By Kimberly Mortson
OBSERVER CORRESPONDENT
Aladdin may have been best known for his magic carpet, but for Michele Kramp it’s her magic bags.
A textile artist from Canton, Kramp has been designing one-of-a-kind handbags since 2003 under the name The Magic Bag Lady. Unconventional designs, recycled fabrics and unique embellishments are all trademarks of her custom handbags.
Born in Redford, Kramp moved to Canton with her parents, James and Georgette Craig, when she was 10 years old. Kramp says both of her parents encouraged her creativity at a very young age.
“My mom taught us to knit, crochet and sew. She’s a strong, self-motivated woman and took great pride in how her three daughters looked growing up. From our hair to all the clothes she made us – we always looked so neat and put together,” said Kramp.
When she was in elementary school, Kramp first tried her hand at sewing by making her own doll clothes. After graduating from Plymouth Canton High School, she earned a degree in apparel design and merchandising from Wayne State University.
“It was my dad who encouraged my love of drawing, which I refined in college,” Kram said. “He allowed me to use his drafting tools and made sure my school projects were done well. He had high standards for all his daughters. He would say, if you have the proper tools use them, no excuses.”
In addition to drawing, Kramp took fine tailoring classes at WSU, where she learned all the old-school techniques, such as welt pockets, hand-sewn buttonholes and draping.
“I became even more proficient when I used those skills everyday working for a couple of local tailors,” she said. “Tailoring is much more mechanical and structural in nature but my sewing skills were so much better by the time I left.”
View remainder of the story by clicking here.
Category Women's Clothing | 0 Comments »Sites showcase mix-and-match couture
Clothes shoppers create own pieces
By Erin Weinger
Los Angeles Times
Custom fashion once required a meeting in Karl Lagerfeld’s atelier. Now all you need is a WiFi connection.
Cyber shops allow shoppers to personalize clothes and accessories from a palette of options. We’re not talking about sketched-from-scratch couture. These predesigned goods only become “custom” when set options are changed – you pick a shoe sole from a lineup or a dress fabric from swatches.
But if you’re looking to take customization beyond the monogrammed tote, mix-and-match Web sites may be the ticket.
I surfed several sites that let shoppers personalize handbags, sandals and even a swanky cocktail dress down to the tiniest detail. Some were more user-friendly – and fashion-forward – than others.
Click here to see the rest of the article that reviews StyleShake.com (skirts and dresses), LandsEnd.com (pants), Freddyandma.com (custom bags), and DressMonkey.com (men’s jackets).
Category Men's Suits, Women's Clothing | 0 Comments »While not exactly custom clothing, there are schools that allow a customer to place an order online and request their favorite school logo.
An example of this new ordering system is being utilized by Arizona State University. Their school mascot is a devil. Not exactly what everyone would want on their shirt – so you can pick from a variety of logo options on ASU’s custom clothing website at http://www.mygarb.com/asu.
The custom logo ordering system is powered by MyGarb, Inc. MyGarb.com gives a person the ability to:
1) See the finished apparel item complete with the logo they have selected
2) Produce only the item selected (no minimum orders); and
3) Send the single item to the single customer.
In other words, MyGarb, Inc. allows for one unique item to be sent to one unique customer.
The MyGarb, Inc. website (MyGarb.com) features a listing of schools they manufacturer for. The website also lists a number of other organizations that use their services.
Category Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
