“We’re all trying to bust the myth that we’re this buttoned-up city,” said Stacey Price. She runs a chain of stores called Shop Made in D.C. that only stock locally-made apparel and products.
Mikaela Lefrak/WAMU
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Mikaela Lefrak/WAMU
You know the stereotype: Washington fashion is practical, office-appropriate and kind of boring. The stereotype is so strong that multiple people asked WAMU’s What’s With Washington why District residents don’t take more fashion risks.
Office attire is a big part of Washington’s fashion scene, and we’ll tell you why. But the Washington region also has a lot of fashion designers, boutique owners and highly stylish residents who are working to build up the city’s fashion industry from the ground up.
Problem is, there’s a big hole in the local production pipeline that’s making their lives (and livelihoods) harder than they would be in New York or Paris.
But before we get to that, we need to do some myth-busting first.
Where’d The Stereotype Come From?
The ill-fitting navy suits of the impeachment hearings. The omnipresent blue-and-white gingham shirt. The Ann Taylor dresses and that high-collared J. Crew coat. There’s even a whole thread on D.C. Reddit for people looking for comfortable commuting shoes.
The gingham shirt is ubiquitous in certain parts of D.C., including the WAMU newsroom.
Rachel Sadon/DCist
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Rachel Sadon/DCist
Part of the reason for this uniformity is, of course, the presence of the U.S. government. The House and Senate still impose rules on what you can and cannot wear. Men are expected to wear jackets and ties and are not allowed to wear hoodies or hats. Until 2017, sleeveless dresses and open-toed shoes for women were banned on the House floor.
But Washington’s office attire is only one small sliver of the fashion pie.
D.C., But Make It Fashion
“I love my city, and when it comes to fashion, we definitely have a lot to offer,” said De’Lyia Inman, a young model from Maryland, during a District of Fashion runway show at the National Portrait Gallery this past fall. (The downtown business improvement district hosts regular runway shows with the goal of “elevating DC’s position in the fashion industry.”)
“There’s so many different ethnicities here in D.C., and that brings so many different types of fashion,” added her friend and fashion designer Afua Sam, who moved to the region from Ghana 24 years ago. “We have come so far from when I stepped foot here.”
The evidence is all over. A “fierce but small” community of fashion designers like Sam create clothes that target specific D.C. markets like African immigrants or office workers. The Huffington Post ranked Howard University as the country’s second most fashionable college campus, second only to New York University. And boutique owners like Anika Hobbs help customers stand out, not fit in.
Both male and female shoppers come to Nubian Hueman, Hobbs’ Anacostia boutique, for outfits to wear to galas or important work events. “Our customers are really, really attached to bright colors, strong prints, unique pieces, especially those that represent the African diaspora,” she said.
If you’re wondering, there isn’t a gingham shirt in sight.
The Business Of Local Fashion
One struggle facing local designers is the city’s dearth of affordable retail space with foot traffic. Hobbs struggled to find an affordable storefront until she scored a subsidized spot in the Anacostia Arts Center.
Others might be trepidatious about opening a brick-and-mortar store in the age of online shopping, but fellow boutique owner Stacey Price said they shouldn’t be scared.
Price is the force behind Shop Made in DC, a family of three stores that sell only locally designed and produced products. Her Georgetown location puts a particular emphasis on apparel and jewelry, including chunky statement necklaces, solid-colored cap-sleeved dresses (“appropriate for work, but not Ann Taylor Loft,” Price said) and graphic tees emblazoned with every possible variation of the D.C. flag.
To learn more about why D.C.’s flag is seriously everywhere, check out the flags episode of What’s With Washington.
Just look at that D.C. flag.
Mikaela Lefrak/WAMU
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Mikaela Lefrak/WAMU
“I think people are looking for unique, interesting, funky things — ways to show their creativity,” she said. Sure, the Gap store next door to her is looking to lease out part of its space because so much of the brand’s business has moved online. But she has no shortage of customers, as Georgetown’s narrow sidewalks are still crowded with shoppers and tourists looking for a retail experience “that makes them feel something,” as she put it.
Filling Out The Production Pipeline
Price is part talent scout, part business consultant. She finds designers on Instagram or at craft shows and helps them scale their businesses so they can supply her store. But here’s the rub: D.C. has next to no clothing manufacturers that can help up-and-coming designers produce, say, 200 dresses for her holiday rush.
Many local designers work with one company, Pattern Sample Sew, to produce small batches of garments and accessories. Shipping products back to D.C. from manufacturing companies in Pennsylvania or New York can cut heavily into a designer’s already small profit margins.
My last stop is to Marymount University in Arlington, one of the only fashion design and merchandising programs in the region. I meet a handful of students in a room full of mannequins and fabric samples — more Project Runway than college classroom.
Senior Lorena Ponce from Riverdale, Maryland interned with Pattern Sample Sew and wants to open her own shop in the region after she graduates. She’d sell affordable custom clothing, quinceañera dresses, maybe even teach people how to sew.
“I don’t know!” she laughed. “I want to see people’s dreams and their creativity come to life. Bringing fashion to D.C., that’s kind of my purpose.”