November 6, 2013

Fashion Design Graduate Student Veronica Marché Millerhas good reason to celebrate the holidays early. Her original collection of illustrated Christmas cards will debut on the shelves of national retailers T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s and Home Goods this holiday season. Miller, an aspiring fashion designer and talented illustrator, created her holiday card collection “Fabulous Brown Girls” in 2011, featuring fashionable women of color celebrating the Christmas season – whether by decorating a tree, delivering presents, or toasting with a holiday martini. She had been selling her cards on the art commerce website RedBubble, where the collection quickly gained popularity among buyers.

“The retail outlets reached out to me last spring and expressed an interest in adding more diversity to their holiday card selection,” says Miller. “As a woman of color, I’m familiar with the holiday cards that are targeted toward black shoppers. A lot of them have a very serious tone with rigid illustrations. I wanted to create cards that were joyful, fun and more reflective of my personality, with illustrations that conveyed a sense of movement and excitement.”

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Miller’s love of drawing grew out of an obsession with comic books and Disney movies and now influences her approach to fashion design. “The clothing featured in the cards were inspired by design techniques I learned in my classes,” says Miller.  “The greeting card industry isn’t exactly tied to the fashion industry, but it can certainly be a platform to promote fashion. The professors in our fashion program have always encouraged us to explore new mediums, as they have done in their own careers. It’s a cool model to follow.” 

Miller provided the retail stores with two of her original designs and two brand new designs that she had been working on over the summer. In addition to retail store shelves, Miller’s “Fabulous Brown Girls” collection will be available on T.J. Maxx gift bags and wine sleeves and, as always, through her website VeronicaMarche.com, where she posts her original designs and drawings.