ABOUT US

Introducing our 2023 keynote speaker
Christy Lynn of Christy Lynn Designs

Since I was 6 years old, I had dreamt of becoming a fashion designer. Throughout my childhood and into my college education, I studied fine arts, falling in love with drawing and painting. I left my hometown of Chicago to study at the Rhode Island School of Design and after receiving my BFA, I moved to NYC to pursue my dreams. 

My first design job was with Nanette Lepore in 2003, where I spent 4 years assisting the embroidery designers.  In 2008, I was hired by Catherine Malandrino where I truly grew as a designer, working as her right hand for the next 5 years. My last 4 years in NYC were spent at Elie Tahari as the senior designer, understanding the working women attire and learning tailoring techniques from Elie. 

In 2017, I met my now-husband who lived in Houston, TX and took a leap of faith to relocate my life for love. While planning our wedding, I turned my capsule wedding attire into a full collection, which I took to NYC for the Spring 2020 market in the Javitz Center.  What started out with an order for 6 retailers has now grown into over 100 retailers throughout the U.S  and International boutiques. 

While I have always thought of myself as an artist, my entrepreneurship has come through growing up in the back of my mother’s bookstore in Chicago. She came to the U.S. in the 80’s and throughout the years turned a small closet selling books into a multi-store chain for Korean books, cosmetics, and pop culture. Building a life for her family, she nurtured 2 daughters into the arts. My sister, with a BFA from Parsons and work experience in NYC, is now currently the Senior Designer at Christy Lynn.

My mother’s cancer journey was one that surprised our whole family. She was diagnosed with a stage 4 NSCLC in December 2021. After numerous surgeries and radiation treatments to her spine where the cancer had spread, she was placed into a wheelchair not being able to move her body, and ultimately her cancer had progressed until her passing 7 months later. 

In the beginning of her journey, my mom and dad traveled to Houston to stay with my husband and I as a family, and to be treated at MD Anderson and TIRR. With the guidance of these exceptional hospitals, I quickly learned how to become a caregiver of a cancer patient, and was able to care for my mom at the comfort of our home until her passing. 

My mom passed away in July 2022, 1 month before my Spring 2023 collection was due. (This is the collection that is on the floor at Tootsies right now) 

I somehow managed to use all the pain and anger I had into finishing the collection and to become a leader of a growing business. 

As a young girl, I watched her build her business with dedication and hard work. I never saw her cry or give up when times were tough. Over the 30 years of her career, she became a role model for young immigrant women to build a career and support their families in America. 

And even throughout her painful journey with cancer, she was a proud mom to her 2 daughters. She always asked to keep our business cards and lookbooks at her hospital room, to share with the nice doctors and nurses that would come by. 

I believe that clothing can speak from one generation to the next and last a lifetime. Each piece is an invitation to continue the stories and dreamscapes of real women, and as an artist, I hope to convey that through my collections with hand-drawn crafts and love, and to tell a story that can inspire women throughout all their journeys in life.