Velvet Outlaw: Fast Fashion Could Never

By Alisha Proffitt Photos By Matt Johnson 

By the time Miranda Deaton was thirty-three, she had lived more than a few lives. The founder, designer, and seamstress of Velvet Outlaw begins her own introduction with a bit of fun. “I am a Virgo sun, Taurus moon, Libra rising, an enneagram 8, pet parent to 4 fur babies, lover of strawberry rhubarb pie, and usually obsessively listening to one song on repeat until I’m over it (currently, Islands in the Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers).” 

Velvet Outlaw, the Louisville-based brand known for rhinestone suits, fringe, and sharp tailoring, did not emerge from a conventional path. Before sequins and custom blazers, Deaton worked on capital defense teams. The switch might seem improbable, but as she recalls, it was “the culmination of a hundred small things and one big final push.” 

For years she managed full-time work on capital murder cases, a side job, and Velvet Outlaw all at once. “When you have a dream, you do probably too much to make it happen - I was running out of steam but determined to see what this idea of Velvet Outlaw was becoming,” she says. She still calls her legal work “my dream career.” But a family crisis changed her outlook. 

“My dad was diagnosed with cancer and everything changed. … This major change in the dynamic of mine and my parents’ life made me realize that I didn’t want to wait to retire to live my dreams of being an artist, because what if life isn’t long or what if, or what if, or what if…” 

Along came clarity. “His diagnosis made me realize the life that I still wanted to live. I wanted a work-life balance, I wanted to spend time with him, with my family, I wanted to be available and I wanted Velvet Outlaw.” 

That urgency changed not just their business but their entire disposition. “For only being 33 years old, I have truly lived a lot of life, highs, lows, and a lot of really beautiful middle moments,” Deaton says. “Velvet Outlaw is my creative outlet that also happens to be a successful business. I have always turned to art as a form of self-expression, healing, and outlet. Velvet Outlaw is the formal version of that creative expression that I have opened up publicly for others to also participate in. Clothing is personal. Art is personal. Velvet Outlaw is both.” 

She often describes clothing as “armor, expression, and healing.” The goal is simple but radical. “My goal for a Velvet Outlaw customer is that they will walk away feeling like a participant in a piece of their very own artwork. Their suit or outfit will feel like them. They can see themselves in their garment and when they wear it, they feel seen and confident.”

A cornerstone of Velvet Outlaw’s design philosophy is inclusivity. “I intentionally focus on designing and making clothing for mid to plus-size bodies,” she says. Too often, she adds, people dismiss fashion with comments like “that’s not for me” or “that would look better on my daughter.” Each time, it “breaks my heart because I know that behind those words are hundreds of pants that didn’t fit right, negative self-talks in the mirror, wearing something oversized because you wanted to hide a part of yourself. I’ve been there. Velvet Outlaw is a place where we work through those struggles together and help you find the piece of your dreams and if we can’t find it, we make it.”

The work also carries a family thread, quite literally. “My grandpa passed over the summer and I was able to take a large amount of his thread, which is now in my studio, and used in each garment I make. It’s a small but loving gesture to honor his immense dedication to consistent hard work.”

Historically, her rhinestone suits draw inspiration from vaquero culture and the elaborate “Nudie” traditions of mid-century country music. But she approaches that history carefully. “I spend a lot of time learning and researching in order to understand the historical and current cultural significance of the rhinestone suits and vaquero culture. … At the end of the day, I do want the suits to be recognized as a ‘rhinestone or nudie suit,’ but it’s clear that it is a Velvet Outlaw original design.” 

She is also firm about what Velvet Outlaw is not: “Overall, fast fashion could never. Period. One handmade garment of my simplest coat design takes me at least 20 hours - from ideation to a finished garment - and that is on the low end. … When you work with a designer, you are working with an artist. We get to build a personal connection and build a wearable work of art together. You could never get that from fast fashion.” 

That care has drawn attention. Velvet Outlaw has appeared at Austin Fashion Week, Derby Diversity Week, and in the pages of Queer KY. For Deaton, such moments have been instructive: “Doing various fashion shows, interviews, and markets all over the Midwest and South has helped me see Velvet Outlaw from the consumer’s perspective. Often, I am too close to the rhinestones to really see the whole picture and over the last few years I’ve gained a clearer perspective of what Velvet Outlaw is becoming!” 

Every designer needs a soundtrack. On her website, Velvet Outlaw offers playlists like Legendary Women of Country. But asked to name a single anthem, Deaton hesitates. “It would have to be a combo of multiple songs or a new song just for Velvet Outlaw, sung by Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Beyoncé. Which we got close to with Beyonce’s latest album!” 

At home, the design studio sometimes doubles as a pet runway. “Z (Zetta), my sweet baby angel, is the inspiration for Velvet OutPaws and she is the face of our socials and the main model for all of the products. All of the cats have been models, too. Taco (our orange cat) loves his bandanas. I’m determined to show people that pets deserve fringe too!” 

For Deaton, Velvet Outlaw is rhinestones and fringe, yes, but also personal expression, legacy, and joy. As she puts it, “Clothing is personal. Art is personal. Velvet Outlaw is both.” 

For more information visit: velvetoutlaw.com