Owner and Curator, Laura Johnson
LAUREN COWART PHOTOGRAPHY @LAUREN.COWARTOver the years, my career in retail and corporate positions led my daughter, Rachel, and I to live in Los Angeles and later Atlanta, GA. Wherever we lived, we knew every thrift and vintage shop in the surrounding areas!
While in Atlanta, I started traveling to West Africa with my dear friend, Muslimah Abdullah. Over the years, our company, “The Malian Connection,” curated a line of African vintage jewelry, leatherworks and textiles. In 2016, corporate retirement was a rebirth for me. I have always allowed life to show me what’s next by listening and letting life flow. The beauty of a vintage kimono has always intrigued me. Often made by hand and always one of a kind, each one tells its own story.
One afternoon, I mentioned to Muslimah that I wanted to continue my jewelry company and purchase a few kimono pieces to add to the line. She said that while taking college classes a few years prior, she met a student whose father owned a vintage kimono company, right here in Atlanta. Muslimah still had her phone number because they had worked on a project together. We contacted Dana Pettaway, whose father, Ben Densler, had been in the vintage kimono world for over 30 years. We met and quickly bonded. Ben was in the midst of retiring, and he passed his company on to me. As a mentor and a friend, Ben gave me invaluable knowledge and insight into the vintage kimono business.
Adorn Me is my second act—a testament to living, working, and thriving through my passion. It stands as a beacon, inspiring others, at any age, to authentically live their deepest desires. Adorn Me is a bridge to and a celebration of global fashion and culture. It is a reflection of my journey and an invitation for you to explore yours.
Adorn Me Treasures was born in 2016 when I retired after 32 years with the Marshalls division of the TJX Corporation. With the time to curate and design my own collection, I began to revive what I am most passionate about: fashion and culture.
I have loved fashion all my life. I was born in Harlem, NYC, and moved to Englewood, New Jersey, at the age of two. I grew up with my brother, sister, mom, and dad in a close-knit community. When I was seven years old, my mother gave me a child-sized sewing machine. To operate it, you had to turn a wheel on the side by hand. I spent hours designing clothes and accessories for my dolls. Around age twelve, my mom replaced my tabletop machine with my first Singer sewing machine. As a teen, I began wearing and loving vintage clothing. Keep in mind this was the late '60s—a time when fashion was free, and you could express yourself through what you wore. Thrift shopping actually thrilled me! After high school, I pursued a fashion/business career at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising in New York City.