Emily Adams Bode

Summary

Emily Adams Bode is at the forefront of the slow fashion movement with modern menswear silhouettes handcrafted with vintage textile and steeped in historical textile techniques. tHE American luxury brand expresses a sentimentality for the past through the study of personal narratives and historical techniques. Modern workwear silhouettes united with female-centric traditions of quilting, mending and appliqué shape the collections.

History

Born and bred in Atlanta, Emily Adams Bode studied in Switzerland and New York, where she graduated from Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College with BA-BFA dual degrees in menswear design and philosophy. In 2016, Bode launched her eponymous menswear brand as a couture studio retailing shirts, pants and outerwear made from antique fabrics like New England quilts, hand-spun Indian textiles or Twenties French bed linens, as an example. Her body of work —  tailor-made in New York or New Delhi, India — is founded on the pillars of historical textile techniques and modern silhouettes accentuated with sustainable-driven handcrafts of quilting, mending and appliqué.

Bode retails from her thirty brick-and-mortar stores worldwide, including nine in Japan. In 2018 she was the first female designer to show at New York Men’s Week. In June 2019, she held her first runway show at the menswear edition of Paris Fashion Week. following which she retailed in over a hundred stores and opened her first retail store on Hester Street. Per GQ, ”…the delicate crochet tops, sentimental crocheted knits, and ensembles made of horse-show ribbons that hung off the models had as much soul as the one-of-a-kind quilted jackets Emily used to sew in her tiny Lower East Side apartment, where she founded the brand a mere three years ago.”

She explains her philosophy to Esquire, ”What I love most is taking the collection and going out to find stuff that works with it temporally, tonally, or seasonally. I want people to understand that their cultures are made up of all these different cultures… I want to educate about the history of textiles and history of crafting…” The actual design and silhouette comes after—mostly shirts, pants and outerwear.  So is it a wonder Bode has the most prestigious accolades in global Fashion? In 2018, she was runner-up in CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund. The following year, she bagged Forbes 30 Under 30 in Art and Style; CDFA Emerging Designer of the Year and Business Of Fashion 500.

In 2020 she won GQ Breakthrough Designer of the Year and the inaugural Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation at International Woolmark Prize. The latter was a milestone moment as her work got appreciation from British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, Dior Men’s Artistic Director Kim Jones, educator Sinéad Burke and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Per Vogue, Bode explains, ”Being innovative doesn’t mean coming up with new techniques. To be awarded the prize when the brand is grounded in family-owned mills and historical techniques sheds a light on where we’re headed as an industry. [Fashion] doesn’t always have to be new, we can look back.”

The future looks bright despite the slowdown due to the worldwide pandemic. Bodes intends to continue working with textile experts, mills and fabric vendors she implicitly trusts, in different parts of the world, all of whom meet the standard of sustainability to which she upholds her brand. Moreover, her partnership with Woolmark and the £54,000 prize has empowered Emily Adams Bode to strengthen her production worldwide. Per Vogue, ”As Bode’s star continues to ascend and the brand must feed its one hundred and twenty International stockists, the designer has no qualms about maintaining the attention to detail in her offering. ”The clothes are so personal to me,” she affirms. ”I invest in the studio team and the techniques ensure that there are so many hands going into the work.”’

Mission Statement

Love letters to the past.

Emily Adams Bode’s brand mission centers on reviving the past and giving new life to forgotten textiles through the lens of modern menswear. Bode is deeply committed to preserving historical craftsmanship, using vintage and antique materials in her designs, and celebrating the artistry that goes into creating each garment. Her mission is to create clothing that not only pays homage to tradition but also fosters a connection to personal and collective memory. By sourcing rare fabrics and reviving old-world techniques like quilting and hand embroidery, Bode’s brand elevates fashion into a medium for storytelling, where each piece tells a unique narrative of the past.

Central to Bode’s mission is the practice of sustainability and ethical production. At a time when the fashion industry is often criticized for its environmental impact, Bode takes a conscious approach to her work by using repurposed fabrics and limiting waste. Her brand seeks to redefine what luxury means in fashion, offering pieces that are not mass-produced but made with care, attention to detail, and an appreciation for the history embedded in each material. Bode’s commitment to sustainability also extends to supporting artisans and small-scale workshops, ensuring that the craftsmanship she incorporates is preserved and passed down through generations.

