Building Extraordinary Looks With Four SLC Fashion Designers

These four Salt Lake City fashion designers are changing the game. While using different materials such as upcycled lace tablecloths and natural yarn fibers, and finding inspiration from diverse sources like anime characters and Mother Nature herself, their pieces all fit together to create multiple extraordinary looks. From patchwork pants to coffin jewelry and crochet bonnets to metallic bralettes, each designer brings something unique to the table. All outfits are modeled and styled by Ashley Favila (@ashleyfavv on Instagram).

J.J. Stücker

Jaclyn Shahan, the designer behind the upcycled clothing brand J.J. Stücker, describes her style as “extremely whimsical and ultra-feminine with a slight edge.” Her textile skills first came from her mother, who taught her how to sew pillowcases and tablecloths at a young age, but were honed at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where she received a Master of Fine Art in Fashion Design. Shahan’s newest collection, titled “Hot Flash,” is “inspired by the fervor and intensity that we all have inside of us for that one thing we are passionate about in life, and how our flare for it comes and goes at times.” Her other design inspirations include the 1960s space-age movement led by André Courrèges and 1980s cartoons such as Rainbow Brite and Jem and the Holograms. Shop J.J. Stücker online at jjstucker.com and find her work on the runway at the Walking for Gold charity fashion show on September 14.

Pout Pants

Candra Lee Mackey has always seen clothing as a way to express her emotions, personality and spirituality. “Function and fashion go hand in hand, as the right clothes not only reflect who you are but also support what you’re doing,” she says. Mackey made her first pair of Pout Pants in 2020, and after months of product testing, she finally perfected the stitching formula that keeps the patches together. Mindfulness and spontaneity are important to Mackey’s creative process, “allowing [her] eyes and hands to guide the design wherever they lead.” Her goal of bringing awareness to the damage of fast fashion goes hand-in-hand with her inspirations from the natural world—one piece that she’s incredibly proud of is a pair “dedicated to expressing my gratitude for the sun,” Mackey says. Though she’s been entirely self-taught so far, she’ll be studying fashion at Salt Lake Community College this fall. Check out her current inventory at poutpants.com and contact her for commissions on Instagram at @poutpants.

Big Yarn is My God

“I love the way that an outfit can make an impression on the world around you without saying a thing,” says Ashley McDougal, the designer and fiber artist behind Big Yarn is My God. When it comes to crocheting, her method of choice when creating clothes, she feels very connected to her pieces because “not only are you designing a dress or pants, you’re also making the material,” McDougal says. “It feels like a little part of me walking around in the world.” She looks to other fiber art brands like Nong Rak and Loupy Studio for ideas on how to experiment with natural textures and play with freeform design. “I love to play with color and shape … I come up with my favorite pieces when I spend time admiring other mediums like paintings, glass [and] ceramics,” she says. Find McDougal’s yarn creations on Instagram at @bigyarnismygod and look out for her fall 2024 collection coming this October.

Punx Jewelry

“Growing up, I always wanted to look different,” jewelry designer Maranda Espinoza says. “I would make kandi bracelets and sell them to kids at school.” Her early involvement in the emo and scene subcultures later influenced her brand, Punx Jewelry, and its bold, dramatic style. Using thrifted charms and stainless steel materials—sometimes incorporating ethically-sourced skunk and raccoon bones as well as human wisdom teeth—Espinoza handcrafts chokers, earrings, belts, keychains and more. Her chainmail-esque designs, inspired by vampire aesthetics, emphasize classic goth motifs like spiders, coffins and crosses alongside stereotypically feminine symbols like hearts, stars and bows. She couldn’t possibly choose a favorite piece, though: “All my creations are very special to me. It takes so much time to bring [the designs] to life,” she says. Shop Espinoza’s recent collections online at punxjewelry.net and keep up with new drops or request a commission on Instagram at @punxjewelry.

Read more about SLC’s fashion designers:
Q&A Interview: By U For You Fashion Show
The Resurrection Project: QTBIPOC Designers Revive SLC’s Creative Pulse