Michelle Altherr
I am a self-taught fashion designer who began sewing at the age of thirteen. Although I have always loved fashion, especially the styles from the 40s and 50s, it was never a desire of mine to learn how to sew or even to be a fashion designer. My journey into the world of fashion began one summer day when my Father came home with a Singer sewing machine.
My gift for sewing was noticed by others at the age of fourteen and it was then that I began making clothes for other people, but even then I saw it as only a hobby. Through the years I continued to sew, mainly for myself, until one day (25 years later) I decided to turn my hobby into a business. Through the years I honed my skills, teaching myself beadwork, embroidery, couture techniques, patternmaking and jewelry making.
Although born in the 60s my love of fashion was sparked by the black and white movies from the 40s and 50s. The glamour of that era is what sparked a desire in me to want to see women embrace being a woman. We are to be treated as the weaker vessel not to say that we are weaker. It just means that our value is such that we should be treated with great care. Unfortunately in this day and age ‘being a woman’ is the new four letter word.
My passion is to see women embrace the beauty that is ‘woman’ and I strive to reflect that in my fashion designs. I use the gift that God has given me to not only bring glory to His name but to create clothing that inspire women to reevaluate their mindset on how they would like to be treated. To carry oneself in a manner deserving of respect and honor should not be regarded as a weakness, but embraced as a strength. A strength that only comes from within.
We can ‘Feel like a woman, be treated like a lady’.
TM