Grant Kendall Treas started sewing in teacher Marsha Boyer’s sewing class her freshman year and quickly realized that she wasn’t content with following patterns — she wanted to design her own dresses. She began buying clothes that were too large from thrift stores and then using the fabric to create whatever she liked. She figured it was a cheap way of getting unique fabrics to make one of a kind pieces.
“I love designing clothes because I can make whatever I want and have complete freedom,” Treas said. “I couldn’t stand to follow all the directions and not be able to alter a pattern, so I started to play around with fabrics and patterns outside of the classroom.”
This sense of freedom is what peaked Treas’ interest in designing. She began to participate as a designer in fashion shows and look for ways to get public recognition. She designed dresses for two consecutive National Art Honors Society (NAHS) fashion shows and one environmental fashion show.
“The feeling [of seeing your clothes on the runway] is indescribable,” Treas said. “I’m proud of my work and I’m always excited to see my work pay off.”
Next year at The University of Kansas (KU) she will be studying business to educate herself more about the specifics of entrepreneurship and owning a business so that she can be prepared to expand “Treas,” her own undergarment line.
She received an internship with local designer Hadley Johnson going into last summer through her boyfriend’s sister, Megan Wendt. Johnson offered Treas the internship after sewing together for some time.
Johnson and Wendt are also good friends with Peregrine Honig the owner of the Downtown Kansas City lingerie shop “Birdies.” Honig saw Treas’ talent at Johnson’s studio and tested Treas’ skills by giving her fabrics to see what Treas would come up with. Honig was impressed enough to give Treas her own line of undergarments at Birdies called “Treas.”
She has a process in which she creates each pair.
“How I make a pair of underwear starts with cutting out the fabric” Treas said, “then serging [sewing] the pieces together, then sewing on the lace and panty liner and then sewing the bow, label and size tab.”
According to Treas, she is hoping to grow her business and expand after college.
“Eventually I want to make ‘Treas’ into an established brand and be successful,” Treas said. “Although, for now, I’m sticking with what I’m good at and playing it safe for the next couple of years. I would like to be able to gain more experience by interning with designers and successful businesses so I can be prepared to run my own.”
She dreams to one day create custom couture dresses and expand into larger markets.
“Eventually I would love to be an intern and make connections to clients in the fashion industry” Treas said. “At that point, I could successfully continue ‘Treas’ and create my dream business. I never want to lose my dream and have to settle for anything less than perfect.”
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