An independent, sustainable designer from South Bend, Indiana, created the Vance children’s iconic looks for the Inauguration, including the gorgeous red coat that sweet, bandage-covered Mirabel Vance wore.
Mary Grace Godfrey, the designer and seamstress behind the Anagrassia label, opened up to The Daily Wire about her experience working with second lady Usha Vance.
“I’m so grateful to Usha and her team for believing in me, as well as for their exceptional communication and decisiveness,” Godfrey told The Daily Wire. “Their collaboration truly brought out the best in me, and I get emotional just thinking about it.”
Godfrey said it was a “pleasure working with Usha and her team,” adding that she’s “beyond pleased with what we designed and created together.”
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The designer said that Usha is a previous customer and reached out to Godfrey around Thanksgiving about designing for the children.
Much of the process, though, was quicker than usual, since Godfrey couldn’t do much until Usha and Vice President JD Vance had their attire picked out.
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“The garments were made to complement their parents’ attire, so we couldn’t begin designing or cutting until all their wardrobe decisions were finalized,” she said. “I sketched designs and sourced wools while I waited for their pieces to be finalized. I started cutting [and] sewing in January.”
“Honestly, I’m a bit amazed at how quickly I was able to complete them—and the final pieces turned out better than I could have imagined,” Godfrey added.
Courtesy of Mary Grace Godfrey
Godfrey designed double-breasted pieces with silk linings and wool batting for added insulation.
She told The Daily Wire that the wool used for the outer layers and the inner wool batting was sourced from American companies and sheep.
Courtesy of Mary Grace Godfrey
Courtesy of Mary Grace Godfrey
The Anagrassia website says that the brand’s mission is to “make the world more beautiful.”
“The throwaway mentality of a fast-fashion culture is not sustainable. Nor is it desirable,” the site says. “Georgio Armani once said, ‘The difference between fashion and style is quality.’ Good quality lasts and is therefore always in style, because it is tied to something deeper – beauty. Beauty gives us enthusiasm for living, and we want to build more of this into the lives of our customers.”
“In short, we believe that sustainability can be reached by striving for beauty,” it adds. “Such products take time to make. They are created by skilled artisans, and often made in small batches or custom-made orders. As a result, they are cherished, maintained, and passed on to future generations.”
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