Ah, so cute! Calling all fashionista moms. Goosie Girl Boutique designs the cutest princess tutus, glam dresses for that special occasion, headbands, petal hats, and tops for your little fashionistas. Goosie Girl products are made using top quality American made soft tulle. They are crocheted, sewn and hand trimmed.
Heather remembers designing fashions for her Barbie doll around the age of 8 years old, using tissue paper and fabric scraps from her mother's sewing box.
Emerging design talent, Heather Niziolek is a self-taught designer and creative force behind her brand, Goosie Girl Boutique. She is a mom with many jobs, who still finds the time to create these beautiful pieces from her home-based business. Heather describes herself as an 'accidental' fashion designer. She says she started out making hair bows for the local cheerleading squad, and with encouragement and compliments from friends and family, decided to use her talent on a larger scale and started designing for the general public.
Heather developed her marketing and business skills and began adding new items to her collection such as tutus and custom flip flops, which she started selling on Ebay and Etsy, and eventually on her own website. She began to develop a following, and now her products have been used as props by photographers in photo shoots. She promotes her line on Facebook. Heather recently designed a coral colored petal hat for Claudia Schiffer's new daughter, Cosima. She also designed a periwinkle petal hat for Kevin Costner's new baby girl, Grace.
I asked Heather to describe her design style, and she said the following:
My style is whimsical, fun and magical! I don't take myself too seriously and I want this to be about what the CUSTOMERS want, I want to make dreams come true, I want my customers to feel as if the world revolves around them and their little girls by providing custom designs as time allows and creations with over-the-top gorgeous details. I often find myself wanting to create a “feeling” as I sketch out a design rather than a specific costume or dress. Many times I have a vision in my mind of the end product before one line has been drawn on the sketch pad, and I work backwards watching the design evolve from the emotions and sensations I want to conjure up (this is especially true of my new flower fairies line).
Heather says she has had many mentors, including Jen Hagedorn and Shelly Pint. She says she would like to see Chicagoans embrace the handmade products of independent artists more, which has become a hot trend in other places such as New York and California.
One of the fashion designers Heather admires is David Galliano. She says he truly inspired her when she saw his spring fashion week show for Chanel.
Prices range between $6 and $110. You may purchase her products online, or at The Stork's Cradle in Wheaton, Illinois.
