• Franny Koelsch Jeffries is all in on Round Top.

    A pair of Houston’s top fashion creatives are packing up their collections and heading west to Round Top this season. Franny Koelsh Jeffries of Ears of Buddha and Tina Zulu of Kimono Zulu are bringing their sought-after designs to show and sell at the fall 2021 Round Top Antiques & Design Show.

    This will be the second Round Top showing for Ears of Buddha at the Block Seventeen venue, which will be open October 20 to 30 during the fall show. Gallery owner and fashion designer Franny Koelsch Jeffries will debut her Upcycled Pieces collection, created with upcycled vintage designs, denim and repurposed EoB shirts and art handkerchiefs from artist Max Rada Dada. 

    “These one-of-a-kind designs represent our belief in sustainability,” Jeffries says. “The waste created by the large number of samples and unsold pieces in the fashion industry distresses me. I am exhilarated by changing waste into style.” Jeffries notes that the collection for Round Top was inspired by quality novelty fabrics, Belgian designs from the 1990s and her days of studying textiles and fashion at The University of Texas. 

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    EoB ‘Upcycled Collection’ denim jacket embellished with art handkerchief by Max Rada Dada.

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    Upcycled blazer with Max Rada Dada handkerchief.

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    Upcycled dark wash denim jacket accented with EoB signature lace detail.

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    Back of dark wash denim jacket with Max Rada Dada equestrian handkerchief.

    Buying an EoB piece not only means that you have purchased a locally made, sustainable piece of clothing, it also means that you are contributing to a fund that provides a bit of comfort to Houston area survivors of human trafficking. This year, a portion of the proceeds of each EoB purchase goes to Re-New Houston, which provides furniture, decorative items and essentials like bath towels, pots, pans and toiletries to survivors who are moving into their first apartments following their rescue. It’s feel-good fashion at its finest. 

    And if feeling good in your clothes is a priority, there are few things more comfortable — or more luxurious — than slipping into a kimono designed by Houston’s Kimono Queen Tina Zulu, the owner and creative force behind Kimono Zulu. Zulu will be bringing a collection of men’s, women’s and children’s kimonos, and upcycled obi handbags and accessories to two different venues for her Round Top debut this fall. Sustainability is also top of mind for Zulu, whose designs are created by working vintage and antique Japanese kimonos into wearable, modern styles.  

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    A recent Kimono Zulu collaboration piece.

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    A sampling of Kimono Zulu’s collection.

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    Kimono Zulu about town.

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    Owner Tina Zulu poses in one of her designs at The Orange Show in Houston.

    “From the very first time I experienced the magic of Round Top many years ago, I have dreamed about the chance to set up shop and spread joy and #KimonoFever there,” Tina Zulu says. “Every kimono in our collection is a one-of-a-kind antique and has a story behind it, so people are drawn to that amazing energy.” 

    Zulu will make her dream of setting up shop in Round Top come true with showings at Via Vandi in Rummel Square from October 12 to 30, and at the Feel Good Artisan Market at the Bader Ranch venue from October 26 to 30 during the show. Kimono Zulu’s collection for the Feel Good Artisan Market at Bader Ranch will feature a new, limited-edition Round Top-inspired capsule embellished with tulle, beads, fringe and other “fun surprises” created in collaboration with Houston-based fashion designer and visual artist Selven O’Keef Jarmon. 

    The limited edition Round Top collections from both these fashion creatives, figure to be coveted items. Just a little more magic for the fall show.