Meet the Makers


MEET THE DESIGNERS OF 

threaded stories 

 

Liz Williams - The Checkroom

The Checkroom designer, Liz Williams creates “Classic Inspired Statement Coats for Modern Women.” Liz's early career was spent behind the sewing machine learning and perfecting her craft. During these years she became increasingly shocked by the poor-quality products created by fast fashion chains and the exploitation of sweatshop labor. Through The Checkroom, Liz hopes to aid in the re-building of Chicago's once strong manufacturing roots while revitalizing the American supply chain.

 

Parron Edwards-Stimola - Parron Allen

Made to be centered as everyday statement pieces, Parron Allen's designs evoke a cohesive aesthetic of sophisticated whimsy and an attitude of resolute joy.

Parron Allen is the namesake clothing brand of Brooklyn-based designer Parron Edwards-Stimola, whose design vision is inspired by his childhood in Lexington, Mississippi.

Parron’s designs echo this joyous harmony of whimsy and practicality in a voice for the present moment, reclaiming sustainability as a part of his cultural heritage and designing inventive collections that incorporate fabric remnants, discarded textiles, and thrifted garments. Prior to founding his brand in 2021, Parron studied design in the US and UK and honed his skills at Vera Wang, Ellen Tracy, and Rebecca Taylor.

 

My Fall 2024 collection, Fable, embodies my love of folklore, which was instilled in me by my Mississippi boyhood and the ever-present mystery of the woods that surrounded my family home. Fable references characters from fairytales, including The Last Unicorn, Brer Fox and Chanticleer the Rooster, among others. The collection’s rich tones, mixed textures, embroideries, prints, and complex fabric pairings are selected to evoke the patchwork of folklore and the glimmers of unexpected romanticism.




Ernestine Fleming-Jones - EFJ Collections

Ernestine Fleming-Jones, a retired instrumental music educator, began sewing at the age of 14. Sewing and crafting became a lifelong interest. Throughout the years, Ernestine fine-tuned her sewing and design skills by attending many workshops, expos and classes throughout the city. Her greatest mentors include master tailor, Eric Styles and all of the fashion design professors at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in which she proudly completed and received a Fashion Design Certificate from SAIC.



Dunja Čiček - The Blue Passion

Born and raised in Croatia, Dunja embarked on a journey to the United States in 2014 to chase her dreams. She is weaving a world where women can uncover sartorial elegance, exquisite craftsmanship, and unique, one-of-a-kind garments. Her work seamlessly blends old-world tailoring techniques with a contemporary approach. Her mission is to provide women with the perfect fit, emphasizing quality and elegance, all while being in harmony with nature.

 

 

Lola Osire - Lola Élan Studio

Lola studied Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles, CA and completed her design residency with the Chicago Fashion Incubator at Macy's on State Street, Chicago, IL. Her design Aesthetic is a tribute to her Nigerian roots and Minneapolis, her hometown -- the uniqueness in her work exists in this blend of cultures.

 

Nana Okazaki Plotkin 

Nana is originally from Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, Nana moved to New York City. She is an experienced Pattern Maker and Technical Designer with a focus on contemporary womenswear, menswear, children clothing, and unique accessories.

 

 

Andrea Reynders  - Andrea Reynders 

Andrea Reynders has maintained a broad engagement with a range of fashion related

endeavors in her varied roles as designer, educator, curator, consultant, and mentor. Andrea’s most current work features contemporary garments under the Andrea Reynders label. The modern designs are linear and sculptural while classic. Some of the designs integrate repurposing. Her designs reflect and define the space between body and garment, dreams and reality and the relationship between our private worlds and our lived expressions of being. Andrea is one of the founders of we are MATERIAL, a collective of clothing and accessory designers who are committed to a creative practice that redefines the intersection of artisanal tradition with contemporary silhouettes.

 



Christy Metz

Christy Metz is a designer and stylist, specializing in floral design, interiors and fashion. 

Growing up in Colorado, she has always been drawn to the dynamic, natural beauty of the West and Southwest. This environment has influenced her sense of creative expression and personal style. A passion for seeking out and creating unique designs has led her to create this one-of-a-kind, vintage inspired jewelry collection. Each piece captures the character and patina of vintage style with a contemporary flare that evokes effortless elegance. The collection of these reimagined designs is a combination of antique charms, unique sterling silver chains, European crucifixes and Mexican silver.

 




Chelsey Carter-Sanders

Chelsey Carter-Sanders founder and CEO of the Alex Carter brand. After graduating from The Art Institute - Chicago, she launched the Alex Carter brand in 2015. Where she caters to customers who are risk-taking but appreciate edgy classics. Sanders has been featured in Vogue Italia, Elle, Chicago SunTimes, Modern Luxury, Covergirl of SPLASH and the Chicago Tribune. She was also a contestant on Bravo’s Season 18 of Project Runway. In addition to these press opportunities, Chelsey has also partnered with brands such as Lexus RX, Lululemon, Converse and HBO Max; to name a few. Chelsey is set on building a legacy of Classic American designs that stand the test of time and hopes to encourage all aspiring designers to do the same. Today, the Alex Carter brand is known for creating everyday clothes for not so everyday people—bridging the gap between simplicity and edge. 

