Claire Whitehead knew she was on to something. The professional artist was a regular exhibitor in local San Jose, Calif. galleries, but when she began making sweet, ribbon embellished T-shirts for her daughter, Emma Cathy, people on the street took notice.  A boutique owner asked Whitehead if she would create some shirts for an upcoming Christmas event. She agreed, and quickly realized the business potential behind her simple, yet unique designs.
The result was emmacathy, a line of boys' and girls' shirts available in sizes 3 months to 4T. One of the most popular girls' shirts is pink and white with either horizontal or vertical ribbons stitched on the front. Boys' styles feature fabric appliques in geometric shapes to create simple motifs, like sailboats and acorns, in primary colors.
Being immersed in fashion is nothing new for Whitehead, whose mother constantly discussed the industry with her. " I've been reading Women's Wear Daily since I was 10 years old," she said. As a teenager, Whitehead earned gas money by selling hand-painted T- shirts to local boutiques. Since last Christmas, Whitehead has been educating herself further about the apparel business and developing her product line, which made its first shipment this season.
Whitehead still regularly creates oil paintings of landscapes,and she sees her artistic background as an advantage when it comes to fashion. "I am constantly paying attention to what's surrounding me," she said. "My eye is trained to look for things that maybe other people wouldn't see. Color is also important, as is the ability to put colors together in appealing ways."
It's clear that Whitehead is a little mystified by the recent attention she's gotten from reps around the country and the ease with which her clothing line began. "These are just cute shirts; they're sweet, and they appeal to a lot of people," she said. "As a new mom, you go through T-shirts so fast. You could go to the Gap, but it's more fun to buy something from someone smaller."