Yup, that’s me! Lana Michelle, the woman behind the Ellemichelle clothing line, hanging out in the London Borough Market
This is a story that started 8 years ago when I was getting ready for a 3-month dream trip to Shanghai. Back then I had no idea that one day this little dress would turn into a full business idea. A few months before the trip I had seen a reversible summer dress hanging in a local store window. I did not end up buying it, but I did decide to go home and sew one for my Shanghai trip. This was the very first travel dress I made, AND IT WAS A DISASTER!!! The first thing I learned was don't make travel items out of cotton fabrics. Halfway through the trip, I washed it in my humid Shanghai hotel room. The darn thing took 3 days to dry and ended up smelling like mildew. Seriously, it was a total fail!
After the trip I went home and totally forgot all about the dress for a couple of years. Then one day I needed a product idea for one of my fashion classes at school. I had started to travel often and found myself constantly struggling with packing issues. How could I fit everything I needed for a 2-week trip into my suitcase and still find room to bring home souvenirs from my trip? (Do you have this problem too?) And just like that, my disaster of a travel dress suddenly became my school project.
Now let’s fast forward a couple of more years. I had completed my second degree in fashion and had been shopping my resume around when a few of my good friends suggested I start a clothing line. (I think they were secretly wishing I would make all their clothes for them 😂) Well, my dear friends, after 2 years of hard work we've just had our official launch! Ellemichelle. Clothing inspired by and for travel.
