Jessica Johnson Moore is the designer and founder behind childrenswear brand Little Grey Line. Based in Raleigh North Carolina, Little Grey Line is a children’s clothing collection, made entirely from upcycled men’s shirts. Born from a pile of perfectly good work shirts that were no longer needed, the shirts retained shared memories from their wear, leading to Moore’s desire to give them a second life, and a rebirth as a dress for her then two year old daughter.
Each item in the Little Grey Line collection is individually designed from men’s button down shirts, and refashioned into sophisticated but playful dresses for girls. The collection incorporates clever design details, featuring the individuality of each shirt, including playfully cut stripes and checks, and clever color combinations, transforming conservative men’s shirts into playful little summer dresses replete with button down details and patch pockets.
Photo by Susan Black Holt
With a Bachelors degree in Environmental Design and a Masters in Architecture, Moore worked for Ralph Lauren in New York where she was Project Manager for retail development. Moore returned to North Carolina to work as an independent architect, and teach at NCSU. Despite a creative background, Moore had no past experience in fashion, teaching herself to sew through a manual, online tutorials and a lot of perseverance.
Photo by Susan Black Holt
Setting perameters for her work early on, Moore works with only the materials from the shirts, meaning there is no added fabric. Most work is custom ordered, and shirts are donated by the customer as a means of continuing a family story, from a father, grandfather or significant other, to a daughter or granddaughter. Offering a choice of seventeen styles, each listed on her website, each garment retains a level of sentimentality by default, with memories and stories interwoven into each custom made dress. The company has grown organically through word of mouth, with Moore’s participation in fashion shows such as Raleigh Redress helping to spread the word.
Photo by Susan Black Holt
Website: www.littlegreyline.com
