In continuation of my “Makers” series I am very proud to introduce the ladies behind Grace by GD. Grace is a new ready to wear clothing line founded in Chicago by Ania, Ola, and Dominika Wojtowicz. If the name Grace sounds familiar it’s because these beautiful ladies are the daughters of the famous Grace who designed my wedding dress!
I met with Ania a few weekends ago to learn about the new clothing line, her sisters, and to try on some of the pieces. Its not every day that you get to wear handmade clothing that’s of such good quality so I was on cloud nine!
Below is a little bit more about Ania and the new Grace line in her own words.
What inspired you to work together and found Grace by GD with your sisters?
Growing up and watching our mother, who is a self taught seamstress, was probably our greatest influence. We have always been in awe of her ability to take unfinished pieces of fabric together and create something beautiful and unique. This is what we try to bring out in our line – we’ve grown up surrounded by this beautiful and feminine world of custom made gowns and wanted to bring that feeling to every day clothing that has a more affordable price point.
How do the three of you work together?
Each of us is so different and brings different strengths to the table. I will work on sewing the clothes and the photography which are my passions. Ola coordinates the financials and our budget while Dominika works on marketing materials and our website.
If you had to describe the style of the line with three words , what would they be?
Feminine, classic, and timeless. We want our designs to make women feel empowered yet comfortable be they entrepreneurs, mothers, or both!
What’s your favorite piece from the Grace by GD line so far?
I personally adore our Flower Me In Pink shirt with the flirty floral sleeves – its just makes me smile!
What is the personal style of each sister?
This is a funny question because you can tell each of our personalities based on our styles. For me, my style gravitates towards being sophisticated and classic. I invest in wardrobe staples (blazers, skirts) but throw in a statement piece here and there to add some fun. Dominika loves minimalist looks that have some sort of feminine twist. Ola gravitates towards a simple style and adds in girly twists. We all love to embrace our femininity !
How do you envision the pieces – do you see the fabric first and design for that – or do you have a piece in mind and then find the fabric for it?
For all of our pieces I look first at the fabric and tend to kind of “see” what I’m able to make with it. A classic example of this is our Flower Me In Pink shirt. I saw the floral fabric and knew that I wanted to incorporate the flower part into fun sleeves for a top. So I suppose the fabric speaks to me first and from there I decide what will be made.
Below are some photos of some of my favorite pieces from the Grace by GD line. This was my first “photo shoot” and I chuckle that it was in the middle of one of our Chicago snow storms.
The Flower Me In Pink shirt makes me feel so girly and I found myself moving my arms around a lot more because I loved playing with the sleeves.
My favorite piece is the Brocade in Gold skirt. I’m a lover of pleats and this skirt has such thick, quality fabric that makes the skirt feel structured. I’m also a fan of the texture that the gold brocade fabric has – I love it!
Check out the other pieces from the Grace by GD line and give the ladies a follow at their social channels:
All photos for this post were taken by Ania – she is so talented! She runs a blossoming photography business, Ania Photography, so be sure to check her out and book her for your next special event (engagements, maternity shoots – her work is amazing !)
