ARWNYDESIGN - Cool Story, Buffalo

Ashton of ARW sewing a jacket in her home studio

Ashton Warner

ARWNYDESIGN

✨ Products: Fashion apparel
✨ Location: Buffalo
✨ Founded: 2018

10-second summary: ARW's pieces are all hand-crafted from the first concept to the final stitch. Inclusive, universally flattering shapes and constructional details make it easy to look great as you move from work to play and beyond.

Personal anthem(s): Sonically speaking, Ashton's here for a long time and a good time. "I'm an album person. The artist curated it for a reason!" The types of albums that make her cut are ones that include beats that let her zone out, from '90s country to Beyoncé to the Rolling Stones, "but I can also do Hilary Duff."

Why this medium?

Sewing has been a passion since Ashton and her grandma collaborated on her first piece when she was young. "We made a pair of pink cotton flannel pajama pants together, and I thought I was going to wear them forever. So I made them adult XXXL."

But a key moment came during her senior year at Buffalo State, when she designed her first fashion collection. "It showed me the joy of building a collection from start to finish," she says. "I liked the element of telling a story with collections."

the navy and white version of ARW's open layering jacket, being worn on a model.

On finding inspiration:

Ashton is open to inspiration where and as it comes. Among her go-to inspo sources, however, are street style – "what people want to wear and how they want to style it" – vintage photography, fashion exhibits and more.

She has all of Alexander McQueen's coffee table books and will "take some time to grab a glass of wine and look through those to get inspiration. Sometimes it's even the fabric itself that can inspire her next great idea."

Feels happiest when:

"I have the day in a new city to just bop around shops, get a fancy lunch and a good cocktail and then just be free."

Feel-good fact:

The sewing machine Ashton uses today? The very same one her grandma taught her on all those years ago. "It's a 1980s Bernina – it's a beast! The quality is so good, and the parts are metal. Since I acquired it, the engine shorted ... recently I had to replace the circuit board from the inside. This machine will get buried with me. If I had a house fire, that's the first thing I would grab."

(Cool Story note: We're now obsessed with this sewing machine and will protect it at all costs.)

Bonus fact! Ashton's smile is huge as she describes the local makers' community. In addition to collaborations through ARW, she's proudly one third of the AVA Collective – a platform that connects local creatives, makers and small businesses.(Shoutout to Veronica Allis and Anna Dusza, Ashton's AVA cofounders and best friends 💟)

ARW has such a distinct style and personality. It's chic, comfortable and covetable. Once you've gotten a glimpse at what Ashton's up to, you can't help but want to know what's coming next. ❤️‍🔥

– Dani

3 things we <3

ARW is designed for *everyone* to feel amazing.

Ashton's silhouettes complement different bodies and sizes – we love and celebrate a truly inclusive approach.

The way we feel in it – effortlessly confident and ready to get seen.

Ashton's appreciation of street style comes through in her work, and we know that we're turning heads when we wear one of her pieces.

ARW's texture game is on point!

Whether Ashton is working with shimmering metallic jacquard, feel-good denim, or an eye-catching patch pocket, these are pieces that you want to put on.