Now this is the FCB Podcast Network. This is Bestage Pass with Henley. Hi everyone, and welcome back into another episode of Backstage Pass. It's your host here, Victoria Henley, and we have an amazing guest with us here today, Michelle Douglas of Bo's a Rama, A dynamic formalwarline. Michelle, how are you today? I am good? How are you? I am doing just great? So here we are day after Christmas when this is being recorded. Did you enjoy your holiday? Yeah, it is a quiet holiday getting here worse sickness, so I spent most to day in bed after cooking for hours. Oh my goodness, that's how it is sometimes. I'm glad you feel better now hopefully? Yeah? Well good good guess Okay, So Michelle, you're you're lying Bozrena, I mean big fans. We've been working together for a few years now. We met when I when I walked for you and just fell in love with your designs. You've told me a little bit about your story, but share with us, Share with us. How take us back to the origin. When did you decide this is what I want to do? Well? So, boz are Rama actually started as a bow company. I started making little girl bos when I found out I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, and all the baby clothes she was getting, they can't telling me it was a girl. After having three boys in a row, I was like, yeah, okay, started making some bows. Friends asked about him, and I was like, well, I made it. So I actually started making them to sell and was doing crash shows. And when she was about four years old, she started into pageants and I bought the first gown, and then after that I started making them because I thought, you know, I know how to sew my yaya and Greece taught me. My grandmother taught me how to use a needle and thread when I was about five and a half six years old and told me that if you can use a needle and thread, you can make anything. And so I got the material and the stones and started making them on my own and it's just gone from there. I've had a few of them that had sold that you know, somebody was like, hey, if you're getting rid of it, I'll buy it. And then it just started going from there. I just started having material and making things and mainly for us and then other people, and it grew and about three years ago, I changed it to Bozerama Designs. I still make some bows, but now it is centered more around the evening gowns and pageant gowns. See for those of you listening, and we're going to post all of the links so you can follow along and check out Michelle's brand. Her gowns are breathtaking. I mean she has the full you know, red carpet gowns, and I love the diversity of people that you designed for. So, Michelle, you're not just a designer. You have a pageantry background. So is there any I'm sure your pageants sort of inspired you to segue over into the pageant design. Is that correct? Yes, it put a big part most of like I said, all of Elizabeth's gowns and then most of my gowns I've made over the years. It's a lot when you look at material and the price of the material, and then know how, and then you look at a gown that's already ready for the state for you just to step into being a single mom with kids and one that you know loves pageantry, it's kind of a no bringer of you know what. I'll just take the time to make something on my own rather than spending the money on an already make gown that somebody else has done and used my own vision, and so it ended up just coming full circle with that and kind of mixed in with everything. I mean, I've I have designed gowns and made gowns for all different people from all walks of life. I actually have a store in LA that has had a few of my gowns in it. I'm meeting with a lady in Louisiana in New Orleans and I'm supposed to be making some gypsy gowns, which is so much fun to do and completely different than what my normal is. But yeah, I do wedding gowns. I do just all kinds of different styles and things, and I just love it. To me, it's relaxing, it's fun. I may start one design that's in my head and then by the time i'm done, it's a completely different design and I have to go back and do that same design that I was going to initially do because it turned out something different. So I never know when I get started exactly what I'm going to finish with. So and that's what makes it fun and unique. That's great, and you know, Michelle. I mean you blow me away with you. You're a single mom, you have all of that, which is a full time job really in and of itself, and you're seeing and you do the pageantry and you work with great causes. So there's so much that you do with the brand, you know, with Bosorama, which is more than just a clothing brand. I mean you kind of have an empire that you've built for yourself. Where do you see this going? And you know five to ten years is there is there kind of a set plan you've got for it. Basically right now, I'm just and I know it kind of sounds cliche. I'm kind of going with a flow. I do. Like I said, I have some downs in La So I never know who's going to be stepping into a gown. I never know at a fashion show who's going to be modeling my gowns because I do make them for everybody, for short, tall, you know, different building build female builds. As far as you know, I've got the tiny gowns, but not everybody can fit into that little bitty box. And so everybody needs a chance to deserve to feel beautiful and feel elegant, and so I make them for all different sizes. So I mean, like you, you made the call about the one gown that you were the first time at New York Fashion Week, and when I turned around and realized it with you, I was kind of like, oh my gosh, yes please. So in LA I had Jocelyn Bender, who is a model. I'll over the place that she was wearing one of my gowns. And so I'm hoping that I can get more red carpet events, more stores interested, and you know, just kind of see where it goes. I don't make I've had people that have asked, you know, I need this size and this size, and decides I refuse to make any gown more than once. As far as the style, something will always be different. I will use the same material. But when it comes to the actual gowns themselves, you will not find any two of my gowns that are identical. There will always be something different. The only identical thing is going to be the tag inside that says Bezerama Designs. Because I want all of them to be a one of a kind. I want them to be special and I want them to be unique. So I'm just kind of taking it. As far as it'll go that's that's amazing. Well, I mean you're continuing to go far. It's amazing what you're doing with your brand. And I really love that because in the era of fast fashion, when you know, things are so mass produced and you'll see five people you know, wearing the same