Upcycling is not recycling. It is not thrifting. It is not alterations.

Upcycling is taking something that already exists — something worn, forgotten, or unused — and transforming it into something of greater value. Greater beauty. Greater purpose.

It is sustainable fashion at its highest form. And at Brooks LTD, it is deeply personal.

No new fabric required — or when it is, it comes from my curated collection of sustainable textiles. Just vision, skill, and intention.

That means a pair of pants becomes a custom jacket. A vintage tablecloth becomes a botanically dyed summer dress. Something you stopped reaching for becomes the thing you can’t stop wearing.

Every Brooks LTD piece is one of a kind. Handcrafted. Designed with a deep respect for textile and craft. Because upcycled fashion is not a trend here — it is the foundation.

Upcycled from a pair of pants. Because she loved the fabric more than the pant.

That is a Vision Session.

The Vision Session is my reimagining service — bringing fresh creative vision to something you already own. You bring what you have. I bring the design.

This is not alterations. This is redesign.

Craft is the design.

Interested in yours? DM me.

The post What is upcycling? appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Handmade lace with astounding touches have played a part in fashion worldwide since the 16^th century. Lace making is a time-consuming process to make which made it expensive and even more special to wear. European rulers put restrictions on wearing lace from other countries, but that only added to its allure. Everyone wanted clothing with lace detail, so the laws became futile and lace smuggling took off.

Nowadays, dealing with the black market is necessary to acquiring lace. It’s still considered a luxury fabric though. Even with the advent of machine-made lace, the process of lace making remains technical and challenging. As artisans ourselves, we truly respect all the effort that goes into making lace.

Luxurious Fabrics for Clothing

Our use of handcrafted lace touches with details comes from over 45+ years of working in the industry. We’ve made many a lace wedding dress and mother’s lace dress too. Now, at Brooks LTD., we create fun everyday sundresses with beautiful lace details. We also take bits of lace from handmade lace vintage textiles to add interesting accents to jackets and tops. We even make a black lace belt  (or corset as you may know it today), that makes a strong lacy statement to any outfit.  It takes a delicate hand to hand make each of these pieces, I am lucky that I have had experience for over 45 years in nuturing that creative soft hand.

Examples of our work:

White Lace Slip dress

Lace Duster Kimono

Lace belt

 Photos:  Hardy Klahold

Lace has always been a favorite textile of ours. We currently work with lace from cherished textiles that have been gifted to us.  And we utilize things from people’s attics – like Aunt Mae’s  lace vintage cloths, to create fun pieces one can enjoy now and pass down to those who appreciate saving the landfill from these textiles. Many people don’t want to part with their antique lace heirlooms unless it’s for a worthy cause.  Finding a way to make that lace a part of something beautiful to wear is easy for us to do. See more of our lace applications on our web site.  Our pieces are one of a kind, because you’re one of a kind.  See our full collection of repurposed vintage textiles HERE.

The post How we use handmade lace with astounding touches appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Upcycling with style is creating beautiful garments out of textiles that are used for something besides clothing. Reusing has long been a practice of inventive and curious designers. The first pair of jeans was created in the 1870’s out of a sturdy, cotton fabric originally used in tent-making. Flour  sack dresses(see below) popularized in the 1930’s made adorable day dresses from the bags that contained feed and seed used by farmers. This practice of repurposing materials not only served a smart economic goal, it also opened the door to new designs and eventually changed common styles forever.

Photo from National Museum of American History/Smithsonsian Institution

We embrace this technique at Brooks, LTD. We value reducing waste and reusing things to create beautiful and unique pieces to wear. Take for instance a special coat we designed. Our client had a quilt top(see below) that had been sewn by a dear friend who was never able to complete a project using it. The piece held deep meaning for our client and leaving it in a drawer for safekeeping didn’t feel right. The client came to us and gave us free reign (yahoo!) to create something special and wearable using the quilt piece.  This is upcycling with style!

Bias Cut

At first, you don’t notice the grainlines of the quilt pieces that are cut including the bias. This gave us quite a challenge. A bias cut is a technique used by clothing and quilt makers to cut fabric at a diagonal angle across the weave (called the grain) to give the material more softness and elasticity. We let the fabric hang on our dress form for awhile. As a result, we decided to stitch down the drape so it would take on the shape we were trying to execute. Challenge accepted and completed.

