Amanda Dare Dougherty, a local business owner and founder of The New Blak, has brought another new business to the Louisville Fashion scene. Dare has started a new company called CUTRIGHT Clothing. If The New Blak is Amanda Dare’s fashion line, then CUTRIGHT is Louisville’s. “Louisville is so creative...I really want to revolutionize the idea of having Louisville as a fashion hub, and to do that, I need to foster the people who are already here and able to do it.”
There are only a handful of Louisvillians who have made fashion design their trade--that’s where CUTRIGHT aims to give a loving nudge. Whether you want to design your own line of skirts, learn how to make a dress from scratch, or create one-of-a-kind garments, CUTRIGHT can walk you through every step. The company was birthed with the dream of paving the way for fashion designers (both experienced and novice) to create a garment from start to finish, right here in our own city.
As a designer, it can be a challenge to find unique and quality fabric or other resources. To add to the challenge, most clothing manufacturers have a “minimum” that requires designers to order up to hundreds of a single design, meaning that they also have to find a way to later distribute and sell them. While this tactic is profitable for the manufacturer, it creates difficulty for the designer. Dare has experienced these hardships of the fashion industry first-hand, and hopes to help others avoid the headache. “They can come to me, and I can walk them through the process, or we can do that for them if they are busy through other creative outlets or jobs.” With Dare’s vision for CUTRIGHT, there is no minimum. She sees fashion designers as artists that sometimes want to create something beautiful and unique without having to duplicate it a hundred times.
CUTRIGHT gives designers the opportunity to cut out the middle man and learn the process of sourcing, pattern making, and fashion consultations. They also have plans for sewing classes, and fashion education. Along with the process of sourcing, CUTRIGHT will also be partnering with local dye and print shops so that clients have the ability to customize their look. Like The New Blak, CUTRIGHT is thoughtful about sustainable clothing. However, Dare acknowledges that not every client will be ready to go full-in with this concept. To stay consistent with their vision, the company finds other ways to minimize waste, like keeping fabric scraps and using them to benefit Dress for Success, an organization that helps give professional attire to disadvantaged women. And, as the company name implies, seamstresses do their best to “cut right” when creating new outfits. Extra care is put into designing patterns, taking measurements, and getting it perfect before scissors are ever taken to the fabric.
Though the comany is barely a month old, CUTRIGHT has already hired on three seamstresses, all with strong backgrounds in fashion (they are also accepting interns). CUTRIGHT has already collected local clients like Gunnar Deatherage (from Project Runway), Betty Jeffries, and Inner Warrior; each has their own unique vibe, a variety of styles, and varying levels of experience with fashion design. “I’ve been working with Inner Warrior, and they are first-time designers working towards using sustainable fabrics,” says Dare. “...they are an ideal client. They want to learn the full process and have cool ideas, but just need that extra help to get there.”
Dare is dreaming big for Louisville, and paving the way for designers to stay local, and create quality clothing. CUTRIGHT is Louisville’s new fashion line, where the creative can collaborate, and dare to try something different. If you’re interested in what CUTRIGHT can do for you, contact Amanda Dare. Sewing classes are also available to anyone looking to expand their skills, or just try something new.