thing on any outing, So that's really special that you only make one of a kind. So when you're getting Bosarama, you are truly getting a one of a kind piece. Nothing else like it. Ye, No, Michelle, Bosorama is is a brand on the go. I mean every time I see you, you're you're doing something different. You show New York Fashion Week, You've done La of course, you've done our events. Can you name maybe one standout moment at a show that you feel that you felt like, Wow, I can't believe this is life. You know, I'm really doing this. What's a standout for you? The biggest standout is going to be the when you're in fashion Week, You're twenty twenty two September when you wore my Victorian lace. That was like the big standout that I was like, oh my god. So because I have friends that were going, no, you're joking. And then when we took the picture and when I posted them and they're going, oh my gosh, that is her, It's like, yes, this is her. So and then you know, doing the magnifeat show last December, and then of course this year and then being invited to you know, winning the Designer the Top Designer award at your show just a couple of weeks ago was a big just kind of my Okay, this is this is why I'm doing this because I'm impressing people and they, you know, want to wear the gowns. And then I'd never really planned on doing February's New York Fashion Week, but I'll be there with you and Jarah with Toxic and so it's just it's kind of coming full circle because I do some shows like I have a show in January that is in Oklahoma City, and then I have a showing March that's in Austin. And it's funny because the director of the show will actually my get announcement that no models are to be fitted in any gowns until he says because the second I open the seat case and it makes me feel really good, even though it is struck. I automatically have models that they come straight to me and they're like this one, this one, can we wear this one? And you know they're already picking and planning you know which ones by the time. The other companies that are they're the other designers are stylists that are there, are ready to start fitting models. All of my gowns are basically spoken for, So it makes me feel really good. But to just get recognition from other designers and know that from the judges, you know, at the patches that do have judges, that they're looking and they're seeing what I'm doing and they are taking it to the next level for me by honoring me with you know, top designer and things like that. That's just kind of my my alle moments of Okay, this is why I'm doing this. It's a good thing that I'm doing this. You're you're living your legacy. It's what you were born to do. When I see you work and I was working in this industry, you know, forever, and I see you back there and you're working with the models, you you really can just tell this is your purpose. You're living it. It's such a beautiful thing to see and even me, you know, when I wore that that dress and you named it the Victoria. You have a way of making your models feel special and not every designer has that gift. So I you know, as a model, such a pleasure working with you. So for those of you listening, and you'll of course, of course you know big fan over here and Michelle, you know when your name got called. It was at my Magnifiq our Magnefique show. It was December of twenty three. Great moment you were announced as our overall design winner. And that'll bring along with it, you know, several different opportunities, many red carpets, things like that throughout the year. What were you thinking when your name was called? Trying not to cry? A friend of mine and he was there. It's our daughter is one of my ambassadors again this year about back as an embassador. So she's always taking brand he's always taking pictures and she actually took a video and I didn't realize she was taking a video, which has been really bad me covering my face that all moment of trying not to cry. It was an honor and it was kind of I mean, I was. I was surprised because there were so many designers there that they have got some amazing work and I love being able to stand with them and be able to be put in the same category with them. So it was it's an amazing, amazing honor that I cannot describe the feeling. I mean, it was. It was very overwhelming at first, and like I said, trying not to cry, but very exciting also to be able to say, you know, Okay, this is what I'm doing, this is why I'm doing it, and this is you know, some of the recognition. So it's a very it's a very blessed time to that announcement being made. Well, it's a very well deserved honor and recognition. You worked so hard. Your collection was just absolutely stellar. Now, Michelle, we're going to leave everybody with this because I know you know, once we listen, we want to know how can we connect? How can we shop? I know that you do commissions, which is amazing. How do we get connected with you? Okay? Yeah, So I have on my regular Facebook, everything is under Michelle Douglas. I have my bo Zorama Designs page on Facebook and my Instagram, my TikTok, my Twitter, and my Facebook all or Michelle Douglas. Instagram is where a lot of the models because of different places that their phone is just easier for a lot of them to actually find me on Instagram because my business card with the Bozarama Designs is actually my profile pictures, so it's easier just to see that my phone number is listed on everything, so they can message me, they can call me. I'm very easily gotten a hold of if you've got a design, or if you've got an idea, or you like a gown that I've done. I had one model that had messaged me about a certain gown that I wore actually on the beach for the photo shoot and was asking, you know the same material and stuff. So and like I said, I do wedding gowns and everything. So but any of the social media platforms, it's so easy to get hold of me. Just shoot me a message, call me and I will, you know, see what I can do to help you with what you are naeding a gown for. That's incredible and you know not all designers have that personal touch and are so accessible. Trust me on this. You want to work with Michelle. She does beautiful work, amazing commissions. We'll be posting up all of those links so you can get connected on Instagram, Facebook, all the major social media platforms. Michelle, it was such a pleasure having you today. Thank you for joining us, thank you so much for having me yes of course, and thank you as always for joining us on backstage pass. Wishing you the best for the twenty twenty four new year. We'll catch you next time. This has been a presentation of the FCB podcast Network, where real Talk lives. Visit us online at fcbpodcasts dot com.
