Ariella Maizner started sewing at age 6. By 9, she was making clothes for herself and friends. That hobby became the launchpad for her tween clothing line, Theme. At 10, she was showing off her designs during New York Fashion Week.
Theme’s clothes exist on the line between girlhood and grown-up. Dresses are strapless but come with detachable straps in case the tween isn’t comfortable baring her shoulders. Special-occasion dresses have cutouts but can be worn with the opening in the front or back, depending on the girl’s comfort level—and what her parents allow. Many of the dresses are either smocked in the back or have ties, allowing the garments to grow with their wearer as her body changes. Spaghetti straps have buttons to securely adjust the length.
“When I design, I think about what the girl wants—because I am the girl,” said Ariella, now a 16-year-old high school sophomore at a New York City public school. Her mom, Debbie Maizner, previously a global marketing executive at JPMorgan Chase, manages operations for Theme, which is carried in department stores like Bloomingdales and Saks as well asmore than 200 boutiques nationwide (and Canada, the U.K. and South America). Its prices for special occasion dresses hover around $120 and pieces in the spring collection start at $44 and rise above $100.
16-year-old Ariella Maizner founded the tween-clothing line Theme, whose clothes exist on the line between girlhood and grown-up.
“When I was shopping for party dresses before I made them, it was hard to find ones that were cool and fit,” Ariella said. “I love all the women’s brands, but they don’t come in kid’s sizes. We make dresses that are cool and fit.”
By Tara Weiss - ET
