Fashion – New Orleans

My name is Emily Hamm, but when I was younger some of my family called me by my first + middle names. As if it was meant to be combined, it so easily rolled off their tongues— "Emily-Frances." I was born and raised on the westbank of the Mississippi River down in New Orleans. After high school, I moved an hour and a half north to Baton Rouge, where I attended LSU and graduated with a degree in Apparel Design. However, the excitement of that life achievement was cut short as just three weeks later my dad passed away unexpectedly. My life was in shambles as I made the decision to move home to New Orleans earlier than I had anticipated. Without a job lined up and with fewer fashion opportunities than I expected available in NOLA, I truly had no idea what to do with my degree. I always desired to be a part of something that would give back in one way or another, something bigger than myself, something that didn't serve to glorify me. That's hard to come by in the fashion industry though. While at LSU, I did much research and reports on topics like "fast-fashion," "child labor," and "garment factory conditions." At the beginning of this year, I decided to launch a clothing brand inspired by the ethically-conscious lifestyle I grew passionate about. About 80% of the materials that make up EMMAH designs are up-cycled. For example, most of the fabrics are donated instead of purchased AND the crochet fabrics, doilies, and squares were acquired from thrift stores. The garments give new life + purpose to once-used materials as well as reduce waste, making them partially ethical and environmentally-friendly! Each piece is one of a kind + handmade in the United States right out of my home. The hippie/boho styles were created with fun-loving, wild-spirit, colorful-soul women like myself in mind, who would showcase them on a weekend stroll down her favorite shopping boulevard or while dancing her tail off at a show like RAW!