When Joanne Mullin first moved to Kansas City from California in 2019, coming from a background in fashion, she was eager to discover what the KC Fashion scene had to offer. After deciding to attend a runway show for Kansas City Fashion Week, the hunt began to find the perfect ensemble for herself. Feeling frustrated, she found herself with limited options. “At a size 16, it was difficult to find something that I felt confident in, that also looked good,” she shares.
With two weeks until Fashion Week she began making an elegant and stylish kimono to wear. Little did she know that born from her lack of options began the start of something magical. Joanne says, “I was pleasantly surprised with the professionalism of the whole KC fashion scene. When this stylish woman came up to me and asked where I got my outfit, I said, ‘I made it,’ and I thought, ‘I could do this. I could help others reinvent themselves too.’”
In 2020 J.Mullin Apparel Co. was born, and Joanne began the process of creating distinctive, handmade kimono inspired garments featured in three lengths: jacket, tunic and ankle length, as well as versatile and elegant accessories like scarves and belts. She plans to begin offering distinctive handbags in the future as well.
“My whole mission is to inspire women to embrace their own unique style,” she says. “To see the confidence they exude when they try on my well-fitting designs. A flowing silhouette smooths over a lot of ills, and I dislike seeing people not putting effort into how they dress.”
Joanne collaborates with Rightfully Sewn to produce professionally manufactured, one-of-a-kind garments with no hand stitching or sewn at home techniques, and she provides free returns. She offers a fresh, modern interpretation in a new kimono style. In fact, each piece has such unique characteristics that every garment comes with its own personalized story, written by Joanne herself and included with shipment. “I source repurposed fabrics, I love putting patterns together, the magic is in the combination of the old meeting the new. If only the fabrics could talk and tell the story of where they have been and what they have seen….” she says with a laugh.
Joanne’s motto is “take what we have and use it to reinvent our lives.” She has an obvious passion for reinvention and renewal, and for her it is personal. Profits from her kimono designs are donated to local charities such as Healing House, Morning Glory Monasteries, and many others, as well as to House of Ruth in her husband Bill’s hometown of Connorsville, Indiana. “These places are all dedicated to helping people that are trying to overcome addiction and rebuild their lives,” she shares. House of Ruth has now grown from one house to five, in fact the Mullin family have been such strong supporters in Connersville that the Mullin House was named after them. “My work has given me a reason to get up in the morning. Being able to be a part of organizing and opening a local thrift store for House of Ruth that offers recovering addicts an opportunity to support themselves while reconnecting with society has been a blessing,” she says. “It breaks our hearts seeing what these people are going through. We are so grateful, and we love seeing these lives reinvented and to be able to be a part of lifting them up.” For more information visit jmullin.com or contact info@jmullin.com.
Amani Skalacki - Stylist
Carolina Benitez - Makeup
Maddie Freyre - Hair
Heather Slusher - Model, Voices&
Joanne Mullin - Kimonos
Wardrobe provided by J Mullin Apparel, Alysa Rene, Park Place & Bella Bridesmaid, Park Place.