About Us
Our Story
Our history
MAUDE COUTURE and DOT + MAUDE
are lovingly dedicated to my grandmothers.
Maude Lyon Hincher (left) taught me to sew at a very young age. In another life, Maude would have been a designer herself, but in hers she was a devoted wife and mother. She made absolutely everything in her home (beautiful)—from biscuits to blankets to blouses. She was best known in our family for her amazing quilts, but she is best remembered by my aunts for making them the dresses of their dreams. To me, she will always be the one who inspired my love of crafts, handwork and construction with her endless patience.
Dorothy Rosenwinkle Mitchell, (right) known simply as “Nan” to us and “Dot” to the rest of the world, is the most stylish woman I have ever known. In addition to a collection of vintage treasures, I inherited Nan’s love of clothing, tailoring and style. Nan had at least a half dozen closets brimming with treasures…and she always generously supported the blooming imaginations around her with dress-up clothes, sewing supplies and endless praise.
Together these ladies inspired my sense of fashion, craftsmanship, hard work, adventure and design. Together these ladies armed me with my eye, ability, spirit and determination.
They inspire me to be who I was meant to be.
Our Present
When I was not wandering the woods and waters of Lady’s Island
as a child, I was reappropriating my family’s clothing, curtains, slips, leaves, pennies…anything that could be re/upcycled…into fashion.
Days after graduating from the College of Charleston with a B.S. in Business & Global Logistics, I moved to New York City
to pursue my childhood dream.
Five years later, I returned to Charleston with a Fashion Design,
Tailoring & Millinery degree from F.I.T., my husband, all the critters
I took up there and my first design job. I quickly began dreaming of a company founded on earth-friendly principles and inspired by the people and places of my childhood. I debuted MAUDE COUTURE
as an emerging designer at the 2009 Charleston Fashion Week,
had a fortunate cover feature on the Post & Courier and
was making wedding gowns the next day.
Two houses, three children and a couple of rescue dogs later,
I am still at it. I added a sister line of handmade goods called
DOT + MAUDE for fun during the pandemic. I specialize in upcycling vintage wedding dresses, heirloom christening gowns,
silks, lace, vintage textiles, eco-friendly fabrics, millinery, and sustainable fashion…because these are my loves! I am an intensely curious person and I love what I do. What can I do for you?
Our Mission
We are all looking to contribute to something more beautiful. I want you to know how committed we are to our eco ideals. In addition to the environmentally-friendly office & business practices, our mission is to produce clothes in a responsible manner that respects the earth and human dignity. It is our mission to manufacture in the United States, pay fair prices and support our citizens and economy as much as humanly possible. Wherever possible, we use fabrics and trims made from sustainable fibers such as bamboo, hemp, organic cotton and wool as well as reclaimed and recycled fabrics. In our efforts to minimize our global footprint, we will conserve resources though making our couture dresses to order and carrying as little inventory as possible. Naturally, we use recycled & reusable products, paper and procedures wherever possible and we reuse our resources to the best of our ability. It is our mission to remain on the cutting edge of responsible social, business, manufacturing and
environmental practices. We are committed.