Lacie Phillips

CEO, DESIGNER

I guess you could say I stumbled into the business, but was born with the passion. I am a wife, mother, gardener, beekeeper, homesteader, and lover of all things essential to an older way of life. My business is inspired by the willow. When you want to grow a new plant from an existing plant, you take a cutting and place it in a cup of willow water. The willow naturally produces a rooting hormone that encourages the cutting to form roots. Without the willow, this cutting would simply be a dead stick, but the hormone allows the cutting to become a new and beautiful plant. Like the willow, I take things that would otherwise be lost, strip them down, and turn them into something beautiful. I hate to see a beautiful old dress, tablecloth, window treatment thrown away just because it is out of style or considered damaged or useless. I can look through what is and see what can be. It is truly my passion to recover, grow, and gain inspiration from the world around me. I look forward to the beauty I have yet to see.

THE DESIGN INSPIRATION

My work space is littered with antique lace, bits of reclaimed silk, and discarded buttons. But more importantly, my work space is full of hope and inspiration. I am always creating new designs and coming up with ways to connect more with people. When I sew, I cant help but imagine what the person wearing the piece will experience while wearing it. Maybe it is a bride walking down the aisle in her hand made gown that takes her groom's breath away. That same gown that she lovingly packs away in the closet of the new home she shares with her husband. Unpacking that gown when she finds out she is expecting so that she can have a christening gown made. saving that christening gown for all of her future children and grandchildren. Lovingly handing over a box of well loved scraps that hold so many memories, to her daughter who has decided to honor her mother by incorporating pieces of her mother's old wedding gown into the gown she is going to wear on her wedding day. And so on and so on until the lace, fabric, and buttons become just what they provided for so many years....a well loved memory.

PHILANTHROPY

Camp Rap-A-Hope

Wisteria Way Designs recently participated in Mobile Fashion Week 2018 which supported Camp Rap-A-Hope.

From their website:

Camp Rap-A-Hope is a non-profit organization that offers free FUN for children who have or have had a cancer diagnosis and their families. We offer programs and events throughout the year that aim to bring fun to the childhood cancer journey. Our largest event is a week-long summer camp for kids 7 - 17. Most of our campers come from communities along the central Gulf Coast; from the Florida panhandle to the Louisiana Texas border, but any child with cancer may attend.

On why Wisteria Way Designs chose to support Camp Rap-A-Hope:

From Lacie, owner of WWD:

In nursing school, I got chose to precept in oncology. I was drawn to that field due to the fact that my nephew was diagnosed with ITPN which presents like leukemia, when he was a baby. I would sit in the chair with him while he had his blood drawn and saw all that he went through. I saw how those nurses took care of him, how they were always the camping force in a very charged situation. I wanted to have their knowledge and show their level of compassion. Oncology always just spoke to me so when it came time to pick a field to train in, I immediately chose Oncology. I can remember with my nephew, as well as my patients, how their lives revolved around their sickness. But there were those rare moments when he got to play and be a kid. Something other children take for granted, was a relief from a parade of medical treatments and testing for him. So if Camp Rap-A-Hope’s mission is to provide that kind of relief for these children, why wouldn’t I want to support that!

Live Out Loud

Wisteria Way Designs participated in the first annual Influence Fashion show which benefits Live Out Loud Charity.

Bereavement Gowns

Wisteria Way Designs loves to lift women up and be there in a small way during their biggest, happiest moments. WWD also wants to be there in the quiet, the dark, the broken moments to give some small reprieve. That is why WWD chose to start making bereavement gowns. The beautiful thing about women is the incredible depth of their inner strength and their ability to pull together as a community. Women are a community. Mothers are a community. A community that takes care of one another. Read more about the driving decision to make bereavement gowns and more about what they are in the blog post, “After the Rain".”