Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Hill
Hi Deborah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started sewing at a very young age with my mom teaching me and helping me make my first dress for myself at age 8. I then made my older sister’s prom dress at age 12, and by the time I was a senior in high school, I was earning money making clothes for other people including, friends, peers, and teachers. For every formal dance , I made a dress either for myself or for a friend. I also loved the process and eco-friendly nature of up-cycling clothes, which is taking clothes that would be thrown away and cutting them up to make new clothes out of them. I was mostly inspired in fashion by the red carpet of the Hollywood stars, so after high school I went to LA for fashion design school at FIDM.
I absolutely loved fashion design school, but coming from a small town in Wisconsin I was overwhelmed by the massive sprawl of LA. So I moved back to the Midwest after school, and settled in the perfect “happy medium” of the Twin Cities. I love how the Twin Cities has such a local-centric fashion scene. I started my post-college career at Chavez Custom Clothier in downtown Minneapolis and was highly inspired. I thought “someday I will have a custom clothing business.”
I worked other odd sewing jobs, and by 2010 I started in the bridal industry at David’s Bridal. I learned a lot, but didn’t like the corporate environment, so the following year I found a local bridal shop where I worked as a contractor. I did all the fittings at the bridal shop, and brought all the dresses home to do the work in my home studio. By 2016, I was itching to have my own professional space where I could meet custom clients and have a studio outside of my home. By spring of 2017, with my now husband as my business partner, we opened Beauty by Design.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest challenge for me in this business is there are not many others that do what I do, and I have been figuring it out as I go. I love designing and making clothing, but my business isn’t the standard fashion brand where I design a line that then gets produced. Every custom gown I design is a one-of-a-kind piece of commissioned artwork. Design and making clothing comes very naturally to me, but I do not have much background or education in running a business. Each year I learn what works and what doesn’t and hone in on the process. Each year brings new challenges and new growth.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Beauty by Design we specialize in bridal and formal wear, designing and making custom bespoke gowns in-house, as well as alterations and vintage dress repurposing. If a client has a vision of a gown that they could not buy anywhere in a store or online, we can make their dreams come true!
For custom gowns, we start the process with a consultation so we get a clear idea of their vision, then we create the design and present the proposal for their approval. We gather the materials, make the pattern from scratch, and make everything in-house. There are multiple fittings to get the fit and every detail perfect and exactly how the client wants it. We mostly do custom wedding gowns, but also do mother of the bride or groom gowns, prom dresses, and gala gowns.
Another service we provide that has been growing in popularity is vintage dress repurposing or up-cycling. A client will bring in her mother’s or grandmother’s wedding dress, and we will work with them to design something more suitable for them. These could be turned into their wedding gown, or other things such as a rehearsal dinner dress, reception dress, getting ready bridal robe, or accessories like a purse, garter, or ring bearer pillow.
We also provide alterations and customizations on store bought or ordered dresses. Of course we will get the dress to fit properly, but we can also change the dress to change the style. We can add or remove sleeves, add a lace back, or replace the lining with a colored fabric.
I believe the biggest thing that sets our business apart from any other tailor is the level of service we provide. We take time to listen to our clients to make sure they get exactly what they want. We work with them and give them advice and teach them what they need to know to make sure they are fully prepared for their big day.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My three favorite (audio) books are:
-Soul Sourced Entrepreneur by Christine Kane
-You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
-Say What You Mean by Oren Jay Sofer
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beautybydesignmn.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautybydesignmn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautybydesignmn
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@beautybydesignmn
