Hi everyone! I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine; Ashley of Papoose Clothing!
My name is Ashley Duggan-Smith, and I am the resident owner, designer,
maker, and crazy cat lady at
Papoose Clothing. I learned how to sew at a
young age when my mom taught me while making a pillow for me bed. I was
so afraid of running the needle through my finger, but I finished the
pillow without any mishaps. I furthered my sewing skills while taking
several costume construction classes for my degree in Theatre, but it
wasn’t until my niece’s birth three years ago that I began to really
take myself seriously. I fell in love with designing and creating
clothes for her to wear that I couldn’t stop and decided to see if I
could make something out of what began as a hobby of mine.
I first started out without any clear direction of where I wanted to go
or what I really wanted my business to stand for. It’s taken awhile, but
I am so much more focused now on my vision and have a clearer sense of
what my style is. I love reading and creating and all kinds of art
forms, I think it is so important to foster a child’s imagination, and
my clothing is definitely geared towards encouraging play and make
believe through whimsical, storybook styles.
My favorite part of the creative process is being able to work with moms
on custom orders. People come to me for something different and
inspired, something based on a small idea that is then turned into an
imaginative item parents and their kids can be excited about. I love
thinking outside the box and not following strict lines, especially with
fairytale costumes that can be worn for play and everyday wear. It’s
thrilling to have only an idea to go off of then make something tangible
from it that never existed before.
Right now I am hard at work with the upcoming Spring Summer 2013
collection. I don’t want to reveal too much, but I am so passionate
about this collection. It definitely represents me so much more as a
person than previous ones, and it has been incredibly fun researching
and digging deeper into my history to clearly and artistically represent
this idea in a collection of children’s clothing. Like any other
design, it begins with a simply idea, but with an entire collection,
it’s on a much grander scale. Pieces must compliment but differ
slightly, and it is important to me that a meaningful story is told. I
have finalized the designs and fabric choices, so construction is next. I
plan on revealing bits and pieces as I go along on my blog (
www.papooseclothing.blogspot.com) to keep things exciting!
Thanks so much for sharing your shop with us Ashley! I think Lila would just look darling in all of those precious dresses. I especially love the Cats and Dogs dress!
What do you love from this shop?
