Dream It, Plan It, Make It! A Story About Building An Independent Clothing Label
Let's be honest for a moment - Washington, D.C. is not typically thought of as a fashion capital. Don't get me wrong: I love this area, and people do dress well, but often I wish there was a district or neighborhood like Brooklyn, New York, that represents a more artisanal approach, bringing more edge and avant-garde to the local fashion scene. So when we received the pop-up request from Angeline Oei of A.Oei Studio, I was beyond thrilled: a fashion designer who owns her own clothing label! What a dream!
Angeline Oei is a Singapore-born fashion designer and her brand A.Oei Studio is an independent womenswear line featuring modern classics that fuse architectural lines with abstract patterns. It was fascinating to learn that Angeline also develops all the prints she uses in her designs. I wanted to learn more about her road to building her own business, so I sat down with Angeline recently to talk about her work and upcoming pop-up:
Tell us about yourself - who you are, where you live, your family, any business partners.
Angeline: I am the designer and founder of a bespoke women's clothing line, A.Oei Studio. I grew up in Singapore, I got my training in fashion design at The Amsterdam Fashion Institute, and after graduation, I worked as a designer for luxury fashion brands in Antwerp, New York City, and Singapore. In 2017 I moved to Seattle, where I started A.Oei Studio. Then, toward the end of 2021, I moved to D.C.
How did you decide to start your own line?
Angeline: After working in a fast-paced ready-to-wear industry where I was mostly designing behind the screen and communicating with manufacturers whom I had never met, I was ready to return to my love of drafting, sewing, and being actively hands-on in the fabrication process. That's when I first had the vision of developing new and sustainable techniques and textiles in contemporary women's clothing. It did, however, take me nearly a year to research and personally work with the right suppliers and production houses that could cater to small-batch production.
What type of product/experience can we expect to find at your pop-up?
Angeline: What you will find is a combination of retail and production. When you enter the pop-up, you will see me crafting pieces. There will be a rack of ready-to-wear clothing and a rack of made-to-order designs with fabrics and styles for customization ideas. There will also be a small selection of handmade jewelry by Singaporean designers (specially sourced to compliment A.Oei designs).
A.Oei Studio is popping up at The Seedling Collective from June 27 - August 1. On opening weekend, Angeline will be offering a store-wide ten percent discount, so don't miss out on the opportunity to shop one-of-a-kind pieces and meet the maker herself!
