Taking her inspirations from Spanish Flamenco, her Mexican heritage and the magic of Northwest country living, Julianna makes each unique piece by hand with thoughtful delight!
Flamenco dance definitely inspires my clothing design. The ability to move freely and elegantly is a must! My budget also inspires my designs... having limited fabric options is usually where my designs start to take shape. I use fabric from thrift stores, deconstructing skirts and dresses and when I do buy new fabric it's very discounted. I find this to be not only inspiring but I love the thought of transforming wastee into wearable art!!
I have always loved clothing, especially its ability to transform the way I feel about myself. Playing dress up as a little girl transported me into new worlds of being. My grandmother had a golden, quilted cocktail dress with matching heels and purse and she would let me play dress up when I visited her. I remember putting on that dress and feeling so fancy and important. I would put her records on, stand on the fireplace hearth and lip sync & dance to the music. So fun! After high school I bought my first sewing machine out of frustration with regular retail options for my body type. My world was set free with the ability to create whatever I wanted. I started experimenting with thrift store finds, making clothing that actually fit me, setting me apart from the crowd. When I found flamenco of course that was spectacular and gave me a whole new aesthetic to work with. When I lived in Spain I attended flamenco fashion shows by well known Spanish designers which was so inspiring.
My clothing line is called District 19 Designs ~ "Clothing dedicated to beauty and movement". I started my line in 2009. I had just moved back from studying flamenco dance in Spain and the economy was still recovering so I started sewing. I started out by working with vintage slips and other various thrift store finds. putting appliques on them and dying them. And of course flamenco inspired skirts are a big part of my inventory. Right now my skirts and various designs are at TumbleWeed Gallery in Bisbee, Arizona. Since everything is handmade by me, instead of contracting my designs out, my inventory is super sporadic and original. Like a lot of artists, I have many irons in the fire and retailing my clothing tends to be at the bottom of my list right now. But like so many things it ebbs and flows!
If you are interested in purchasing a One of a Kind piece from me, email me at d19designs@gmail.com!!
