This article is part of a two-story cover package on Nashville style. See also: Local Luminaries: A quick look at 10 stylish Nashvillians — their favorite designers, personal style philosophies and more.
Fufu Creations
Fufu CreationsÂ
For artist Nuveen Barwari, storytelling and art are part of nation-building. Her work is intimately connected with her Kurdish heritage — the altered Persian rugs and contemporary takes on traditional tapestries invite conversations about homeland and resettlement. Some are tributes to Kurdish activists who were killed for their revolutionary work, and others incorporate pop-culture iconography. With Fufu Creations, Barwari takes her work out of the gallery, screen-printing one-of-a-kind T-shirts and jackets with the Kurdish sun and the word ashti, which means peace. If you have a bit more to spend, you can snag a piece of art, like Barwari’s 8-by-10-inch fabric panels. In addition, Fufu Creations sells gorgeous fabric from Dubai that is used to make traditional Kurdish dresses; tees, sweats and totes by Barwari’s longtime collaborator Marlos E’van (more about him on p. 14 ); and prints showing the shape of her homeland. ERICA CICCARONEÂ
Black by Maria Silver
Black by Maria Silver
Black by Maria Silver started like so many things in Nashville do — onstage. The brand’s namesake, Maria “Poni” Silver, was on a global tour playing drums with her band The Ettes when she decided to launch a clothing line. Since debuting as an emerging designer at 2011’s Nashville Fashion Week, Black by Maria Silver has gone in many different directions, most recently with a website that incorporates virtual dressing rooms and an expanded size range. This is the line you’ll want to know about if you like your casual clothes to have attitude, or your formalwear to have irreverence and comfort. Look for basics with nods to ’90s hip-hop style, and effortlessly glamorous pieces that would look equally chic on Nina Simone or Marianne Faithfull. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
Erica Knicely
Erica Knicely
Erica Knicely is your local source for cottagecore looks. We’re talking gingham, ruffle sleeves and intricate, classic embroidery. On the casual side, Knicely’s dark denim Sunflower Dress is an updated, streetwise Alice in Wonderland look, and her shorts — made from vintage quilt tops — are perfect for a summer picnic. If you want to take the rural aesthetic a step further, you’ll find cross-stitched change purses that are haute grandmacore. Then there’s elegance: You can drape yourself in silk charmeuse for a fancy night out, or order a custom-made wrap blouse with puff sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. Earlier this year, our sister publication Nfocus named Knicely the city’s Best Mask Designer. Dare I say an embroidered mask is family-heirloom material? Knicely has started vending at fairs and festivals, so keep an eye on her Instagram account (@ericaknicely) for updates. ERICA CICCARONE
ROOTED
ROOTED
ROOTED co-founders Jaime Bacalan, Alexander McMeen and Aaron Morrison have loved sneaker and fashion culture for as long as they can remember. After graduating college, they saw a dire need for a place where the community could find premium footwear and fashion options without having to leave town or shop online. The three founded ROOTED with the idea that “customer experience in this industry deserves the utmost importance.” Sticking to this mission, the store makes community its top priority by providing a fulfilling experience that goes far beyond a purchase. The 2,600-square-foot shop was designed with a monochromatic color palette to highlight the products on display. Upon entering the Hermitage Avenue store, patrons are welcomed with the smiling faces of employees eager to assist with a purchase, answer questions regarding the many premier brands, or talk local happenings and culture. Over the years, the ROOTED team has contributed to the community with coat drives, special events and collaborations, and community spotlights. A new initiative, The ROOTED Community Fund, is also in the works to invest in local initiatives including school programs, art-based workshops, food programs and youth empowerment. If you’re into fashion, sneakers or community, you’re guaranteed to enjoy a visit to ROOTED. D’LLISHA DAVIS
Darlin’ Lingerie
Darlin’ Lingerie
