Stef-N-Ty Designs

1. My name is Stephanie Dickey and I am the designer and owner of Stef-n-Ty, a fashion design company that I started in 1992, as a partnership with my husband, Tyrone Dickey, (hence the name Stef-n-Ty). Ty is the creative marketing director and I am the designer. I had been designing and making clothing since 1981 when I opened my first dressmakers shop in Annapolis, MD. Then when Ty and I got together in 1992, we decided to move to NY and start our own menswear line.
2. I was first introduced to clothing design at a very young age by my great-grandmother, herself a dressmaker. She taught all of the girls; daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters in the family how to sew, knit, & crochet. She always told us that people will always need clothing so we would always have a skill to make a living. I learned patternmaking and all my sewing skills from her. I also inherited from her, my eye for textiles. I began in my first shop doing alterations and custom dressmaking for people in the community as well as putting on my own fashion shows with my line of women's clothing under the label "Stefani". Years and 2 children later when I met and married Ty we decided to move to NY and try our hand in the cultural creative industry there, and began our menswear line in Brooklyn.
3. I create, one-of-a-kind funky hats for women & men, made from upcycled and vintage textiles, as well as clothing for women, mostly tops and jackets with a free flowing Afro-Asian feel. I do clean lines unique textiles, and unusual and creative closures.

4. I am inspired mostly by textiles. I am a very tactile person, and am drawn to things with great texture and drape. I am also inspired by everyday people, I like styles that will work for "real women", who may not be model size but still want to let loose the Diva in them. Love, love, love natural fibers and findings, cottons, wools, leathers, bone, horn, wood, stone...earth elements.
5. I have been making a living at this full time for 19 years, although there have been a few times when either Ty or I have had to take a parttime job, for the most part this has been our only source of income. We sell to individual clients, we sell wholesale to boutiques, we do shows and events, and we have a regular retail venue at the Rust Belt Market, an artisans market in Ferndale, MI right outside Detroit where we live. It has been incredibly hard at times, but we have never given up doing what we do, we just go on to Plan B, C, D........

6. Currently I am finishing up with summer hats and starting to plan and cut hats for Fall/Winter season. I am also doing a line of shrugs with leather appliques of sistas with funky natural hairstyles made of shells, grommets. eyelets, safety pins, etc.

Stef-n-Ty designs can be seen online on Facebook and www.stef-n-ty.com.
Our hats and/or clothing is available in 10 boutiques in DC, Philly, MD, Chicago, & Detroit (see FB page for list - click on info) as well as directly from us at our studio:
227 Iron Street Unit 313, Detroit, MI and at our retail venue, The Rust Belt Market 22801 Woodward Ave, Ferndale, MI ( 9 Mile Rd)
Contact: Stef 773-230-0616 or Ty 410-949-7189

Stef-n-Ty
Urban chic clothing for men and women. One of a kind classic pieces with a touch of the unique. Stef-n-Ty clothing is never out of style!