Culture Style

Designer Sarah Johnson builds on Greenville roots for Anthropologie

Sarah Bonnette

Photography courtesy of Anthropologie/Sarah Johnson.

For Greenville native Sarah Johnson, vintage fashion is an inspiration. As a designer for Anthropologie’s exclusive Pilcro label, Greenville native Sarah Johnson sees plenty of fashion trends. This spring, “bright red is having a moment, especially in accessories like socks and bags. And bows: on clothes, in your hair, a scarf tied as a belt.”

The 29-year-old’s love of all things fashion started early on, with childhood drawing sessions, years of sewing classes with Eileen Bunch at Sew Creative on Laurens Road, and regular secondhand shopping trips with her mom, Sharon. She “instilled shopping at thrift stores and consignment, which I think influenced my personal style a lot: Older pieces that you need to be a little more creative with or buying things that you might need to fix. Or just getting something different than what might be at the store,” Johnson says.

Vintage clothing continually serves as an inspiration source for Johnson, a Kent State University graduate and past national finalist in the prestigious Supima Design Competition at N.Y. Fashion Week. She particularly is drawn to Japanese workwear and denim pieces– “It has some amazing craftsmanship and little details,” she says –along with vintage workwear brands like Levi’s and Carhartt. In addition to working for Anthropologie, she creates commission clothing and “work for myself, just making things. I still sketch a lot,” she says, adding that her designs have become more detail-focused, “rather than these voluminous silhouettes I was doing earlier.”

She is drawn to curvilinear shapes and bold colors (jewel tones mixed with browns and blacks are current favorites). Art history references, particularly from Baroque-age Dutch painters and floral still-life pieces, often find their way into her work. Her regular visits to the Philadelphia Museum of Art near her home always make her “feel inspired.”

In designing Pilcro’s jackets and pants, as well as some shorts and jumpsuits, Johnson works conceptually, starting each piece with an inspiration image or an idea “and then making it into something you can wear every day.” Even though there’s a months-long span between designing and selling an item, Johnson says it is rewarding to see her clothes in stores and online each season, particularly when they garner good reviews and lots of sales, like her dolman Crop Denim Trucker Jacket.

Many of Pilcro’s pieces are denim, a material Johnson worked with in past roles at Billiam Jeans and the now-closed Beija-Flor Jeans in Greenville. She says denim can easily work in spring wardrobes because of its versatility. White and ivory are good transitional hues between seasons, and shades of brown denim are popular now. “It can be a nice, earth-toned neutral as we go into spring.” Anthropologie also is selling “a lot of barrel-shaped silhouettes,” Johnson adds. “They’re curved on the outside of the pants, so it’s a little bit fuller in the leg and more trendy-looking. I think a lot of people are interested in that.” But she says the best fashion comes from wearing “whatever makes you feel amazing, regardless of trend or shape or color.”

“And shop secondhand for unique pieces that will make your style entirely yours,” she adds. “It’s so satisfying when you find something really good.”

Johnson travels from Philadelphia back to Greenville annually to see her parents, David and Sharon Johnson. The city has “changed so much over the years for the better, and there’s so much new development.” Her visits usually include heading to some of her favorite spots around town:

• M. Judson Booksellers, 130 S. Main St. – “I almost always buy one or two books while I’m there.”
• Tandem Creperie and Coffeehouse, 2 S. Main St., Travelers Rest – “I love that spot and go almost every time.”
• Grateful Brew, 501 S. Pleasantburg Dr. – Johnson loves their trivia nights–they take place on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. “It’s such a cool space, and it really feels like a community place.”
• Automatic Taco and Tequila Bar, The Commons, 147 Welborn St. – Johnson discovered this restaurant when it first operated as a food truck. “I think about their brussels sprouts all the time.”
• The Nearly New Shop, 118 Greenacre Rd. – Johnson and her mom regularly shopped at this resale store run by the Junior League of Greenville. “They have a nice variety.”

To learn more about Johnson and see pieces from her portfolio, visit harasnosnhoj.com.