Miranda Caroligne burns
I create experiences and tangible items for playful individuals seeking to contribute to a thriving world
…a world where people are treated fairly and wholeheartedly supported to fulfill their best selves
…their inner superheroes.
From the author of the reconstructed clothing handbook
Step-by-step instructions to reconstructing clothes, in classic “Dummies” brand style with easy instructions and fun “tips & tricks” throughout the book. Tons of patterns (circa SF Bay area 2007), great starting points and philosophy to inspire your own sustainable fashion style.
While I’ve sewn and made clothing in one way or another my entire life, my business as a clothing designer began after a bike accident that left me unable to continue my career as a pediatric physical therapist.
With a touch of serendipity and a very supportive community, I went from couch-crashing to opening my namesake “living construction” boutique in San Francisco’s Mission District in just under a year.
I was making OOAK clothing during a particularly vibrant time for artist-designers, with fashion performances (not your average fashion show) at just about every event, whether an underground rave or a VIP event at San Francisco City Hall. It was at one of these events, the Maker Faire, that I made a connection to write my book, which led to a flurry of other fantastic opportunities.
creativity
Confidence
I soon opened a cooperative boutique, Trunk SF, in the Lower Haight. The inspiration of this place was to show the work of painters alongside clothing and jewelry-makers, in order to bring the concept of purchasing artwork (and thus supporting artists in their life’s calling) into mainstream consciousness… just as readily as one purchases clothing. In the vein of my “living construction” boutique in the Mission, co-op artists of all mediums worked in the windowfront.
In 2010 I was accepted into one of the oldest (and legal) artist live/work communities in San Francisco. While it meant shutting the doors of both thriving boutiques, the gift of this space allowed for a much-needed refocus on self, personal life, private clientele and the art-realm of my work.
Within the next 5 years I had become a family busting at the seams of my studio. We soon moved to Jacksonville, the cutest little historic gold-mining town in Southern Oregon, initially to start a community. But the path is happily veering back to sustainable creation… making things out of seemingly useless materials… finding the light in the crack (or tear) of a discarded textile and transforming it into something amazing FOR YOU!