 

One of our raison d’être is to gather a community of makers and friends and share their stories. We want to highlight the “who” behind the products and garments we sell in our shop.  We believe there is a story to be discovered behind each piece. 

   

Mary Catherine Sarna, 10Metal

I’ve always been a classic dresser and let my accessories do the talking. I inherited this wisdom from my magnificent mother, who was the ultimate lady.  A self proclaimed Pearl Girl, my personal style is reflected in each piece I create. A mix of gems, metals, beads and stones that aren’t commonly layered together-fearless yet refined. My philosophy is “Break a few rules and be yourself.”

As I collected pieces and traded stories with jewelry purveyors and artists from around the world, I was driven to create my own designs from this unconventional point of view. Your jewelry should complement your natural spirit, attitude and energy-not define it.
Andrea Reynders
Fashion designer Andrea Reynders has maintained a broad engagement with a
range of fashion related endeavors in her varied roles as designer, educator,
curator, consultant, and mentor. Reynders’ most current line features
contemporary coats, and shirts under the Andrea Reynders label. Her modern
designs while linear and sculptural are classic. Her designs reflect and define the
space between body and garment, dreams and reality and the relationship
between our private worlds and our lived expressions of being.

 

 

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Brenda Jones 

Bow Glassworks

cuddle + kind 

Ernestine Fleming Jones

Gillion Carrara 

Artist and educator Gillion Carrara embraces rich dualities in her work and her art. She is both a skilled artisan-designer whose elegant, minimalist women’s and men’s accessories, and tableware have received international acclaim. She is an educator who focuses on contemporary fashion and dress. Creating objects that are at once ornamental and functional, she maintains a workshop in Chicago and travels often to acquire materials and uncover found objects. She draws inspiration equally from the pure forms of architecture and the primal forms of nature. Carrara's singular, handcrafted jewelry pieces and tableware are constructed from bone, horn, wood, glass and Italian briar root, combined with silver, gold and differing metals. 

Grandmont Street

Henry Robinson 

Indie Pendant 

Anjali Raj is the designer and founder of Indie-Pendant.  Jewelry has been an everlasting love of hers from as far back as she can remember.  She did her Graduate Gemology through the Gemological Institute of America and decided to pursue the designing stream.  Her inspiration comes from her Mum and her husband, Ravi who convinced her to set up her design house of Indie-Pendant.  Anjali's beautiful pieces are now available in the shop.

Joanna Kramer

KMJ

Kiki’s Yarns 

Lola Elan

Made Here Chicago 

Cozy, at home wear that translates to street wear.  Nancy works with small local women's businesses for pattern making, sewing and selling.  For silks, she uses dyes from plants in her garden.  For this reason the label is MADE HERE.

Made In  

Michiko

Q: Tell us about what you do.
I graduated from Musashino Art University's Department of Spatial Design. Then, I graduated from the same university's Department of Industrial Design.  After that, because I liked fashion, I studied fashion design and draping. I founded MOYURU, which values free thinking.   The meaning of the brand name MOYURU is to constantly sprout and move forward.
Q: How long have you been following this passion?  
MOYURU was founded 30 years ago.
Q: Where do you currently reside?
Tokyo, Japan
Q: What is your brand philosophy?
360 degrees of beauty.  The main theme is the beauty of every angle, which allows you to enjoy different discoveries by changing your perspective.  The textiles and films that you wear as ART are stylishly and delicately expressed from any
 angle.  The textiles go beyond the characteristics of machines such as weaving and printing, and transform into lively, flexible, and energetic originals. Beauty is expressed by always considering and constructing simple and edgy designs.
Q: What is something others may not know about you?
There are 10 directly managed MOYURU stores in Japan.  I design all the stores myself, and I go to the factory to design and produce the store fixtures myself. I also makes the seasonal display objects. Making my life very busy!


Mya Lambrecht 

 

Parron Allen 

Made to be centered as everyday statement pieces, Parron Allen's designs evoke a cohesive aesthetic of sophisticated whimsy and an attitude of resolute joy.
 
Parron Allen is the namesake clothing brand of Brooklyn-based designer Parron Edwards-Stimola, whose design vision is inspired by his childhood in Lexington, Mississippi. Parron's grandmother, Momma Ruth, expressed her love by sewing dresses for the women in her family. Momma Ruth made dresses as so many Black women did—with whatever materials were available—creating beauty from remnants long before sustainability and up-cycling began their march toward the mainstream. 
 
