On February 7th 2023, I had the pleasure of attending Ooshie’s newest collection, at Chelsea Piers in partnership with the Resonance Company, where owner and founder Melissia, has created tropical inspired sustainable fashion.
Melissia Hill founded Ooshie in 2014 and ever since has been passionate about promoting Ooshie to the world, encouraging women to be confident, sexy, and beautiful in all the ways one has to offer unapologetically. Melissia, herself, has such an incredibly calming and soothing yet confident and bold personality, that is definitely reflected in her brand. When asked about inspiration for her designs, she stated “ I hand draw each and every pattern you see here, all the aligning colors and assortment of patterns; they are then printed on each piece of fabric, which are all sustainable and we use each and every scrap to make Ooshie.” While viewing the collection, I got such a tropical island vibe from the pieces, multiple light weight fabrics, colors and shapes that would be perfect for an island getaway. Melissia’s background is surprisingly not from the Caribbean, however she is in awe and inspired by the islands that she loves very much and is paying homage through her work.
The Resonance Company at Chelsea Piers is a phenomenal production company that ensure’s great quality, fast service and sustainable technology to each brand that they work with; while partnering with Melissia’s need for sustainable fashion, I was mind blown by the system Resonance uses to produce. There’s a constant need for mass production in todays society, which can have a negative affect on our environment because nearly 30-60% of clothing ends up in landfills or worse. To prevent this, Resonance uses a manufacturing technology that is Zero waist and no inventory. No inventory? You might as? Well to put a hold on fast fashion and waistline fabric, with Resonance, everything is made on command, the clothing only gets produced when an order is put in, therefore reducing waste, space, product, and more. The clothing only exists when it is wanted, therefore no longer a need to have fast fashion and waste. This is such a huge step towards even more brands participating in sustainable fashion, the world definitely needs to be aware that companies like Resonance exists, and it makes the experience of buying and selling even that more personable, due to the handcrafted, attention to detail and having the feeling of wearing and buying something that isn’t harming our planet. Personally, I love sustainable fashion and am very conscious about how and what I buy, which is why 80% of my closet is thrifted, vintage, etc.
Model Samia Lulu is one of Melissia’s first models and muse who helped bring the brand Ooshie to life, Samia could be her daughter with similar stunning ethnic features. When asked about modeling with the brand, she stated that its such an honor to be chosen to represent this brand and all the organic energy that come with the job. Melissia took Samia under her wing and they both grew together. I love this story of two individuals finding inspiration and beauty in each other. Overall, congratulations to Melissia and Ooshie on a fabulous event and collection preview, I am looking forward for what’s to come.