- THE RED BRICK ROAD -
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When I was three years old, my father played The Wizard of Oz on VHS for the first time in our home.
As my father watched from the couch, I sat entranced on the floor, following Dorothy’s first steps along the yellow brick road—until I noticed something: A bright red brick road branching away into the unknown.
I turned to my father, pointed, and asked; “Where does the red brick road go?", a question that stumped and surprised him enough to rewind the tape and confirm its existence. At the time, it seemed like a child’s stray curiosity, but in hindsight, it revealed a lifelong instinct to notice the overlooked and to explore untaken paths. My Father always bookmarked this moment as a telling metaphor for my creative and personal endeavours.
THE ARTIST
Skippy Cotton is Emma Mierop: an exceptionally imaginative, self-taught textile and paper-based artist, based in the Northern NJ/NYC area.With a background in retail management and visual merchandizing, Emma began sharing her artwork on social media in 2017 under the moniker “Skippy Cotton”—a name she discovered on a typed piece of vintage ephemera. Quirky, lighthearted, and not-too-serious—it was perfect for her work. And so, like Ziggy Stardust was to David Bowie, Skippy Cotton soon was to Emma Mierop.
CIRCA . 26
Circa 26 is Skippy Cotton's sustainable clothing line inspired by the magic of childhood, family heirlooms and eccentric spirits — reimagined with an adventurous twist.
Circa's patterns are designed and altered from archives by Emma Mierop out of NJ/NY area. All of the garments are handmade with love by our talented production team of artisans in India.