The Final Artful Wearable

The client was thrilled with the result. She ended up with a wearable piece of art that is imbued with meaning. Moreover, she can celebrate and honor her friend by wearing their work as a unique and beautiful piece of clothing.  This is such a fun and special way to utilize meaningful textiles. Do you have something hiding in a drawer for ‘safekeeping’ that could be better enjoyed? Consider bringing or sending the  piece to Brooks, LTD. and enjoy the experience of repurposing and transforming your keepsake into something functional and truly special.

Reach out HERE to learn about all of the possibilities.

The post Upcycling with Style appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

As I reflect I see how Covid changed my direction. My designs are reflective of the times. To slow down and enjoy the process has been  memorizing.  From those of you who have visited the online shop or in person you have responded positively to the final pieces.  Thank you for the encouragement.

I am honored to have been interviewed by Voyager Magazine about my current design career. The article explains more of this new direction.

Read the full article here

Collection of cherished textiles

Moreover, many of us we have collected textiles from our travels or from past generations and do not have a clue what to do with those pieces.  It is our intention to help so as to avoid having special textiles end up in the land fill. Much of the trash that ends up in landfills can also be recycled or reused in other ways, I choose textiles to help improve our planet.

Rules that no longer serve

Rules no longer serve me.   I execute designs with fresh eyes and new techniques. The results are something I never thought I could create.   It has me engaged in an entirely different way.  I have since created a collection based upon these beliefs.  It is called The Attic Gem Collection.   Vintage textiles that have been gifted to me as I turn them into wearables by mixing them with modern fabrics.  If needed I will stitch together these pieces to create another unique cloth to then create with.

The post How Covid Changed my direction appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Four Ways to Support Independent Artists on Social Media

Hi there, it’s nice to meet you! We are McLernon & Co., a social media agency, and we’re also friends with Brooks Luby here at Brooks Ltd. She invited us to write an article for her email newsletter about why  engaging in social media with your favorite creators can elevate their prescence.

Many of our favorite local artists, designers, and creators – even those who have brick & mortar storefronts – rely heavily on their digital presence to build their audience, connect with their communities, and as a result, make more sales.

Here are four ways you can support independent artists in your community with social media:

1. Follow them on social media, and like their posts

Show your appreciation for their art and work by following your favorite artists on social media! This helps them achieve more credibility and clout online, and also has the added benefit of filling your feed with beautiful works of art.

2. Comment on their posts

On one level, engaging with posts helps them achieve a higher reach; the higher a post’s engagement rate, the more the Instagram or Facebook algorithm will favor the post. In turn, more people will see the post.

But on another level, the comments section also allows you to connect with the artist on an individual, human level, and encourage them to keep sharing their work by Keeping Social Media Social™! If you don’t want to write a full sentence, even something as simple as a single word or an emoji can be very supportive.

3. Save and share!

Saving posts (by tapping the bookmark icon on an Instagram post) is the best way to tell the Instagram algorithm that you want to consistently see a given account’s posts on your newsfeed. Saving is also a great way to keep track of artists, pieces, or items you love and want to be able to find again, and you can even sort your saved posts into different categories! Click here to learn more about saving Instagram posts.

Sharing (by tapping the airplane icon on an Instagram post)  is a great way to #KeepSocialMediaSocial, allowing you to connect with others on social media by sending posts and pieces that made you think of them. This also helps expand the reach of the artist’s account!

4. Make a purchase

The best way to support the artists you love is to pay them for their work. If you do purchase a piece from an artist you follow on social media, be sure to share your new art on your own social media profiles and tag them so they see it!

If you are an artist or brand who wants help developing and managing your own social media strategy, you can learn more about the Keep Social Media Social™ mission and community at keepsocialmediasocial.com, or work with McLernon & Co. to up your social media game at mclernonandco.com. We hope to see you in our inbox soon!

Thank you for the tips!

Thank you McLernon & Co for these helpful tips. The more we educate how important it is for everyone to help our favorite brands the better .  Engaging instead of just surfing elevates the rank of a brand.  As said above, just one word makes a difference.  If you are social on social media, please like and engage on my page here.  If you are interested in what you see, shop the looks here!

Having fun being social

The post Engaging in social media to help your favorite brands appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

” Now, moms are encouraged to wear a look that makes them feel fashionable and confident (with the bride’s approval of course)” a quote from The Knot by by Sarah Hanlon.

