Our Story
Why Vanora?
I’ve heard it said that inspiration can come from the most unexpected and unpredictable of circumstances. Who would have known mine would come from meeting a dog named Victoria?
I started my journey over forty years ago in Fashion Designing, and just one semester short of completing a four-year degree, things took a sharp turn and redirected. That detour ended up lasting decades, and from all outside appearances, seemed like a nest of random twists and turns. It wasn’t until a divine appointment with a four-legged fur friend named Victoria crossed my path that I began to understand what it meant to find joy in all things.
You see, Victoria was a white German shepherd that spent the first few years of life chained up and forgotten. That is until a rescue shelter found her mistreated malnourished body and brought her into East Texas, which she then came to our family to live out her days in as much comfort as possible. Through so much mistreatment, anyone would expect Victoria to be defensive, withdrawn, and hostile, but she was anything but those things. She embodied an intense curiosity, and impassioned with a rich joy for life, that spread to everyone she met, regardless if they had a wagging tail. She enjoyed her family, stuffed toys, fuzzy blanket, and amazingly, training time with other friends. She played as a young pup until her final days.
She arrived in East Texas affectionately called Victoria, but I quickly renamed her Vanora because she powerfully impacted everyone she met. You see, a vanora is Celtic for the white cap of a wave. So, when trying to find a name for my boutique and learning center, it’s no wonder Vanora’s name was the first that came to mind. I wasn’t in this to merely make an impression, but an impact on the lives of others.
We hope you feel Vanora’s joy when you visit. Vanora Studio is artisan fashion for the inquisitive, impassioned, and young at heart and we do this by encouraging creativity and self-expression through earth-friendly resources. We believe life is too short to wear anything except what brings you joy!
What is special about your designs vs. others?
Vanora Studio is slow fashion, and we encourage creativity and self-expression through earth-friendly resources. Items are curated to reflect artists and brands that share this same vision. Life is too short to sacrifice comfort and style over monthly fads. So, here at Vanora Studio we believe you should wear what brings you joy!
How Did it All Start?
The journey began 55 years ago as I sat under the sewing machine while my mother took yards of fabric and turned it into something magical. She was a seamstress, not only for our family, but also for a popular local fabric shop where she created display items to spark inspiration.
I couldn’t wait until “the bag” arrived as she immediately pulled out layers of fabrics across our dining room table and started to match tissue paper patterns as if conducting a field of flowers to grow for best display. This part of the journey, for the most part, would go unnoticed. No audience. No cheers. Just an inside point of inspiration that played out with each cut, each stitch, and each turn of the seam that gradually became something spectacular. There’s no way I could have fully understood my own path at that point, but I did fall deeply in love with the process of creating something from a spark of inspiration and seeing it bloom into a finished masterpiece.
I didn’t appreciate it nearly enough growing up, but realized shortly after high school graduation just how much I loved the touch of fabric and the process of design. There were many twists and turns along the 55 year journey, but there was one thing that stood true through the decades, it would be a center point of passion for inspiration, dreams, learning, and it all culminated into the person I am today.