HI, I'M KRIS - FOUNDER, DESIGNER, PATTERNMAKER, AND SEWIST BEHIND BODY HIGH.

I've been sewing & swooning over textiles since I was a kid, learning from my Grandmutti & disappearing between the racks of velvet while my Mom shopped at fabric stores. I remember feeling a deep curiosity about the people whose hands created all the objects in my world. So now that I'm making stuff to release into the world, I wanted you to know who I am. 

My Grandmutti & I in the early 90's. 

Me now, modeling the Hydrophilia set.

 

The possibility of being a fashion designer emerged when I was making masks during the lockdown of 2020. The shaping of the masks reminded me of a bra cup, and I got the urge to try making a bra that I'd actually feel good in - a wireless, supportive, aesthetically exciting & nonbinary bra, made from all natural materials. 

While attending Made Institute's Designer Development Program, I developed the core bodywear pieces & business model for Body High. It's been almost five years now of working on this project (and not doing much else) because I'm passionate about exercising my creativity in every aspect of the business.

I love the thrill of tracking down the little-known producers dedicated to supporting regional fibersheds. I love the hunt of sourcing saved-from-landfill designer textiles. I love nerding out about creating patterns with precision, and developing an accurate sizing system. I love treating a business like an art project, something intimate & informed by my values around Solidarity Economics & Transformative Justice. I love working with my hands - the way it frees my mind, keeps me feeling connected to the materials & the land they come from, as well as the people that will one day wear the garments. 

I love learning about & scheming to support people's desires for more affirming undergarments - whether it's due to gender, size, body type, ability, or age - pretty much everyone I speak to about it has gripes, and often they've internalized their fit issues as issues with their own body, rather than issues inherent in the fashion industry. That part I don't love - that part upsets me deeply, because I've had to fight so long to love my own body. But it's what keeps me going, in the hopes of offering something that not only makes people feel good about how they look, but feel more comfortable in their body.