Stitched From A Dream
In 2011 — while pursuing a Bsc in Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Technology (UTech) Jamaica — Brittany Johnson woke up with an unusual urge to make a dress. “It was an absolutely bizarre dream,” she told All Woman Fashion (AWF), “because I could barely thread a needle!”
The dream, however, not only led her to the fabric store and the purchase of a gorgeous piece of printed fabric but also to sit around her mother’s old sewing machine where she (albeit slowly) sewed her very first dress. The dress, by the way, received rave reviews from friends and family who immediately became customers.
Johnson’s design aesthetic has since evolved into a different type of dress, notably swimsuits, and her brand Miakalani Swim (named after her young cousin – Mia-Kalani which means ‘mine from the heavens’) affords her clientele designs made from high-quality fabric with at least 20% spandex blend and four-way stretch which allows the fabric to move with the body in all directions, creating a perfect fit that retains its shape. The prints used are bold and colourful, and with over a dozen styles Miakalani Swim has a ‘kini to flatter most body types.
Johnson, who describes her business as a one-woman show, enjoys setting her own hours and spends her days cutting patterns, sewing, updating her website, bookkeeping and handling customer enquiries. With plans in the pipeline for a more inclusive product line, promo images that look like they belong on a magazine cover, a local showroom and an active online marketing campaign, Johnson says Miakalani Swim will be the first of many businesses. AWF eagerly awaits.
Customers can contact Brittany Johnson through Instagram – @MiakalaniSwim, www.miakalaniswim.com
or email miakalani.ja@gmail.com to book a showroom appointment.
