Effie's Heart

cting her appreciation of eclectic beauty, the arts, and classic style sensibilities. Raised in rural Oklahoma, Kimo grew up making her own clothing. She would anxiously await her monthly Vogue issue for fashion news and inspiration. Making everything from her own designer jeans in junior high to her prom and wedding dresses, she has always been a fashion adventurist. Kimo followed her ambitions to California and attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Paying the bills by working as a restaurant manager, she accumulated a wealth of skills indispensable for running a successful business. After graduating, Kimo spent many years costuming in theater which became an integral part of her design aesthetic. She considered this her supplemental education where she stockpiled knowledge of clothing from different time periods. What started with a sewing table and a dream is now a company that retails nationally and overseas, with multiple manufacturers, a design warehouse/ studio workshop, employs numerous staff and artists, bringing all these elements together to create wearable and original designs. Aunt Effie’s Guide to True Originality

Kimo’s passion for life and fashion adventure was inherited from her family’s generations of funny and intelligent women. The company’s namesake, Aunt Effie, was born in 1937 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Growing up, Kimo’s mother would tell wild and colorful stories about her. She threw crazy theme parties, made all of her clothing by hand, and was always dressed to the nines. One time she decided to save money on drive-in tickets by stowing her sisters away in the trunk of her 55 Bel Air. Effie’s Heart honors her vivacious spirit of originality and extraordinary lust for life. It Takes a Village

A fashion designer must wear many hats – literally and figuratively. Kimo is always quick to give credit to the many contributors behind the scenes. From designing to shipping to selling to marketing and accounting and budgeting, there are many components to be orchestrated for a successful product. She brings together artists, photographers, stylists, design assistants, and many other support staff to create collections that are designed for today’s busy woman. Timeless Style, Meet Modern Comfort

At Effie’s Heart, the main goal in clothing design is to create garments that are comfortable and flattering for all women. Clothing of the past often required restrictive undergarments, complicated closures and was made of uncomfortable fabrics that had to be meticulously cared for. There is a wink of nostalgia in Effie’s Heart designs, but overall incredibly modern, always comfortable, perfectly fit and easy to care for. What Makes Our Heart Skip

Inspired by a devotion to easy living, the artistry of fashion, and a taste for the finer things in sartorial style - all of these come together to bridge new fashion ground in Effie’s Heart. One of the hallmarks of Effie’s Heart designs is the use of original artwork as placement art or in creating truly original prints. Artists create original, hand-produced images for seasonal and themed collections resulting in fabrics and styles that are absolutely one-of-a-kind and irresistibly offbeat. Effie’s Heart has created a line wearable by any modern woman who believes that comfort can be bed-mates with fashion. Using color palettes inspired by antique catalogs, art history, nature, and clothing of yesteryear, Kimo has painted a fashion canvas that is both endearing and unique. Fighting against the forces of sameness that trend services push onto mass culture, Kimo would like to introduce Effie’s Heart to all those who believe there is still room for original inspiration.

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” –Coco Chanel