I know Barbara well, she’s been a follower for years.  She loves blue. Pulling out all  stops with a special textile (pleather and tulle) with blue as the accent color.  Working around that theme I  put together different shades of blue in different textiles, all 100% silk.  With my current knowlege of the Art of Japense Draping I began the process which can be appropriate for Mother of the Groom or Mother of the Bride as well as for a speaking engagement, or any event that you may be participating in in the near future.

Documenting the finished product

I choose to make artisan clothing for Mother of the Bride & Groom which has delightful interesting details.  View the front, back and up close in these photos:

The wedding event

Fast forward to the actual event that took place in September 2020, with Covid restrictions in effect.

Barbara, the Mother of the Groom looks very happy in her artisan clothing piece.

Jo Julia Photography

Relationships

With each artful piece I create I’m lucky to say that important relationships are created.  I love working one on one with women helping them to create handmade clothing that speaks to their personal style.  Fashion has no age limits as I believe that age doesn’t matter. Whether it’s for a special occasion or your everyday lifestyle choice, it’s all about how you present yourself to the world.

I  help you with your fashion needs, including a mask that might be appropriate for the occasion. In my newly revised web site I take you through the steps on how easy it is to work with me.  Read about it here.

We are all about one stitch at a time, slow fashion at it’s finest.

 If you have a need for a special garment or know someone in the market, send them our way!

Lastly, we’ve got you covered, literally!  We help you reveal your favorite body parts and conceal ones you’d like to hide.

Here’s to your well being,

Brooks

The post Mother of the Bride & Groom Dresses appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

What is Slow fashion?  It is a term that has been talked about for a long time.  The fashion industry has been amping up the awareness for slow fashion brands.

I googled the term and this is what came up: “Slow fashion is the movement of designing, creating, and buying garments for quality and longevity. It encourages slower production schedules, fair wages, lower carbon footprints, and (ideally) zero waste. —”

Let’s look at these three terms, quality, longevity, zero waste.

Quality

Investing in quality over quantity is something that will help our environment.  Look inside a garment before purchasing it.  At a young age, I remember my Mother buying me a dress when I took it home, I looked inside and saw the seams were already raveling.  I took the entire dress apart and re stitched all of the seams including finishing the seams so they wouldn’t ravel.  That was about 50 years ago!

TIP: seams need to be finished to prevent raveling.

Longevity

Longevity, from Webster’s dictionary this means  “long existence”.  We are seeing a large trend in upscale recycling stores becoming at the forefront of retail.  This is because quality vintage items can withstand the test of time, in other words, have a long existence.  It pleases me that some of my clients still have pieces I’ve created decades ago.

TIP:  recycle your wardrobe by putting a piece in the back of your closet and bring it out a few years later. It becomes new to you again.

Zero Waste

“The Zero Waste philosophy attempts to encourage a lifestyle that ensures as many products and materials are reused, rather than ending up in landfills. The clue really is in the name – ‘zero waste’ means trying to prevent anything from ending up in landfill or incinerator. The overall goal is to keep materials in circulation for as long as is possible, by ensuring numerous valuable lifecycles. Instead of discarding resources, the aim is to create a system whereby all of them are able to be reused again.”  (excerpt taken from google)

This is a large scale term for many items-plastic bottles for instance. However,  for the clothing business it means repurposing fabrics.

Repurposing fabrics into new garments, or new accessories has been a goal for my brand, using zero waste.

Here is an example of one of many pieces that I have used slow fashion in my designs.  I had the fabric in my stash for a few years as it was on the end of a roll.    I came up with this design for the ‘leftover’ fabric.  I didn’t quite have enough so I recreated the pattern design to include the yoke at the front of the garment to make it work. The creative juices produced a new design based on  zero waste.  The hand stitching slows me down, keeps me accountable in order to give you a unique piece that only you will have, a one of a kind!

Teodora Pogonat Photographer

See and purchase this piece in my new shop page here.

Thank you for the following, 2021 will start out as a continuing challenge, I am grateful for your ongoing support as we all filter through how to maintain calmness in the middle of a panemdic.  If you have any topics you would like me to address, please leave them in the comments below.

The post What is slow fashion? appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

An Indian sari fabric brought in by Brooks LTD customer Lauren, to be made into a one-of-a-kind, custom dress

The muslin fitting at the Brooks LTD atelier

Inspecting your entire roll of fabric is extremely important when creating a custom garment.