Formerly known as Nashville Darlin’, Darlin’ Lingerie has a storefront in Wedgewood-Houston but serves customers far and wide via its online store. Darlin’ offers intimate apparel like chemises, bras, bodysuits, hosiery, garters, thongs, loungewear and much more — not to mention a little selection of boxer-briefs for the fellas — from brands like Oh La La Cheri, Bluebella, Kilo Brava, Thistle and Spire, Wood Underwear and more. Owner Kathryn McGinnis and company pride themselves on catering to folks of many body sizes, and Darlin’ Lingerie carries cup sizes A through J and band sizes 30 through 44. They also offer bra fittings, bachelorette parties and private shopping, and sell bath and body products. Click around on the site for sale items and gift ideas — for your paramour, or just for yourself. It’s 2021 for God’s sake, you don’t need an excuse to treat yourself. D. PATRICK RODGERS
Hey Mavens
Hey Mavens
Hey Mavens is Nashville’s size-inclusive panty haven, a shop where damn near anyone can go to feel cute, sexy, daring or just really, really comfortable in their skivvies. Owner Annika Chaloff has been selling her handcrafted, locally produced wares for years online, but in March she took Hey Mavens to the next level by moving into a storefront at Shops at Porter East. There, the selection is massive — bralettes, thongs, briefs and bodysuits are available in sizes XXS to 6XL, made in a rainbow of fabric choices. Black lace, blue velvet, leopard and floral prints — Hey Maven even has an undies set featuring faces from The Office. Bras, beets, Battlestar Galactica. MEGAN SELINGÂ
Eyepissglitter
Eyepissglitter
Tatiana “Tot” Johnson is a creator and lover of life. With a warm smile matched by a vibrant personality, Johnson has become a powerful force in the Nashville community as vice president of the Nashville office of women-empowerment organization Together Digital, and as a disk jockey spinning at events and eateries. Johnson’s grandmother taught her to sew when she was 4 years old, and while living in New York and later Phoenix, Johnson took classes in upholstery and pursued interior design. Johnson began reupholstering furniture to serve private clients and local businesses. She founded Eyepissglitter last year to provide soothing, adventurous scented candles that are hand-poured and 100 percent soy wax. Her shop also includes apparel, home goods and accessories, and this summer she’ll offer upholstery classes. No matter whether she is crafting furniture, hand-pouring candles or taking on projects for upcoming businesses across Nashville, Johnson has talents that are worth checking out. If you can support through a candle purchase, or if you’ve got an old chair you’ve been dying to have reimagined, Eyepissglitter is your one-stop shop. D’LLISHA DAVIS
Queen of Cups Handmade
Queen of Cups Handmade
The brainchild of sisters Jemina and Alexia Abegg, Queen of Cups is a small-batch tie-dye company with an offbeat, uniquely cool sensibility. The brand’s T-shirts, socks, totes, scrunchies and other wares incorporate traditional tie-dye techniques with more innovative splatters and crackles of color, and the Abeggs give the designs dreamy titles like Harvest Moon, Mothership and Jupiter. You can find baby onesies and socks at The Getalong in East Nashville, or you can buy their stuff online or at one of their frequent pop-ups — follow @queenofcups_handmade on Instagram to keep up. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
Dissocialite Design Co.
Dissocialite Design Co.
bonfire.com/store/dissocialite-design-co
Last year, designer Brynn Plummer founded the Dissocialite Design Co., a line of sportswear advocating for mental health education and awareness. Early designs were quite literal, with a variety of mental states boldly displayed across the front of black sweatshirts in neon colors — “Anxious!” “Catastrophizing!” But Plummer’s more recent designs have taken a gentler, more playful turn. Her 2021 Rites of Spring collection is a pretty palette of pastel-colored T-shirts that kindly deliver the words we so often can’t find the strength to say ourselves — “I’m doin’ my very best, buddy,” “Please be gentle with me,” and my personal favorite, “Listening to Big Thief & Spiraling.” As Miuccia Prada once said, “Fashion is instant language.” Sometimes you just want to say, “It’s OK that I’m not OK.” MEGAN SELINGÂ
N.B. Goods
N.B. Goods
Based out of East Nashville’s Shops at Porter East, N.B. Goods features loads of boostery apparel and accessories. From hats and T-shirts to stickers, sweatshirts and banners, N.B.’s wares are simple, straightforward and fun, featuring slogans like “Nashville Goes Hard” and “I Ain’t Never Leaving Nashville.” But there are also items with non-homer slogans — totes with messages like “Full of Shit” and “I Pray You Stay Six Feet Away” — as well as dyed bandannas and some jewelry. You can also order wool hats with custom messages and kids’ caps with initials. Of course, you can order from N.B. Goods’ website. But if you decided to pop in and have a look around, be sure to check out their neighbors RangerStitch — Nashville’s coolest custom chain-stitch embroidery shop (rangerstitch.com). D. PATRICK RODGERS
