Amaris Coast originating in Santa Barbara, California, like its designer Shelby Meijer.
“Originally from CA, I grew up in a small beach town called Santa Barbara where I spent most of my days swimming in my family’s pool and going to the beach. Since I can remember, I always had a love for fashion. My mother and older sisters were my first style inspos along with Disney channel and early 2000’s music videos that played on MTV.
“My parents didn’t have much money, so I did most of my shopping at thrift stores, which I believe helped shape my creativity. One of my aunts used to design swimwear for California Proline and is an amazing seamstress. A lot of her swimwear was seen in Sports Illustrated, so I remember being super fascinated by her growing up. I used to help in her design studio with pining and learning how to cut fabric etc. She really influenced me to follow my dreams of working in fashion.”
“After high-school I moved to San Francisco for a year and attended Academy of Art University where I began studying fashion design. It became too expensive, so I ended up dropping out, selling all my things, and moving to New York, which has always been a dream of mine. I got a job at a bake shop and then started nannying for a family who introduced me to a stylist, who taught me so much about styling and working in the fashion industry. I am forever grateful for her & NYC!
“After 5 years of living in NY, I moved back to CA and started my clothing brand Amaris Coast, which had been my ultimate goal and dream. I started it from scratch, completely self taught. I learned to sew and make patterns from youtube.Then I started working with a local seamstress, who does all my sewing. I do all the patterns and cutting. Right now I am selling my swimsuits on my website and at two local female owned stores in Santa Barbara. I’m currently working on expanding my designs to mini dresses, hats, tote bags and shirts. My goal is to get my swimsuits in more stores, keep growing my business and hopefully someday have my own Amaris Coast brick and mortar!”
Name : Shelby Meijer
Birthplace : Santa Barbara, CA
Métier : Designer of Amaris Coast & Fashion Stylist
Sources of inspiration : Nature, travel, old photographs and vintage shopping.
Sources of motivation : Day dreaming about my future, setting goals and writing out the steps to achieve them.
What makes you happy : Being in the sun and swimming in the ocean.
Favorite reads : “All About Love” by Bell Hooks
Favorite tunes : It depends on my mood. I love all genres, but one of my favorite artists is Amy Winehouse.
Favorite foods : Tofu pad thai, avocado rolls and chocolate.
Beauty tips : Always wash your face before bed, be kind and don’t forget to smile.
Favorite ways to unwind : Take a shower, light a candle and watch a show.
Favorite part of living in LA : Being so close to the beach and mountains, and all the yummy food.
What gets you in a working flow : Listening to music and drinking coffee.
What are you working on now : New swimwear and dresses 🙂
Favorite motto / quote :
“Peace and blessings manifest with every lesson learned.” – Erykah Badu
Photography : Anna Palma @annapalma
Styling : Masha Orlov @masha.orlov
Casting : Douglas Perrett @douglas.perrett
Hair : Adam Maclay @adammaclay
Makeup : Shay Garcia @kushdashian
Production & Locations : @delco.ny
Production Assitant: Alex Stanton @burger_wizard
Sage Finkle @sagefinkle
Denali Finkle @denali.finkle
Akasha Finkle @akasha_finkle
Luca Rowe @lxu
All wear Amaris Coast swimwear.
Photographed in Fleischmanns, NY