Showing posts with label trends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trends. Show all posts

Monday, March 13, 2017

Industry Spotlight: How College Twins Started Their Own Boutique

Abby and Gabby Burbary are only 20-years-old but have managed to start their own online boutique, Bella Gemelli, while balancing school, extracurricular activities and their social lives. Read about how they got their start, what their goals are for the future and more!

Photo Credit: Bella Gemelli
DGG: Tell us about yourselves, Abby and Gabby.
Bella Gemelli: To start off, we are both identical twins and our little sisters are identical twins as well! Family is a huge part of our lives, and we truly believe we wouldn't be who we are without our family’s love and support. We’re extremely close, and we feel that we are stronger together than we are separated—after all, our names are only one letter apart! We are currently students at Michigan State University studying broadcast journalism, and minoring in entrepreneurship and innovation. At MSU, we have tried to be involved in everything campus has to offer! We both are extreme fashion enthusiasts, who love to create and inspire. Our absolute dream is to pursue our passion, help others, and make a positive impact in this world.

DGG: Tell us about Bella Gemelli.
BG: Bella Gemelli is an online clothing brand that we created to represent our love for fashion, and also help a cause that is very close to our hearts. Bella Gemelli strives to carry unique brands and fun Bella Gemelli spirit wear. We want every customer who shops at Bella Gemelli to find something they love, which is why we focus on carrying a range of styles in our store. Every year 5% of our net proceeds are donated to Graham’s Foundation in order to support premature twins, multiples and single births.

DGG: What inspired you guys to create Bella Gemelli?
BG: We started Bella Gemelli because we wanted to turn our passion into our everyday job, while bringing our ideas to life. Both of our parents are entrepreneurs and own their own businesses, so we decided that following in their footsteps was something very important to us.

DGG: What has been the biggest challenge starting your own boutique? 
BG: The biggest challenges we’ve faced in our journey so far are trying to be full-time students and business owners, while also being involved in multiple organizations on campus. Sometimes the many responsibilities become difficult to juggle, but we know it will be worth it in the end.

DGG: Where do you see yourselves in 5 years?
BG: In 5 years, we hope that we are able to put a smile on even more faces and continue providing a new way to look at fashion. We are also in the process of creating our own designs, which will be featured on Bella Gemelli and include a unique twist. Our goal is to have these complete within the next year, and we believe the designs will help enhance the Bella Gemelli brand even more. Additionally, we would love to have our first store front for Bella Gemelli.

Photo Credit: Bella Gemelli

DGG: Describe your style.
BG: Abby’s style tends to leans more toward edgy finishes and neutral-toned colors, where Gabby’s style gravitates toward lace and ruffle finishes, with lighter-toned colors. Although opposite at times, we both wear a large mix of the two styles.

DGG: How do you take your coffee? 
BG: We both actually do not love the taste of plain coffee, although it smells so good! At Starbucks we always order an iced caramel macchiato with only a single shot of espresso and extra caramel drizzle. Basically, it is all sugar with a side of coffee.

DGG: Fall or summer fashion?
BG: We love both seasons for different reasons. For fall fashion, we love the look of cozy sweaters and jackets together. In the summer, we enjoy the bright coloring of swimsuits, tops, dresses, and shorts.  

DGG: Dressing up or dressing more casual? 
BG: We always try to stick with a balanced mix of both dressing up, and dressing casual. We love fashion and creating outfits; however, we rock the baggy sweatshirt and messy bun look at least four days a week when attending classes. We always say that one can love fashion without having to dress up every single day— that’s the beauty of it!

Photo Credit: Bella Gemelli

Monday, March 7, 2016

Wear It's At: Stylish Seventy's Suede

If you're a boho babe -- and even if you're not -- you're going to love this trend. Mixing a seventy's suede dress, jacket or skirt into your wardrobe will update any look. You can take this trend and style it to your liking, but if you're unsure how you can incorporate it into your wardrobe, take a look-see at what we've come up with below.