Artaya Loka
Artaya Loka
The best face mask I bought during the pandemic came from Artaya Loka, Dana Greaves’ fashion and accessories brand — but Greaves’ true talents shine in her handcrafted jewelry line. Graceful bracelets dotted with beads cut from colored vinyl are bound together with tiny twists of thin sterling silver. Delicate hammered hoops, available in silver or pink-gold, pick up subtle glimmers of light with every movement. They’re all stunning but understated. One style I’m hoping takes off this summer is the hoop earrings she calls Dripsy — they’ve been dipped into a paint or wax-like material to appear as though they are slowly, beautifully melting away. Back in the fall Greaves moved Artaya Loka out of its retail space at The Shoppes on Fatherland, but her creations — and face masks, for now — are still available in her online shop. MEGAN SELING
Eric Adler Clothing
Eric Adler Clothing
Time spent living abroad in Spain inspired Eric Adler Bornhop to pursue a career in fashion, but it was legendary couturier Manuel who really prepared him for the job. Bornhop learned the art of tailoring under Manuel’s tutelage before striking out on his own to launch Eric Adler Clothing in 2014 at Nashville Fashion Week. It didn’t take long for the menswear line to gain industry attention — Bornhop was the NFW’s Fashion Forward Fund Recipient in 2015 — and to attract a client list of some of the city’s sharpest-dressed gents. After years of designing impeccably tailored bespoke menswear, Bornhop began offering custom womenswear in early 2020. Known for flawless construction, high-quality fabrics and classic designs, Bornhop’s suits cost a pretty penny (a two-piece bespoke suit starts at $1,095), but they’re built to last a lifetime. Countering the one-two punch of the March 2020 tornado, which destroyed his East Nashville studio, and the pandemic, Bornhop rolled out an online atelier where customers can enter their measurements, select fabrics and customize their garments from start to finish. NANCY FLOYD
TNT Goods
TNT Goods
Founded by best friends and lifestyle coaches Jessica and Simone, TNT Goods is a line of home goods and accessories designed to make you look and feel good. They carry cute sunglasses, affordable gold-plated rings and handmade resin coasters sparkling with flakes of real gold or copper. But they also make space for important social issues with buttons, pins and T-shirts that celebrate empowered women, Black girl magic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Have even more to say? You can make a statement of your own with customizable necklaces decorated with your name, city or favorite word. MEGAN SELING
Article X
Article X
Article X is for the Rick Owens-Victoria Beckham hybrids among us. The indie fashion brand designed by Emily Swinson is filled with completely wearable garments in oversized silhouettes. The styles are trendy but never basic, with a mission to bring comfort, confidence and sophistication to the “dark minimalist.” Think asymmetrical T-shirts, sweatshirts emblazoned with “DON’T” in all caps, masks that say “Kiss Me Kill Me,” and lots and lots of black. The studio on 21st Avenue South is open by appointment only, but there are plenty of lewks to peruse on the company’s Instagram page — check out @articlex_ for more. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
Any Old Iron
Any Old Iron
Any Old Iron’s Andrew Clancey has been adding a little punk-rock glam to Nashville’s music and fashion scenes since relocating his business here in 2014. With a blend of bold colors, daring cuts and sequins for days, Clancey creates pieces of clothing that are fun to admire but even more fun to wear — the kind of garments that make one stand a little taller and feel a bit more like a badass. It’s no wonder his attention-grabbing designs have found their ways into the closets of some of the world’s most fearless performers, including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Cher and Elton John. In 2020, Clancey opened an Any Old Iron boutique, allowing the masses — or the ones on Music Row, anyway — to unleash their inner Beyoncé with his dizzying array of bedazzled clothing and accessories for men and women. The collection includes everything from sequined shorts to striking floor-length gowns to rockabilly-inspired men’s suits. (The boutique also carries equally dazzling pieces from fellow designer, and Clancey’s longtime muse, Laura Citron.) NANCY FLOYD