Look over the entire length of fabric you choose… sometimes fabric can have flaws down the roll. Lauren’s fabric had some circular marks down the center of the garment, likely from a changing of the thread. However, we were able to work around them based on the design we chose.

Finding the “right” side of the fabric for a custom ensemble is a critical step in the process.

A happy client in her custom Brooks LTD dress, made using her own Indian sari fabric

Back details of the custom Brooks LTD sari fabric dress

One-of-a-Kind Designs by Brooks LTD

As a formally-trained fashion designer with expertise in couture, I design one-of-a-kind, custom garments, as well as limited edition ready-to-wear.  Every piece is made to last the wearer a lifetime, balancing a sense of timelessness with current trends.  A thoughtful, well-crafted piece of clothing can be a great investment for your wardrobe, offering tons of “mileage” for years to come.  Let’s chat about how we can transform your wardrobe in simple, easy ways with just a few custom designs – visit the Contact page of my website to get started.

The post Using Fabric as an Inspiration for a One-of-a-Kind Garment appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

At the age of 40 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and had to have a mastectomy.  I chose not to undergo reconstruction, instead opting to embrace my body’s new natural shape.  After 6 months of strong chemotherapy, the cancer receded and has not returned.  I am happy to say my life has continued on as a healthy, joyful journey since this time.

Breast cancer changed my outlook on life.  It’s made me more aware of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle – like exercising and eating well – as well as giving me a newfound appreciation for day-to-day things, and a desire to embrace life as I age.  It’s amazing how oftentimes (or all the time?) life’s obstacles can bring blessings in disguise.  Along the way I have met some incredible women that share the same feelings.  Luckily most of them are still with us.  Unfortunately I have also lost some loved ones to this disease.

My breast cancer survivor group gathering at the Lotus Network inaugural luncheon, 2017.  

I am honored to be part of a small group of women that have been instrumental in my healing journey.  We gather periodically to discuss our lives and experiences, with conversations about health and medicine at the forefront.  We are supportive of each other’s stories, and through our gatherings learn about the latest medical technology, new procedures, and different ways of approaching selfcare.

Triumphant as survivors on the runway! Sue Miller, Charlie Blosten (also a survivor) and I at the Sue Miller Day of Caring fashion show 2016. Sue wears a custom lace kimono I designed for her.  Photo by Hardy Klahold.

Sue Miller (1934-2017) was my mentor for many years, and was at the center of this group.  She pioneered transparency about breast cancer over 40 years ago by organizing a fashion show of women that were going through breast cancer, or who were on the other side of it.  Her nonprofit organization was called “The Sue Miller Day of Caring,” and continues as a part of the Cancer League of Colorado.  The luncheon and fashion show that Sue started took place in cities across the country, and included an educational experience, with vendors helping the audience discover new, healthy ways of dealing with this disease.  I was lucky to be chosen to dress women for these shows for 5 continuous years – an experience that had a profound effect on me, and which continues to bring happy memories.  I was also honored to receive the Sue Miller Survivor Award in 2014.

A shot from the 2015 Sue Miller Day of Caring runway featuring custom Brooks LTD on breast cancer survivors. Image by Hardy Klahold.

The 2015 Sue Miller Day of Caring runway lineup all wearing Brooks LTD.  Image by Hardy Klahold.

2016 Sue Miller Day of Caring survivor lineup, wearing Brooks LTD.  Image by Hardy Klahold.

2017 Sue Miller Day of Caring lineup.  Survivors wear custom couture Brooks LTD, as photographed by Hardy Klahold.

Behind the scenes of the 2018 Sue Miller Day of Caring runway. Captured by Hardy Klahold.

The 2018 Sue Miller Day of Caring lineup in my latest couture Brooks LTD creations. Photo by Hardy Klahold.

I’ll leave you with one very touching story that I feel compelled to share:  Recently I was chatting with the husband of a fellow breast cancer advocate (who unfortunately didn’t survive).  He told me that his wife was buried in her Brooks dress that I had designed for her to wear in one of the Sue Miller Day of Caring fashion shows, because she loved the experience and loved the dress.  I know this isn’t your normal conversation, but it touched me.  I am proud that I was able to bring positivity to her and to so many other women during what is otherwise such a difficult time.  Art, fashion, and creative expression can have a positive impact on our lives, and that is what drives me forward.

