By Diana Cavagnaro
Jennafer Grace is known for her handmade clothing line here in San Diego. She is a textile-inspired designer who created a limited edition run of her kimonos and turbans. She has many different methods of tying them and includes videos on her website to show customers different styling methods. This Bohemian designer also offers adjustable yoga wraps and her signature garment is called “Paglamas.”
Grace said she first became interested in fashion through her great aunt who was in Home Economics and her grandma uses to take her to the fashion shows at Mesa College. In her early years, she loved films like “Auntie Mame,” “Birdcage” and “La Cage Aux Follies.” She is also drawn to the opulence of the ‘30s and styles of the ‘60s.
Taking her love for fashion to another level, she decided to attend Fashion Careers College to study fashion. As time went on, she began making costumes for a traveling theater company and spent time consulting for a company in Mexico. She went on to work with Tanya McAnear who was in fashion show productions and then interned with Dennis Nothdruft at the London Fashion & Textile Museum.
When she returned back to the U.S., she began selling her creations at Le Bel Age Boutique in Mission Hills owned by Valerie Lee.
Grace said, “Valerie is amazing at styling, she took my kimonos to a whole new level and changed me forever.”
Grace began building a livestream shopping community with Lee and McAnear, who owns Bad Madge & Co in South Park which carries vintage merchandize.
Lee features Grace’s line on her ‘Daily Fashion Distraction’ where people from around the world can tune in at 2 p.m. PST on Instagram and Facebook. McAnear also features Grace’s goods in her weekly event Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. from her Bad Madge store. Grace herself hosts a live stream shopping event on lash.live. People can tune in to buy her one-of-a-kind dresses, kimonos, and glam loungewear.
Since COVID-19 began, Grace started The Mask Project which donates one mask for each mask sold. She also has a tee shirt collaboration called Valle Road Collective, which raises money for charities. Grace hopes to continue to grow her business. She enjoys making new designs while at the same time creating fair wage jobs in Southern California. I cannot wait to continue adding styles to my collection and getting Jennafer Grace Handmades into the hands of more friends.
Grace said, “The personal feedback for my functional, cozy yet glamourous goods are what makes my world go around.”
Visit her website at www.jennafergracecollection.com.
— Diana Cavagnaro is an internationally renowned Couture Milliner based in Alpine, California. Learn more about our Hat Designer, Teacher & Blogger at www.DianaCavagnaro.com
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