Feature Friday: I Do Declare
Gothic fantasies aren’t just for Halloween, and this month’s feature proves it by embracing that aesthetic year-round! I Do Declare is a slow fashion brand that combines a touch of gothic with historical silhouettes, fantasy styling, and an all-important nod to whimsy.
Kelsey, the founder of I Do Declare, elaborated on the shop’s design philosophy. “I've always been in love with history because of the stories and how they always reflect who we are today. I've smashed it together with my equal obsession with fantasy to create I Do Declare as it exists today,” Kelsey explained. “Heroic figures of the past are a massive inspiration, and I'm always wanting to bring some of their romantic valor into clothes people can wear every day. Icons like Joan of Arc, Julie D'Aubigny, and Nestor Makhno all have their own magnetism and panache. If I can capture even a fraction of that in a piece, I feel like I've succeeded! I'm a pretty shy person normally, so clothing has always been a sort of armor for me. I also just adore a dramatic sleeve.”
Kelsey added that, unsurprisingly, this passion for historical clothing has been a lifelong interest. “My love of historical fashion came to me when I started learning how to sew. My mother taught me when I was a kid and kept asking for increasingly elaborate Halloween costumes. Eventually she just decided teaching me how to make my own outfits would be easier!”
“The main driver,” Kelsey continued, “was loving some very romantic styles, but not being able to find them outside of runway collections or accessible sizes. Japanese street fashion was a huge inspiration when I was young, but a lot of those brands only made one size. From there I've really fallen into my own style by taking pieces of history I love and making them functional garments for modern life.”
Kelsey uses that inspiration to collaborate with other creatives in unique and playful ways. “I really love collaborating with other artists to create looks for shows,” Kelsey shared. “A good friend and I created saintly looks way back in 2014 that I still adore. I've made suits for vampire cats, garments inspired by nuns, and so many pieces based on medieval devils! Creating a little pocket universe alongside another maker is some of the most fun you can have as a designer! Making styles inspired by armor is also always a fun project. We've certainly made a few of those!”
But at the heart of I Do Declare is a commitment to sustainability. “I Do Declare is a very small slow fashion company, and quality, ethics, and inclusivity are vital parts of our business,” Kelsey explained. “Each style is thoughtfully designed and made in small batches. We do a lot of pre-orders, which ensure we aren't making excess garments. That all does mean that things take a bit more time with us, from hand sewing countless buttons to checking over each piece before wrapping it up to go to its new home. We really want everything to be special and loved.”
And that commitment at scale presents it’s own challenges. “Some of the most difficult aspects have been scaling up production while also maintaining quality,” Kelsey continued. “Good fabrics, experienced sewists and solid pattern grading are all harder and harder to find. I really treasure the team of people I work with now. Without them IDD wouldn't be possible! Making sure pieces are quality made and will wear well takes patience. Making samples and testing them certainly adds to our timelines, but it's always worth it.”
Still, Kelsey is dedicated continuing to expand I Do Declare’s offerings with that ethos at the forefront, this time with a focus on making clothing for practical life, not just looks. “The more clothes I make the more I really want to incorporate the practicality of historical fashion. Sizing used to be much more adjustable to account for changing bodies, and that's something I've been more and more enamored with. We are always working to improve pieces. If I can add pockets to a dress, you can bet I will! Fake pockets will never appear on an IDD piece, and I loathe vestigial buttons. Last year we switched most of our linen styles to a hemp fabric. It's a longer staple fiber so it wears better, and it takes half the water to produce. Even though we're tiny in the grand scheme of things, those small changes can add up.”
You can find all of I Do Declare’s gorgeous offerings on their website, www.idodeclareshop.com, and you can follow them on Instagram (@ixdoxdeclare) for more inspiration and to keep up will all the latest release and pre-order information.