I began Dreaming Amelia Designs in Portland in 2008 as a dancewear and dance costuming creative adventure. After 10 years of applying a fashion-based approach to costuming, I decided to move beyond the dance world and expand my handmade creations into a growing streetwear collection. The resulting clothing line mixes the drama of dancewear with the super-casual, quirky style of the Pacific Northwest. My design aesthetic is inspired by edgy minimalism, asymmetry, curved lines and how they interact with the curves of the body, shapes and patterns I find on long nature walks… and, of course, the need for clothes to be ultra-comfy and wearable.
Each piece is carefully handcrafted with quality, fit and comfort in mind. I hope you will love wearing your Dreaming Amelia clothing as much as I love creating it!
I am also deeply committed to making Dreaming Amelia a sustainable brand at multiple levels.
Slow fashion and sustainability:
Fashion is one of the most wasteful industries on the planet. In the US alone, 26 billion pounds of low quality, disposable “fast fashion” garments are dumped in the landfill each year. The environmental impact of manufacturing that much clothing is equally staggering. The fashion industry produces 5% of the world’s greenhouse gases and is a massive contributor to pollution and global climate change. This model is so destructive and has to change.
Dreaming Amelia Designs is a slow fashion brand. This means I strive to reduce waste, limit the environmental impact of creating my clothing line and provide you a lasting collection of clothing that you will love for years.
Dreaming Amelia's sustainability practice:
Eco-friendly fabrics: I use eco-friendly fabrics for the streetwear collection, including bamboo rayon and bamboo rayon/organic cotton blends. Bamboo as a crop requires no pesticides, very little irrigation and regenerates in just 55 days making it a highly sustainable source material for fabric.
Clothing that lasts: The bamboo rayon fabrics used for the streetwear collection are not only some of the most luxurious fabrics you will ever wear, but also make durable garments that wear and wash extremely well. I make sure that every handmade piece of Dreaming Amelia clothing has the highest quality construction and attention to detail. The seams are strong, the fabric is strong and your clothes are made to last!
Timeless styles that work for multiple seasons: I love to create interesting, stylish and modern clothing that can last beyond the latest fashion fad. Most of the pieces can be worn for multiple seasons and I hope you will still be as excited to wear your Dreaming Amelia clothing years from now as you are today.
Low waste, eco-friendly shipping: Packing and shipping supplies are made from 100% recycled materials and are recyclable. The packaging is simple, beautiful and fully protects the clothes during shipping, without adding unnecessary waste.
Re-purposed fabrics, recycled materials: As little in the landfill as possible! Fabric scraps from garment construction are saved and used in other projects or given to other sewists. Everything that can be recycled, is. Plastic waste that cannot be recycled (thread spools, etc.) is donated to craft groups or organizations that will re-purpose them.