About Hillesø Designs
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Hillesø Designs was born long before it became a business in 1998. I grew up with a mother who sewed out of necessity and creativity. She sewed for my sister who had a strange body (short legs and arms, long torso) who could not find things that fit, AND she had couture taste. My mother used Vogue patterns and beautiful wools – affordable and plentiful at that time in the Pacific Northwest. As a product of the Great Depression, she was adept at remodeling, fitting, fussing and basically making beautiful clothing at a fraction of the cost.
By the time I was 4, I imitated my mother, sewing doll clothes by hand. I started on the sewing machine at 6. By the time I was 16, I sewed most of my clothing from underwear to outerwear. I entered and won many sewing contests and ended my high school years winning the title of Miss Wool Washington at age 18. I came in 5th in the Nationals with a beautiful, but slightly unconventional coat. I made the coat for me to actually wear, convention be damned! That coat served me well through many long, cold winters. I fell in love with costume design when I saw the movie “My Fair Lady”. I loved the fine detailing, and the historical character of the costumes. And, I was studying theater, music and dance. Costume design was a natural progression. I studied and made costumes for the theater department in college, then life took over. I was off to see the world and costume design was left behind. BUT – not before I had my own sewing machine and dress form to take with me! Many years later, displaced, in Arlington, Virginia wondering what to do with myself. I worked up three executive summaries for businesses I thought would be interesting, and went to a SCORE volunteer (SCORE is the volunteer arm of the Small Business Administration, offering free services to entrepreneurs) to see which would pass the “snicker” test: You want to do what??? Yeah, right… Hillesø Designs won. So, in 1998, I launched my wearable art business. Over the years, I exhibited in many juried art shows in Washington DC, Philadelphia, NYC and Chicago. I had an online presence too and sold many products worldwide. 911 changed the world, including the galleries and boutiques that purchased wearable art and other crafts. My family moved back to Seattle and my business limped along until I finally closed it down in 2014. Internet sales of cheap goods took over. Hilleso Designs had several product lines:
And some design recognition: 2010 Pictured and named in the March, 2010 issue of Vogue Italia with photographs by Steven Meisel. 2005 Featured Artist - CraftsBusiness Magazine article 2004 Finalist Threads Challenge for “Mollusk Maiden” 2001 Finalist Niche Awards for “Silk Hummingbird” I continue to present talks about world textiles. My world travel adventures have created some great stories and lots of pictures. Textiles & ornamentation, music, culture and history are passions that I love to share. |