Filly started kinda accidentally.

In 2001 I dropped out of law school and while I did not have a plan, I did have a promise — no more "shoulds". I was going to follow my heart in whatever direction it wanted to go. I returned to my hometown of Santa Cruz, California and gave in to the whims of life and love. Over the next five years I worked as a bicycle messenger, learned to garden, fell in love, sold my car and for the first time, felt truly competent and at home in my own skin. I began to notice and be taken with my own physicality: the crook of my arm holding the shovel, my thighs tightening as I pedaled, my hands strong and stained by the day. This was function unexpectedly beautiful. This was, I determined, the type of beauty I wanted to capture and create. I enrolled at the California College of Arts and Crafts for fashion. Two years later I started Filly.

From the beginning I knew I wanted to be involved in every step of the process. I design and sew each prototype, draw the spring print, and pick out the colors offered for each season. The fabric is a durable, almost workmanlike material while the cut and color is distinctly feminine. There are no zippers, buttons, or fasteners of any type — the pull-on fit is flattering, the colors are yummy and the silhouette is of clean lines rendered in womanly curves. A bit of flirtation combined with carpenter‘s smudge and carnival flare. Crafty. Rough and tumble. Fundamental.

I try to use American-milled and or sustainable fabric whenever possible. The manufacturer, dye house, and screenprinter are located on the Central Coast of California, 45 minutes from my base in Santa Cruz. This is clothing ethically made and carefully constructed in small-batch runs.

These days I find myself lifting bolts of fabric rather than shovels of dirt but I still notice and admire the way I move through the day. I want the woman wearing Filly to feel the same as she goes about her day — to admire and appreciate herself, to feel purposeful, sexy, and comfortable in her own skin. I want the woman wearing Filly to fall in love with herself.