Bode’s brand mission goes beyond creating clothing; it is about cultivating a sense of individuality and personal connection through her designs. Each piece is unique, emphasizing the idea that clothing should have meaning and reflect the wearer’s personal journey or heritage. By creating one-of-a-kind garments, Bode invites consumers to embrace slow fashion, where the value of clothing is not just in its appearance but in the story it tells and the history it carries. This philosophy aligns with her larger goal of reshaping the fashion industry to prioritize quality, heritage, and sustainability over fleeting trends.

Vision

Emily Adams Bode’s vision is rooted in the intersection of fashion and storytelling, where each piece of clothing she creates carries historical significance and a deep sense of nostalgia. As the founder of the menswear brand Bode, she is acclaimed for incorporating vintage textiles and traditional craftsmanship into her designs, resulting in garments that feel both timeless and intimate. Her work often highlights materials that have a personal or historical context, such as repurposed quilts, linens, or old fabric swatches. This dedication to preserving history through fashion allows her to create pieces that are not only wearable but also serve as conversation starters, reflecting the importance of memory and heritage in modern design.

Bode’s vision extends beyond just the materials she uses—it encompasses a unique approach to fashion that challenges the fast-paced, trend-driven nature of the industry. She emphasizes sustainability by repurposing existing materials, reducing waste, and reviving craftsmanship techniques that might otherwise be forgotten. By focusing on slow fashion, Bode champions quality over quantity, encouraging consumers to invest in pieces that have lasting value rather than following fleeting trends. Her commitment to ethical production and sustainability positions her as a forward-thinking designer who seeks to redefine the way fashion interacts with culture and the environment.

At the heart of Emily Adams Bode’s vision is a desire to create meaningful connections between people and the clothes they wear. By telling stories through her garments, she fosters a sense of individuality and personal expression that transcends the ordinary. Her designs are not just clothes; they are artifacts of lived experiences and forgotten histories. This focus on narrative-driven fashion allows her to craft pieces that are emotionally resonant, making her work stand out in an industry often preoccupied with surface aesthetics. In this way, Bode reimagines what clothing can be: a medium for memory, culture, and personal history.

Products and Services

Emily Adams Bode, the founder and creative force behind the luxury menswear brand Bode, has gained global recognition for her unique approach to fashion. Bode’s products are renowned for their vintage-inspired aesthetic, blending nostalgia with modern sensibilities. The brand is known for its intricate craftsmanship, often utilizing antique textiles, hand-embroidery, and patchwork designs. Each piece tells a story, with many garments featuring historical fabrics sourced from flea markets, estate sales, and antique dealers around the world. The result is a collection of one-of-a-kind pieces that emphasize sustainability, individuality, and a deep reverence for the past.

Bode’s collections are often deeply personal and draw inspiration from historical events, family memories, and antique traditions. For instance, the brand’s debut collection in 2016 was inspired by her family’s history, featuring handmade garments that referenced heirloom fabrics. Each collection typically follows a thematic narrative, with Bode meticulously researching archival textiles, old photos, and historical garments to develop the design language. This attention to detail extends beyond the clothing itself and into the overall presentation of the collections, where storytelling plays a key role in conveying the emotional depth of the garments. As a result, her work resonates with consumers who appreciate clothing as more than just fashion but as art and heritage.

In addition to offering ready-to-wear collections, Bode also provides bespoke tailoring services, allowing clients to order custom pieces with specific fabrics and details of their choice. The brand has also expanded into home goods, offering a range of products such as quilts, pillows, and furniture made with antique fabrics and craftsmanship techniques similar to those used in her clothing collections. This diversification reflects Bode’s commitment to preserving artisanal craftsmanship while expanding the brand’s influence into broader lifestyle categories. Whether through bespoke services or her artisanal home products, Bode continues to make a lasting impact on the fashion industry by blending the past and the present in a timeless, meaningful way.

Awards and recognition

Bode has been recognized with numerous awards, including: 2022 and 2021 CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year, 2020 Woolmark Prize: Karl Lagerfeld Award, 2019 LVMH Prize Finalist, 2019 CFDA Emerging Designer of the Year, 2019 Business of Fashion 500, 2019 GQ’s Breakthrough Designer of The Year, and Forbes 30 Under 30.

References

• Official Website Bode New York
• Facebook profile of Emily Adams Bode Facebook
• Twitter profile of Emily Adams Bode Twitter
• Instagram profile of Emily Adams Bode Instagram
• LinkedIn profile of Emily Adams Bode LinkedIn
• Emily Adams Bode BoF
• GQ Breakthrough Designer of the Year GQ
• Emily Adams Bode Forbes
• This Young Designer Will Make You Want to Go Antiquing The Cut
• Brand History Bode New York