Parron’s designs echo this joyous harmony of whimsy and practicality in a voice for the present moment, reclaiming sustainability as a part of his cultural heritage and designing inventive collections that incorporate fabric remnants, discarded textiles, and thrifted garments. Prior to founding his brand in 2021, Parron studied design in the US and UK and honed his skills at Vera Wang, Ellen Tracy, and Rebecca Taylor.

 

Qui Collection 

Pam Kendall, founder, and designer of Qui Collection, has a passion for all things vintage and the stories behind them. Pam’s new line of tees brings us back to a time when clothes weren’t disposable but instead treasured like a good story.

Growing up in a large family Pam always cherished her clothes (which were either hand-sewn by her mother, hand-me-downs from her sister or purchased on the once-a-year back-to-school shopping trip). As a mother of three, her two daughters even wore some of her childhood clothes and to this day, her daughters still love to shop her closet; they lovingly call her clothes-pam-me-downs.

Qui Collection believes that how a product is made and by whom matters. We honor the skills and livelihood of talented local artisans and sewists who work hard behind the scenes.

All of our items are made in the USA and crafted in small batches. We use sustainably sourced fabrics along with repurposed, reclaimed and vintage fabric. Our goal with every collection is to have zero waste in our production.

 

Salvage Cloth 

Salvage Cloth Studio is a Brooklyn-based clothing brand with a focus on eco-friendly and sustainable production. Designer Carie Evans weaves together seasonal colors and global inspiration with her first true passion of vintage clothing to intricately design and responsibly craft modern womenswear.

SOS PJ’s 

This passion project started while on a girls trip to India for Dee De Martin and her friends 50th birthdays.  She works with a co-op that provides free French tailoring lessons and shelter to the homeless in India.  Once trained, they have the opportunity to stay and become employees or move on to other employment.  Dee Dee is a part of Chicago Fair Trade as she believes that everyone who touches their garments should be paid a proper wage and empowered to help others.

 

Steve Kagan 

 

 

Tatine 

 Margo Breznik, Founder + Creative Director of Tatine, launched her company in 2001 as a way to express her inspirations and impart her passion for creating interior atmospheres that inspire, deepen, and enhance your surroundings. Her designs and bespoke fragrance blends are an expression of what she is feeling, thinking, and inspired by at any given time. Drawing solely on music which, to Margo, is the highest of all art forms, she also culls inspiration from her travels, hoping to impart those small magic moments that traveling brings into our lives. She is also influenced by interior design and creating inspiring atmospheres where people immediately feel at ease, passing that special feeling on through Tatine's products. Inspiration can come from anywhere, be it haute couture, a runway show, a song lyric, a well designed menu, or a moment in time. Margo creates from a personal and emotional place. As Tatine celebrates 20 years, Margo continues to place meaning in the small details, slow design, hand craftsmanship, and imparting soul through each piece. Everything is created to impart wonder, a sense of quality, and the quiet but evocative message of the handmade.

The Blue Passion 

Born and raised in Croatia, Dunja always had her eyes set on tailoring. Her mother was a seamstress in a menswear suiting company, and Dunja would spend hours looking through different suit manuals that her mother would bring home from work. Even though she pursued a fashion design school, tailoring was always her favorite. In 2014, she moved to the USA to search for more options and a better quality of life. 

During college in the USA, she is pursuing tailoring and decided to mainly focus on that direction. In her work, Dunja is mixing old-world tailoring techniques with the modern approach. 
Creating for women who are passionate about life. Her new label, "The Blue Passion" is purposely driven to change the mindset of the industry and focus on quality, seasonless garments that are also in harmony with nature. Using natural and upcycling materials, she is on the mission to simplify womens wardrobe and provide women with the right fit. 
Creating a space for women to be themselves, no matter what season of life they are going through. Space where they can express their soul and have sartorial garments that fit their individuality. Women are not one size fits all, and one trend fits all. We are so much more.

 

 

The Coat Checkroom

Tila & the Textiles

Tilly Doro

Volta Atelier 

Fernanda Daudt and her team make up-cycled leather handbags that are hand-stitched by refugee women.  She gets her inspiration from having witnessed so much waste in the leather goods industry and working closely with an NGO that welcomes refugees.  All of which made her feel that she could do something to tackle both problems through fashion.  Fernanda is also influenced by her grandmothers, that were both into fashion and craftsmanship arts, and her mother, a Philosopher whose volunteer work would be making and mending clothing.  Their lessons on how to sew, knit, crochet and style were always fun and therapeutic to her.  Volta Atelier bags are designed in an array of coveted colors, styles and sizes. 

Workshop Apothecary 

Tanya Tucci is an Oncology Massage Therapist by day and a soap maker at night.  She started making soap in 2009 using Converse shoe boxes lined with wax paper as her form of making soap loaves.  Tanya became interested in making all natural products due to the severity that radiation and chemotherapy can cause on the skin.  She is known for her 1951 soap truck!  You can find her locally at street fairs and at our shop from time to time.