The Avant Garde Issue

vests are her quicker items, and average about an hour each to cut and sew, however, these pieces are still extremely unique
and unlike anything you’ll ever find in a store. Her more elaborate clothing pieces can take up to a week of sewing 10 hours
a day. The most extravagant dress she ever made took a week and a half to finish, and sold for $950.00. That seems like a
lot of money until you look at the price range of the not-so-handmade and definitely not one-of-a-kind designer fashion
that decorates the streets of New York and L.A. Janay is very passionate about her work, and wants her wearable art to be
affordable for the average person.
“It’s a labor of love,” she explains, “sometimes I just have to put the beautiful garments out into the world no matter
what hourly wage I end up making.”
Whether you are young or old, goths, bohemians, punks or nerds, Janay welcomes people from all different walks of
life to rock her designs! She sees her style as a state of mind, and does not pin point a specific demographic. She creates her
clothing for people who will love and appreciate it no matter what their age or background is. Her inspiration branches from
her experience working in costumes and the unique materials she finds. She purposely avoids fashion trends on TV or in
magazines and believes in creating what she loves rather than what’s popular. Due to the historical influence of her clothing,
her line is usually mistakenly labeled as “Steampunk”, but in a sea of mass produced and overdone mainstream Steampunk
trends, she prefers to separate her work with the much more appropriate description of “Avante Garde”. Her pieces are hardly
ever sewn from patterns, and she strives to stay open minded and spontaneous while she designs unless she has a very
specific vision of the garment she’s creating. Her line truly offers something for everyone, and she even styles a lot of her
pieces to be androgynous to welcome and celebrate even more diversity among her patrons.
Janay lives by a beautiful and simple way of life that should be adopted by the whole world.
“Whatever comes is a blessing and my mind is open.” She stated, and went on to explain that even though she
may not “make it big” as a designer, the value of hand crafting and keeping a personal connection with each of her pieces
outweighs the possibility of fame. “My hands sew each piece, and each one is one-of-a-kind.”
She keeps the expectations of herself and her business low, and rather than setting her future plans in stone, she
appreciates every blessing the universe sends her way equally and goes with the flow. One thing she is absolutely sure of
is that she will never stop sewing. As a child she often dreamt about
creating beautiful theme room motels like the famous Madonna Inn, and
hopes to obtain that goal by age 70. If you’ve seen the genius of what
this extraordinary woman can create with the confined space of a shop
window or a jumbled pile of discarded scraps, it’s hard to not get overly
excited about the magnificent and endless possibilities she’ll have with
an entire motel!
Janay inspires the world with her artistry and her sustainable
way of life. While others carelessly toss everyday items into the trash,
she is rapidly thinking up different ways to breathe new life into each
discarded pile and create something beautiful and useful with it. Her
humble soul shines through each of her creations. She appreciates the
world just as it is, and surrounds herself with nature to infuse her artwork
with organic elements. Every tiny scrap of fabric that she pieces together
represents her philosophy that all of life’s little moments will fall in to
place, and that everything happens for a reason. Each one-of-a-kind
piece she sews illustrates the way she takes her time to enjoy every life
experience to the fullest. If humanity spent even a fraction of the time
and energy that Janay spends recycling and repurposing the trash of the
world, waste would virtually be a thing of the past!
To see more of Janay’s stunning work, visit her Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/TheWindowLady and shop her Etsy store at www.
etsy.com/shop/thewindowlady. She can also be found at many Bay Area
events including the flea market she hosts every first Saturday of the
month at her awesome workspace at the 5th Avenue Marina located
at 499 Embarcadero Street in Oakland. Handmade couture fashion is a
dying art! Visit Janay to support local and independent design, and also
to experience seeing her breathtaking pieces up close and personal!
Janay Rose - the window lady hooded capelet made
from 1840's overshot coverlet blanket from 1840's,
1940's Japanese indigo denim and recycled rabbit
fur. The window lady one of a kind hand stitched all
recycled doily dress (worn under skirt). $360 Hat by
Jaco Drift Stitcher by Jaco
48 | Avant Garde Issue 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Creative Director, Ivanna Woods
Hair, Timberly Gwan Kerby
Makeup, Naomi Azure