Heritage & Materials

Heritage & Materials

The Craft Behind Every Piece

Michelle Palmer Designs isn't just another fashion brand. It's the result of three people with nearly a century of combined experience betting on something rare: a designer with genuine, once-in-a-generation talent.

The Partnership That Started It All

GG: The Producer Who Saw It First

Our producer (he prefers to go by GG) has been producing garments in NYC's Garment District for over 30 years. He's seen thousands of designers come and go. In all that time, he's never called anyone "once in a generation"—until he walked past Michelle's headpiece shop in 2025 and saw the garments she'd made to pair with her wearable art.

He stopped. He looked. He knew immediately.

He became Michelle's production partner, offering not just his expertise but his network, his guidance, and his belief that this work deserved to be seen.

Andy: The Industry Veteran & Collaborator

GG introduced Michelle to Andy Larivee, the head representative at Klauber Bros. Lace—a position he's held for 40 years. In all that time, Andy had never personally collaborated with a client. Not once.

When he saw Michelle's designs with Klauber lace, he made a personal decision to join the vision.

Andy's collaboration was a door opening. Direct access to Klauber's master artisans. Custom lace development. Industry connections and guidance. The kind of mentorship you can't buy.

Klauber Bros. Lace: 165 Years of Craft

Klauber Bros. has been producing lace since 1859, making it one of the oldest lace houses in America. The poppy flower pattern in our Poppyseed collection was designed by Michelle, produced by Klauber's artisans using techniques passed down for over a century and a half.

This lace doesn't exist anywhere else. It's ours. And that partnership—earning the respect and collaboration of a 40 year industry veteran—is something most independent designers never achieve.

The Materials

Premium Silk: $60-$70 Per Yard

We source our silk directly from suppliers in Manhattan's Garment District—silk charmeuse, crepe de chine, back crepe sateen. These aren't commercial-grade fabrics. They're the same materials luxury fashion houses use, chosen for drape, hand feel, and longevity.

At $60-$70 per yard, the fabric alone in a single garment can cost $200-$400 before a single stitch is sewn. We don't cut corners. We don't substitute. If it doesn't feel extraordinary, it doesn't make it into the collection.

Custom Lace

Every lace pattern in our collection is either:

  • Designed exclusively by Michelle and produced by Klauber Bros., or
  • Sourced from rare vintage and heritage lace suppliers

The Poppyseed lace? Custom. The lace in the Jasmine Blazer? Custom. When you wear Michelle Palmer lace, you're wearing something that exists nowhere else in the world.

Made-to-Order in NYC

Every piece is cut, sewn, and finished in New York City's Garment District by artisans with decades of experience. No mass production, no sitting in warehouses.

When you place an order, we make it for you. That's why it can take a little time (3 days - 2 weeks). That's why each piece costs what it costs. And that's why it fits better, lasts longer, and feels different than anything made overseas in a factory of 10,000 workers.

Why It Matters

There are plenty of fashion brands. There are far fewer with:

  • A production partner who's seen it all and still calls you exceptional
  • An industry veteran who broke a 40-year pattern to join you
  • Access to 165 years of American lace-making heritage
  • Garments made by hand, in New York, in small batches, with no compromises

Michelle Palmer Designs exists because three people with nearly a century of combined experience looked at Michelle's work and said: This is worth building.

We're not asking you to take our word for it. We're asking you to feel the silk, the linen, see the lace, wear the piece, and decide for yourself.