In 1993, the Year of American Craft, Marianne Monteleone and Eva Cutler presented a Wearable Art Fashion show at the Anita Shapolsky Gallery. For Marianne, that venture sparked the idea of a Clothing Design Gallery in her newly acquired building at 97 Broadway in Jim Thorpe.
Since the age of 6 years old, Marianne had been designing and making clothing, beginning with doll clothes on her singer Sew Handy that she now uses for business cards.
After a short lived, but quite successful business venture in Philadelphia, she transitioned to Jim Thorpe, making one of a kind jackets and vests with tapestry fabric remnants from the local furniture factory in Lehighton. When women first staring buying her jackets the inevitable question arose, “What should I wear with this jacket?”
With the help of Kay Maliniak, a former factory supervisor, pattern maker and seamstress, Marianne learned the “factory way” of sewing and together they produced her first professional clothing collection with tops, pants – entire ensembles. At that time she offered custom sizing and fabric choice. With changing times, fabrics and styles, MM Design currently makes a wide array of travel and classic clothing for women in a small private factory, Toczek Enterprises, in Breinigsville, PA, west of Allentown.
Some of her signature designs are reversible jackets and tops, and a travel collection far superior to the chain competitors. MMD travelwear offers three jacket lengths, a variety of tops and tunics, stylish comfortable pants that customers love so much they often buy a few pairs so they can wear them everyday!
One of the biggest challenges for the small designer is sourcing fabric. For consistency in garment production, one must be able to reorder the same quality yardage. Marianne obtains beautiful and unusual fabrics from France, Italy and Canada at a biannual New York market.
MM Design manufactures clothing for real women. Proportions are flattering to the changing figure: sizes XS to XL in all styles and some plus sizes. Fabrics are washable and easy to wear and care.
Trish Tyler, a clothing line from Canada, rounds out the collection with artistic prints on casual cozy tunics for Fall; attention grabbing and fun pieces for Spring and Summer.
Often, men ask if MMD makes anything for them. MM Design is prototyping a men’s shirt based on a now threadbare favorite of Darryl Monteleone, which he discovered in Barcelona years ago. Currently sampling fabrics and tweaking the patterns to reproduce and improve on the shirt design, the product should be ready for Spring 2019.
Friday Saturday, Sunday 11-5, weekdays by appointment. www.shopmmdesign.com
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