The post A Week of Gratitude: Celebrating 30 Years Cancer-Free appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

The DAM’s Florence Müller and fashion editor Georgia Benjou in intimate conversation for their Denver Fashion Week workshop

Seven years ago, Florence was first introduced to Denver as an independent curator from France, bringing the acclaimed Yves Saint Laurent exhibit to the DAM (which was, in fact, the exclusive US venue for this show).  The show was an overwhelming success.  Florence attributed that success to the wide range of people, coming from all walks of life in Denver and the greater Rocky Mountain area, who came to see and learn about fashion.  It was clear that fashion sparked an interest in the public here – an indication that the exhibit was on the right track.  In 2015, Florence was bought on in an official, permanent capacity as the DAM’s Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art and Fashion.

The Shock Wave exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. Photo by McKenzie Coyle for 303 Magazine.

Shock Wave was the first exhibit that Florence curated from her new DAM curatorial position – a stunning retrospective of groundbreaking Japanese fashion from the 1980s and 90s.  She explained how she reached out to local retail proprietress Cathy Covell from Lawrence Covell to acquire pieces for the show, as Cathy’s store was one of the first in the country to carry several of the designers featured in the exhibit.  Florence and her team sought to integrate their work within the local community, also calling upon fashion-forward boutique Goldyn to host a private opening reception and fashion show in conjunction with the exhibit.

A favorite look from the Dior show at the Denver Art Museum

Since these first two (frankly out-of-the-ballpark) exhibits, Florence has hardly taken a break.  She’s been hard at work bringing more top-tier programming to the museum, including The Dior show last year.  During the talk, I learned that there are four more exhibits scheduled in the next few years – the first of which is slated for Sept 2020, yet to be announced.  We will all wait anxiously in anticipation!

Denver designer Mona Lucero and I with new fashion friend Kate Nelson, eagerly awaiting Georgia and Florence’s talk for Denver Fashion Week.  Photo courtesy of Kate Nelson.

I had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Florence after her conversation with Georgia that evening.  Knowing her background working with the likes of Chanel, Dior, Gucci and Celine, I was curious to hear about the quality of designer dresses walking the runway in a show.  As a couture designer, I know that whipping up a dress for a runway show can be very trying, requiring many last minute adjustments, as compared to coming up with a custom piece for a client.  I was curious about her knowledge of what the inside of one of these runway confections looked like.  She had a long explanation that spoke to her expertise: essentially that each situation is different, but for the most part, the insides are not completed like a normal couture gown.  Just as I suspected!  There’s an interesting twist however; For this reason, these runway pieces can actually be much more expensive than a finished garment.  Why, you may ask?  Because it is a ‘true’ original gown.  A collector’s piece if you will.  A work of art in-progress where the creator adds last minute touches before it goes down the runway.  Creative freedom by the designer.  Music to my ears!  

Mona Lucero and I, post talk.  Photo courtesy of Kate Nelson.

Florence also spoke about the 1980s as being a period of designers’ creative freedom, versus the 1990s where big companies began to rule the destiny of major fashion houses.  Of course, in order to succeed, a design house must make money on their products.  However, as Florence stated, designers were less ruled by the owners of the larger holding companies in the 80s – more free to create their art – whereas now creativity is only part of the big picture.  

I could relate to a lot of what she was talking about.  Even though I am a small independent designer, where I am lucky to have creative control over everything, I still need to consider the end result: selling my work.  It’s always a fine line between art and commerce.  This past weekend, I had a related realization while chatting with some CSU students (more on that later), where I said, “I should just try making clothes that I want to wear, as a total experiment to see if they are desirable.”  I’ll be the first to admit I can overthink what I do in order to please the public.  Maybe I’m onto a new direction?  Stay tuned.

Couture by Brooks LTD

Couture fashion is a rare commodity these days.  I’m lucky to have made a career out of it for over 45 years in my beloved City of Denver.  If your next holiday party, wedding or other special occasion calls for standing out in a one-of-a-kind dress, please think of Brooks LTD.  Visit the Contact page of my website and we can schedule a time to sit down and discuss your needs.

The post An Inspiring Conversation: Florence Müller and Georgia Benjou Speak for Denver Fashion Week appeared first on Brooks Ltd.