  1. Beritt Faux-Suede Dress, $228, BCBG
  2. Circus by Sam Edelman Howell Over The Knee, $79, DSW
  3. Friedline, $50, Adlo
  4. Hinge Faux Leather Trim Wool Felt Panama Hat, $38, Nordstrom

  1. A-Line Skirt, $24, HM
  2. Christophe Sauvat Printed Ruffle Shirt, $248, Intermix
  3. Faux Suede Lace-Up Flats, $24, Forever 21
  4. 50 Round Metal, $150, Ray-Ban


  1. Suede Jacket, $149, HM
  2. TopShop Moto “Elton” Oversize Denim Shirt, $65, Nordstrom
  3. Ripped Heartbreaker Jeans, $89, Bebe
  4. Rebecca Minkoff Astor Saddle Bag, $325, Saks Fifth Avenue 

Monday, February 29, 2016

Detroit Garment Group Ambassador Council



Detroit Garment Group has established the DGG Ambassador Council to complement and support its valued mission of cultivating education and economic development opportunities for Michigan's fashion community, as well as cut and sew manufacturers of all industries. Since 2012, the nonprofit has been dedicated to educating and retaining fashion talent by spearheading initiatives such as FashionSpeak, an annual conference that focuses on the business of fashion, the DGG Fashion Incubator, which provides designers with the workspace and resources to build collections while building their businesses, and the Industrial Sewing Certificate Program, in partnership with Henry Ford College, Grand Rapids Community College, Lansing Community College, St. Clair County Community College and Michigan Works.

“We’re looking forward to working with this great group of young professionals. They are singularly focused on the goal of encouraging community involvement with the Detroit Garment Group,” says Barbara Biess, DGG Board Member and FashionSpeak Chair. “This group will be a key asset in organizing a variety of fundraisers and social events to further DGG’s mission to expand the cut and sew industry in Michigan.”

Detroit Garment Group has named nine young, influential and passionate community members to join in its mission:


  • Katie West, Chair, Independent Event Planner
  • Jonathan Martone, Vice Chair, Senior Attorney at Clark Hill and Co-Founder of The Versatile Warrior
  • Tatiana Grant, Secretary, Owner and Founder of Infused PR
  • Lauren Major, Treasurer, Buyer at Harry Major Machine
  • Jamie Martone, Attorney at Dickinson Wright PLLC and Managing Director of The Versatile Warrior
  • Jenna Angott, Physician Assistant at University of Michigan in General Thoracic Surgery
  • Lauren Kirsch, Independent Wholesale Representative
  • Ashley Dano, Sales/Marketing Manager at Danto Furniture
  • Cayce Kosch, Senior Account Executive at Siren PR


In addition to event planning, the DGGAC will be charged with establishing relationships with the next generation of fashion enthusiasts, encouraging them not only to participate, but also give back to Michigan’s fashion community.

"I am very excited and honored to be a part of such a talented and diverse group of individuals, all of whom have an undeniable passion and unique experiences and perspectives in the fields of fashion, art and design,” says Jonathan Martone, Senior Attorney at Clark Hill and Co-Founder of The Versatile Warrior. “The opportunity to work with the Detroit Garment Group to further its impressive reach and vision in the development and promotion of the fashion and design industry in Detroit and throughout the state will be of great value not only to the council members, but more importantly to burgeoning newcomers in these areas of interest."

For more information about the DGG Ambassador Council, visit DGG’s website at www.detroitgarmentgroup.org or contact Lindsey Alexander lindsey@detroitgarmentgroup.org.

Monday, September 29, 2014

On The Town: Trendevous at Carson's

Twice a year, Carson’s at Laurel Park Place puts on a fabulous fashion show and shopping extravaganza and this fall show was no exception. It was an early Saturday morning but with the help of a smooth cup of joe and under-eye makeup we were ready. The day started out with a fashion show that included the Top 10 Fall Must Haves, the Ruff Hewn Grey trend, the Sporty Chic trend and outfit options for work, weekends and date nights. It was all pretty fabulous and once the fashion show concluded, guests were invited to shop the looks they just saw on the runway. It was genius. Each look was numbered, listed on the programs, and the clothes were put into their respective numbered sections throughout the store so people could buy exactly what they saw. Effortless shopping and styling at its finest.

If you felt major FOMO (fear of missing out) while reading this post, don’t stress too much. They have a spring show you can attend, and if you go to www.carsons.com, you can sign up to stay updated with all of their events. Voila!