We had the good fortune of connecting with Christine Carlson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christine, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My lifelong love for beautiful fabric and elegant dresses has been the foundation for my fashion industry career, from my first job designing Scaasi gowns to more recently working with Vera Wang and Jenny Packham at David’s Bridal. And while I loved every minute I spent working in the industry, I couldn’t ignore the importance of environmental sustainability. I realized that the bridal industry needed eco-friendly options, and the idea for my business, upcycling vintage gowns using deadstock fabrics, was formed.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
While most teenagers in my high school were busy playing Pacman at the mall arcade, I was deconstructing and redesigning vintage dresses in my Minnesota bedroom. I showed up in NYC for my Parson’s interview with samples of my work, and didn’t look back as my career led me through the showrooms of many of the industry’s most well-known formal and bridal designers. When so many companies closed their NYC design rooms, saving money by moving them to China, things got rough. Travel expectations became difficult to manage as I had two young kids at home. Development rates skyrocketed, we would make hundreds of dresses for the buyers to pick a few. It was really wasteful and I noticed that wedding dresses across the industry, all had a cookie-cutter look, the result of everyone sharing the same factories.
I knew I wanted to go back to creating something unique and more sustainable. Now I make bespoke wedding dresses for the bride with sustainability in mind, whether she chooses a dress from our upcycled collection or uses her own cherished gown to be elegantly restyled for her day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In NYC I would take them midtown, we could check out Mood fabrics- they always have a rotating selection of deadstock fabrics, then to Los Tacos for some street tacos before heading to a Broadway show, perhaps Funny Girl or the Music Man. Another day we would head to Central Park and visit the zoo before strolling up to Strawberry Fields, then we would walk across seventy-second street to the Housing Works thrift store on Columbus Ave, after shopping we’d continue west and up to Miriam’s on Amsterdam Ave for Israeli specialties- eating and drinking outdoors if weather permitting.
A visit to the Whitney Museum for the biennial show and shopping in the meatpacking district with brunch at the Standard would make for a great Sunday in the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
-My whole family has encouraged and supported me on this journey! My daughter, Charlotte, deserves a special mention for really showing me the importance of environmental sustainability. Her environmental and social justice work has been both inspirational and educational. -The WCEC, Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship in NJ, is an amazing organization that offers a myriad of classes to help with whatever stage you are in with your business. They also have business counselors, which I can say firsthand are invaluable!
-Fashionopolis, a book by Dana Thomas, is an eye-opening account of the impact on the environment of the clothes we wear and the industry that produces them.

Website: www.MaybelleNYC.com

Instagram: @maybellenyc

Image Credits
Julia Maloof Verderosa

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.