Dee Dee & her family (from left: Gilmar Gomes, Joel & Naima)
Friends, this is Dee Dee Gomes creator of Dee Dee's Street Boutique-a sustainable fashion line filled with rompers & two pieces starting at $50. Dee Dee is a fashion designer with remarkable taste and mother of two-Joel, 9 years & Naima, 5 years. Her husband, Brazilian Gilmar Gomes, is a percussionist currently touring with Enrique Iglesias. If there is only one thing you need to know about Dee Dee it's that she is cool. You know, the kind of cool that makes you do a double take in the coffee shop whenever she walks in. Dee Dee is pulled together in a chic without being pretentious sort of way with a fashion sense that has a reputation all it's own. It's common to hear her look be referred to as "The Dee Dee Style" with her harem pants and free flowing tops.
Dee Dee at her studio in her signature look-harem pants and loose tops
Why we love her:- She's spontaneous and brave. She met her husband at a salsa concert while he was touring in Germany and they were engaged 3 days later. Now, 2 kids and 12 years of marriage they are still happily together living in Brooklyn, NY.
- She's well traveled. She grew up in Germany, lived in Brazil with her husband and moved to Brooklyn.
- She's full of talent-designing her own sustainable clothing line (Dee Dee's Street Boutique), she was in a band and became a professional dancer at the age of 17 years old.
Dee Dee paging through her look book from Dee Dee's Street Boutique
Sewing I learned in school. I grew up in a German suburb and I wanted to dress differently but couldn't find anything that different. So, I started making my own clothes trying to express myself & my style. Then, I was in a dance company in Germany & we needed costumes to wear on stage so I started making something for us. Other bands or artists saw us and asked 'Hey, can you do something for us?' And so it began.
What about your collection:
I started selling my clothing line 2 months ago. The clothing I create is upcycled. I get my pieces from fabric stores when they are throwing scraps away or other pieces I find-like vintage tees etc.
The perks of having your own studio space:
Well, I'm a stay at home mom & I got this space from a friend. You see, we swap. I take care of her son since she is in architecture school and I can use the space to design. When I had everything in my house it was chaos. All the fabric and scraps were all over the place and I'd have to clean up. With the studio space I can just leave everything and nobody cares. I can go and come back the next morning and easily pick up where I left off.
Pieces above from Dee Dee's Street Boutiques
My husband is Brazilian and a percussionist. He was touring in Germany and we were engaged 3 days later and have been married for 12 years now.
Was it love at first sight? I ask.
"It was... especially from him. He knew that's what he wanted and I was like-'How could you be so sure. You see me once and that's it?' So, I was very open. Because, if he feels like that, than there must be something there. 4 months later I packed my stuff up and moved to Brazil. I didn't speak Portuguese and he didn't speak German. Now, we both speak English. He understands a lot of German and can put words together but it doesn't make any sense-it's just funny and our kids speak all three languages (English, Portuguese & German)
Cross Cultural Parenting:
Because we are different cultures we did a mixture of our own. I had more of the Latin style. I wasn't crazy about schedules and getting my baby to sleep. You sleep whenever you're tired. I'm a "Do whatever you feel" kind of parent.
Also, my husband is on tour a lot. I understand what he's doing. I had that life when I was dancing and in a band. You really have to trust each other. Sometimes he's on tour for 2 months and he doesn't see his kids or me and I know it's hard. At a certain point you just want to be with your family. It's important to have the family spend time together but it should come automatically. We just go with the flow and don't try to pressure it because then it's not natural and its not fun. When it does happen naturally it's so much more fun for everybody.
On raising kids in Brooklyn:
We love it! At one point we moved back to Germany and we liked it but it was hard to live anywhere else after living in New York. I can't even say why. I can see myself one day living in Brazil having a bed and breakfast where tourists come but right now, New York is it. I love Park Slope. It feels safe here & we have so many friends here.
Naima & Joel
On Luck:When we first moved to New York it was so expensive and eventually all my savings was gone. Even a piece of cheese was too expensive. I became a server, which I had never done before. It was hard. And we didn't know anybody. We thought we should pack our stuff up and move back to Brazil or Germany. Then, on a Sunday, we made the decision to buy our tickets to fly home the following day. That evening Gilmar went to a jam session at the Bitter End. We had just spent the last of our money to buy him a drum. He said to me "I need this drum. I can't just go there with some shakers. I really want to show what I can do." Anyway, he went to the jam session and the musical director for Enrique Iglesias was there and wanted to meet Gilmar afterward. At first we didn't believe he was the musical director but then he called the next day and wanted to have Gilmar play for Enrique and he got the job. That's how we got to stay.
Fun Fact:
Dee Dee was once a part of a girl band called "The Funky Diamonds" that sold a gold record in Japan.
Dee Dee in her studio space in Park Slope, Brooklyn
To learn more about Dee Dee's Street Boutique become a fan on Facebook and be sure to check her out at The Real Designers Market in Soho. "I don't really plan anything. I just create what I feel like. The material inspires me to always create something new and different. That's why my pieces are all one of a kind. It is possible that you come see my stuff in 2 months and the style is totally different. I like to keep it flowing, never stop. I'm always on the move. I love it!" And we love it too! Do your thing girl, Bebe Birds loves ya!
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