When fashion devotee Amy Appleton decided to take the plunge and open her first storefront, Blackbird Collection, her aim was to fuse luxury and sustainability—and it worked.
Nearing its one-year anniversary, Appleton’s Crossroads art gallery-inspired shop (122 Southwest Blvd., KCMO) is offering sustainable, high-quality apparel and home items with a modern and timeless edge. The Kansas City native is making a living selling her personal aesthetic.
Appleton, who studied business marketing, launched her brand in 2012 the way many do these days—via her Instagram, @stepsofstyle.
Appleton has successfully merged her well-defined, provocative style with the glamorous brand of Blackbird Collection, and she is serious about her mission to run a responsible operation. “Retail, by definition, isn’t necessarily sustainable, but there are ways we try to make a difference while still giving our customers a unique experience,” says Appleton, who credits much of her style aesthetic to travel. “I have some strong passions, from the sustainability and responsible production aspects to the businesses we buy from, that, in large part, are small, women-owned brands that operate in very intentional ways.”
Appleton hand-picks vintage furniture, sourcing near-perfect-condition 20th-century classics. Her eye leans toward original styles that are proven to be timeless, of good quality and, from a design perspective, a good investment.
“I’ve honed my aesthetic as I’ve gotten older, wiser and find I care less about trends and more about what I truly love,” she says.
Her concern over mass consumption has also grown through time. “It’s not sustainable for the planet, our lives or our bank accounts,” Appleton says. “The most important thing to me is living a timeless lifestyle, from what I’m wearing, where I’m traveling to the couch I’ll be sitting on for the next 40 years.” It’s a philosophy she’s hoping to pass onto her kids, Stella and Theo.
Both, she says, wear hand-me-downs. Stella can often be seen wearing her mom’s more casual clothes, and her young son Theo wears many of his big sister’s unisex
clothing items.
“I think our mindset as a mass-consumption culture has to pivot from buying the newest trend to buying into a lifestyle that fits us each individually and will stand the test of time,” Appleton says. “Our money is our power, and we need to slow the demand for fast fashion and interiors not just for our mental health but also for the health of our planet.”
Check out blackbirdcollection.com and Instagram @shopblackbirdcollection.
