Philadelphia designer raising community's consciousness one garment at a time
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A local designer is raising the community's consciousness one garment at a time. Her clothes are not only bold and beautiful but also good for the environment and the spirits of those who wear them.
Kimberly McGlonn proudly models one of her fashionable designs. It's just one example of what you'll find in her Grant Blvd clothing line, which she started seven years ago.
"We are designing things for the home and for people's closets and their world away from work that aspires to offer some comfort," McGlonn said. "We're doing that and thinking about ethical design and sustainable design."
McGlonn opened up about the origin of how the pieces are created and the thought behind each and every garment.
"For us, it begins with the pattern," McGlonn said. "It begins with the vendors that we're working with and how we're thinking about sourcing the materials. It ends in the finishes and how a garment lays on the body."
The effortless flow of Grant Blvd's designs runs much deeper than the materials it uses to create them. The Black-owned business is committed to creating a diverse staff and addressing social issues facing the community.
"We have members who identify as trans," McGlonn said. "We have team members who have spent longer periods of their lives incarcerated and shorter periods of their lives incarcerated."
Grant Blvd most recently launched this training facility, giving many a second chance at a new life and new skills.
"For this project," McGlonn said, "we partnered with the Department of Commerce and West Philadelphia Skills Initiative to create a 14-week experience, eight weeks of sewing instruction and six weeks of a paid apprenticeship, which culminates into joining our team."
The bold colors and effortless flow of the designs are strategically catered to their core customers.
"They're seeking stillness. They are conscious about who they shop from and what they're looking for," McGlonn said. "They want ethical design. They want sustainable design and they love something that is aesthetically attractive."
"If our garments could talk, they would say this is the work of the person who's envisioning things that we don't see that we're all seeking," McGlonn added, "which is greater peace, and greater prosperity and more spaciousness and more tenderness. … A life that is both bold and absolutely beautiful."