From Country Girl to Fashion Designer

She came out of nowhere last year from a little township in Northern Minnesota on the outskirts of Duluth. Pequaywan Lake is one of the most unlikely places one would expect to find a couture evening gown and prom dress designer let alone in all of Northern Minnesota. This fascinating designer who grew up a tomboy riding her motorcycle and water-skiing, ended up one of the top prom designers in 2005. This small town girl who became one of our big time designers is none other than DeBora Rachelle. Her website topped out over 31,000,000 hits in one month being rated #1 in Googles prom dress search and teenagers love her designs. Top stylists have picked up on her dresses. DeBora Rachelle’s dresses have appeared on “The OC show.” “The OC show” is FOX TV’s biggest influences on teens today1. The DeBora Rachelle Line is currently in Seventeen magazines cover story on Amanda Bynes. DeBora Rachelle dresses are also currently in feature editorials in Teen Magazine, Cosmo Girl, and YM Prom.

Last year, there were DeBora Rachelle dresses worn in all fifty of the US states and DeBora Rachelle Inc. has reported to have sold to countries overseas including Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, Africa, Germany and the Virgin Islands. DeBora was seen at the Oscars last year with the likes of Oprah, Renee Zellwegger, and Kate Winslet.

So just how did a designer from Northern Minnesota make it into the ranks with other top designers? DeBora’s designs are anything but country girlish and the majority of her customers tend to be from the New York and Los Angeles areas. Perhaps it was living in the country that perfected her designing abilities. According to DeBora, “When you grow up in the country with only boys to hang with, there’s not much to do except, motor cycle, water-ski, or hunt. I love motorcycling and water-skiing, but I hate to kill anything. So, when the boys’ hunted, I sewed to amuse myself.”. The country is also a long way away from the nearest fabric store. If DeBora’s friends accidentally left a change of clothes in her boat after water-skiing, they may have come back from hunting only to find their old jeans turned into handbags. “It’s funny, I just saw one of my best friend’s from the past on the front page of the newspaper with his duck Labrador retriever. He’s still doing his thing and I’m still doing mine”, claims DeBora.

There is one thing I’m sure of, you can take a girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. DeBora Rachelle just introduced a new line of denim handbags with a unique twist. Her handbags have a hook that attaches to tables or desks to keep the handbag off the floor where is can get dirty or stepped on. “It also works in boats, I hang it from the drink holder. This keeps your handbag from getting wet.” Country or not, she’s still the best thing for the fashion industry to emerge from Northern Minnesota. Find her at www.DeBoraRachelle.com
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(1W Magazine, August, 2005)