Feature Friday: Morgana Fae Couture
It’s more important than ever to extend the use of our garments and textiles, and this month’s featured business is dedicated to giving antique and vintage pieces a second life! Morgana Fae Couture is a treasure trove of upcycled and one-of-a-kind historically inspired clothing, perfect for everyday wear or history-bounding outfits!
According to founder and creator Elisa Spyker, “Morgana Fae Couture elaborates on the idea that everything can be turned into something else.”
She went on to add, “I like to use repurposed items that started life as one thing, were discarded, and then I found a way to turn it into something new…I started selling antique and vintage clothing in 2015. There were lots of things I found that were in poor condition and I couldn't bear the thought of them ending up in a dumpster, so I salvaged usable parts and created different things with them.”
“I'm heavily influenced by the 1900s–1920s and also 1970s hippie bohemian styles,” Elisa continued, a fact which is clear from the gorgeous garments listed on her site. Each one evokes vintage styles with a decidedly avantgarde twist. Delicately beaded vintage chiffon and lush silk velvet are combined to create elegant robes and loungewear, while more utilitarian fabrics like printed cottons are used to make detailed dresses and petticoats reminiscent of Gunne Sax designs.
“To take a long forgotten garment and repair it, clean it, make it shine again, and show it to the world brings me great joy,” she said. “Although, not all have survived the ages so gracefully, and in these cases, I breathe new life into the old and discarded, always with the utmost respect for the original garment and always with a distinctive style that sets the wearer apart from the crowd. Each piece is unique and cannot be duplicated, created with one of a kind, lucky finds I have discovered in my obsessive treasure hunting.”
Elisa has been sewing and creating from a young age, and this creativity helped to fuel her desire to express herself through her sartorial choices. She elaborated, “I was always turning something into something else. One of my earliest creative memories was my grandmother giving me a bunch of old pillowcases, and I simply cut arm holes and a head hole out of them and boom—they were dresses! I was probably six at the time. When I was eight she taught me to sew, and I started making my own clothes in middle school.”
In addition to the original clothing designs on her site, Elisa creates beautiful framed embroidered art and detailed accessories, like bags and purses. She also sells a variety wearable of antique and vintage pieces she has found on her travels, perfect for vintage clothing enthusiasts. She posts new items to her Instagram regularly and updates her website weekly every Saturday at noon, EST.
You can see her current stock and past creations on her website, www.morganafae.com, and follow her on Instagram, @morgana_fae_couture, for all the latest pieces and updates.