My Grandmother’s Influence
From a young age, my grandmother introduced me to the charm, magic, and class of vintage clothing.
She taught me how to sew, shared stories, and passed down knowledge about the silhouettes, fabrics, and details that defined different eras. Our shared love for fashion became a special language between us, and one that inspired and shaped my understanding of beauty, function, and storytelling through clothing.
Many of my favorite memories are the days I spent sewing with her, playing dress-up in her old clothes, listening to her childhood stories, and looking through her old photos.
Looking through her old photos has always been a consistent activity for me, and remains to be to this day. It’s where I get most of my inspiration, along with all of her vintage sewing patterns, of course.
When I was younger and began to mentally archive all of her old photographs, every time I saw a picture of her when she was young, I would say that I needed what she was wearing, and wonder why we don’t make clothes like that anymore. It sparked a passion in me.
My great-grandmother would make all of my grandmother’s and her sisters’ dresses, including my favorite: the yellow ballgown my grandmother wore to her high school prom (with my grandpa) that instilled the beauty, timelessness, whimsy, emotion, and heritage of fashion in me at a young age.
Growing up, I would dress up in my grandmother’s old 1950s gowns and housecoats, wear her high heels, and try on my great-grandmother’s hats from the 1920s and 1930s as I strutted down her hallway like it was a catwalk.
Going through childhood learning about the care, intention, and craftsmanship my great-grandmother poured into every garment held a profound impact on my personal development and career goals.
My great-grandmother was a designer at heart, and my grandmother, known by those who love her as Lulu, always wanted to be one too. She drew fashion illustrations throughout high school and went on to work in painting and other artistic fields.
Pursuing an education in fashion feels like something bigger than myself. It feels as though I am finally able to achieve what the women before me were passionate about and talented in, but never had the opportunity to fully pursue. This drives me every day and pushes me to pursue theirs and my own biggest dreams, work hard to make an impact, and continue growing, learning, and leading change and impact in the fashion industry.
Knowing that I am making them both proud and working toward a dream we all shared has shaped me into the motivated, ambitious, and persistent person I am today.
My Lulu sparked my love for vintage and historic garments, and for the stories and craftsmanship behind clothing. It is the foundation of my drive to make the fashion industry better, to make it more intentional, conscious, and functional in its approach to design, textiles, and quality.