sew them back together with my wonky stitching. My first creation was a 'skirt' for my mum (aka a tiny tube of fabric made up of random fabric scraps I found laying around) and ever since then, I've been hooked.
By Emma Naughton5 years ago in Styled
Fashion Designer
Hello, I go by Elijah, and I'm a self taught fashion designer from Chicago. My passion is designing custom clothing, accessories, sneakers, etc. With so many ideas that comes to mind I get to create a new product each day. It can become overwhelming at times because I try to push out all of my ideas but, I'm just one person so I take my time. My inspiration comes from many things wether that's going out into nature, what the weather feels like, or what I may see in stores or magazines. But truly my inspiration derives from my childhood when my mom would always dressed my twin and I in matching clothing which then became a fashion statement as we got order in age and carried it through highschool.
By Eli Daprofet5 years ago in Styled