Meet Kim Bunch of Wear Dreams Are Made

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Bunch.

Kim, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My love of vintage fashion and old Hollywood glamour begun at a very early age. This fascination started while listening to stories told by my grandfather who was a set and prop builder for 20th Century Fox studios back in the early 1940’s and 50’s. I would sit for hours while he talked about his encounters with Shirley Temple, Natalie Wood and Marilyn Monroe and showing us movie props from old westerns or The Sound of Music.

I remember seeing an old yearbook from the studio of past actresses from the 1920’s and 30’s including actresses from silent films and I immediately felt transported back in time. In addition, one of my favorite pictures of my grandmother was in her biased cut, silk 1920s wedding dress with her finger wave hair. I loved the simple beauty, grace and elegance of the period.

So, then back in 2000, being a busy wife and mother, I decided to start my own business selling vintage and used items on eBay to make some extra money for my family and so that I could stay at home with my children. Then it expanded to selling only new items from many various companies and designers and then eventually building my own website and creating my own line. I always specialized in only vintage style clothing from many different eras such as the Victorian era, the Medieval period, Renaissance, 1920s, and also 1940’s and 50’s.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Theater performance and I have always been involved in the arts in some form whether it be music, dance or acting, but I kind of fell into designing by accident. Having never had any formal design training, it never even occurred to me that it was something that I could do. Then I started seeing a little resurgence of 1920’s fashion starting to come back while browsing on the internet and I fell in love with the style and exuberance of the period. I loved the intricate art deco patterns and extraordinary intricate beadwork of the flapper styles. I started looking at old photographs of the day and got inspired that maybe I could try to create something similar. So I got my sketch pad out and started drawing and realized that it was something that came fairly easy to me.

With drawings in hand, I needed to figure out a way that I could produce them, and I knew I couldn’t do it myself, so I started exploring options and put out inquires on various media/business sites stating I was looking for a producer of women’s beaded evening dresses. I was then quickly in contact with a dress maker/manufacturer in India that agreed to produce my new line of 1920s beaded styles. I like the dresses to be fairly authentic, and I have been told by museum curators that some of my dresses look exactly like the ones they have had on display from that time period, However, I also like them to have a modern flair. Most of them I design with the hanging panels or flaps of fabric at the bottom that was characteristic of that day in when the women wanted to be daring and show as much leg as they could get away with. My dresses tend to be a bit longer and a little more modest. I also love the beaded fringe that creates so much movement and sparkle when a woman walks. My dresses are made for comfort and have the straight, loose style that was popular in the day, however, I design the bead patterns in a way as to make the waist appear smaller. Most of my dresses are made with attached satin lining with a chiffon layer on top.

I am constantly designing new styles, and of course any style that I currently have can be produced in any color combination that a customer requests. I carry standard sizes of Small to Extra Large and Plus sizes, however, I can also custom make a dress to accommodate people that are in between sizes or need a special fit.

I am still a small company but hoping to someday expand. I stay very busy as I am currently the only one who manages and implements every aspect of my company; from designing dresses, working on the website, answering e-mails, photographing dresses, finding suppliers, ordering inventory, packing and sending out my shipments, promoting and marketing, and also running the photo shoots, which includes taking some of the pictures and sometimes modeling in them too! But I love every minute of it and feel very blessed to be able to run a business while doing something I enjoy.

I am currently getting ready to launch my new contemporary line that features tulle and chiffons with inspirations of elements of nature and have a comfortable, earthy feel to them. They will be soon be featured in the upcoming Dana Point Yaught Club’s annual fashion show in September.

Has it been a smooth road?
My business has definitely had some bumps along the way. In the fashion business, it can be very cut throat. I have had problems with suppliers at times for various things as they try to regulate and control their product line. I have had problems with internet companies/online marketplaces who also try to control every aspect of how I run my business which is one of the reasons why I started my own website. Then have been problems as with any competitive industry with other sellers/marketers that try to sabotage your business in various ways. Then there are also the logistical problems of having product made overseas and overcoming language/distance barriers and trying to relay my vision to people that I have never actually met in person.

Also trying to stay one step ahead of the rest in the Fashion industry and try to predict what comes next can be a real challenge. To think of the future seasons and trends and not just the here and now. You can never rest on your current best seller because you never know when that trend will die and if you don’t have your next ideas in place and ready to implement, you can get left in the dust.

My most current challenge or obstacle was when I found out that my best selling design had been copied and was being manufactured by a large Chinese company but selling for much less than I was. Their version was very cheaply made but being sold almost everywhere and in every online marketplace. This was a huge frustration but I knew I could not let them get me down. This reminded me that whenever something tries to knock me down, that just gives me more motivation to keep on fighting and not to give up on my dreams and to not steal my joy of doing what I love.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
In my business I specialize in women’s vintage dresses. I am a strictly online business only and do not have a physical location but am hoping to someday have a brick and mortar store. I am primarily known for my original designs of 1920s style beaded flapper dresses and have been designing them for about 8 years now. Having my own line and being solely in charge of my own creative expression is what I am most proud of as a company.

The thing that sets my company apart from other online businesses, is that I have great attention to detail and I would like to think have wonderful customer service with a very personal touch. I am always here to answer questions for customers, whether online or by phone and always go out of my way to make sure they have the best dress they can possibly get and the best online experience. I do a lot of custom size dresses, so I cater a lot to the larger girl who may have trouble finding the right size in a regular department store.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is a creative, growing and unique city that is always at the forefront of fashion and entertainment, so yes, I think my company fits right in with that. Los Angeles and the surrounding areas are a wonderful environment for growing artists to be unique and express themselves as they reach further for their dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.weardreamsaremade.com
• Phone: 951-926-6298
• Email: js1babe@aol.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weardreamsaremade/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WearDreamsAreMade/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wear-dreams-are-made-riverside

Image Credit:
Sheila Angel Photography
Gabriella Santos Photography

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