Two Local Designers Stay Irreplaceable by Being so Different

Many say fashion is a way to express yourself, and on the Emerald Coast fashion takes on a carefree, effortless style that most women find appealing. It is not about wearing the latest trends but rather wearing what makes you feel your best. Coco Chanel once said, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” Two local designers are just that — designing with their souls poured into each unique piece.

Stephanie Carter

Founder and designer of Judith March of Southern Fashion House, Stephanie Carter is not caught up in the typical fashion industry business, because living on the Emerald Coast sets her apart. She takes pride that she is not a “me too,” doing what everyone else in the industry is doing. Carter is passionate about creativity and loves to see women look good and be confident in the clothes they put on.

Growing up in Brundidge, Alabama, Carter is “an all-or-nothing kind of girl.” She loves jeans and T-shirts as much as she loves dressing up. Her father was a peanut farmer and owned a commercial construction business. Her mother worked as a bookkeeper for 40 years. Carter attributes her strong work ethic to her parents.

Carter, 32, splits her time between Alabama and Seagrove Beach on the Emerald Coast. She enjoys playing with her 7-year-old son, Fox, and her two dogs, Louie (named after Louis Vuitton) and Jake. Carter loves to craft and paint. In fact she says, “All I need are my power tools, a drill, saw, hot glue gun and a bucket of plaster.” In her spare time, she enjoys fishing with Fox and her boyfriend, Christopher Campbell. Together they recently won an angler tournament.

Carter grew up wearing polka dots and plaid. She was unconventional and at an early age began modifying clothes to make them her own. Her parents taught, “If you are passionate, you can do anything.” Carter didn’t dream of becoming a fashion designer, but with an insatiable thirst for creativity, a strong work ethic and a love for people, she combined these attributes to create her first business. 

For a college marketing class project, Carter dreamed up Déjà Vu, a clothing company for women. She travelled to the Atlanta market, selected clothing samples and sold them out of her car to sorting houses, country clubs and at festivals. She then sold her black Ford Mustang that she received for her 16th birthday and opened a kiosk in Seacrest Beach on 30A. “People felt comfortable walking in with sandy toes,” Carter said. 

In August 2008, the up-and-coming designer opened her first store at Pier Park in Panama City and a second store in March 2009 at Seaside. In 2011, she opened a store in Key West and in 2012 a store in Fairhope, Alabama. Quickly mastering the art of retailing, Carter decided she needed something else to do and to provide diversification in the event a hurricane wiped her stores out. In June 2009, she ordered 25,000 yards of fabric and called her best friend, Christy Smith, head designer at Kay Unger in New York City. Together they created 22,648 garments. Within six months, she was in production and off to her first show. 

Named after her mother, Judith, and her mother-in-law, March, the brand Judith March was born. Today, Judith March (judithmarch.com) has grown to be sold in more than 800 stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Carter says, “God meant for me to do this. Doors opened. I worked hard and took it one day at a time. It was not easy.” She believes doing what you are passionate about is important, because you are not promised tomorrow. Her motto is, “Do your best and let God take care of the rest.”

Carter draws inspiration from anything. It could be an iron gate at Disney World that turns into a print, a vintage pillow or a street sign. She was named 2014 South Walton Designer of the Year. This fall, the Judith March line will be filled with embroidery. Carter will also launch a line with Missy Robertson of Duck Dynasty called “Missy Robertson by Southern Fashion House.”

Nicole Rockhill

Founder and designer of Nicole Paloma, Nicole Rockhill moved to Florida with her husband and two daughters, Laurel and Laine, in 2009 for her husband’s commercial construction job. There was such support in the 30A community and a sense of camaraderie. She made some of the best friends she had ever had, so they decided to stay. 

Needing to do something to provide a source of income, she launched a kid’s line of clothing and began selling. Rockhill needed a larger space to work in, so she opened her current space at Grayton Beach in September 2011. The kid’s line was doing so well that in the spring of 2012 she launched a clothing line for women and literally watched the pieces fly out the door. After years of journaling using her first and middle names, she decided to use these names in her business to create the Nicole Paloma brand.

Rockhill, 34, was born in Boca Raton, Florida, but moved around between New York, Atlanta and South Florida throughout her childhood. She describes her experiences in each place: Long Island was where she was exposed to fine art, museums and galleries; Atlanta was where she began to understand consumerism, branding, marketing and instant gratification; and South Florida is where she found her grounding and spiritualism. The frequent moving and traveling with her mother, a flight attendant, gave Rockhill a fearlessness that carries into her business today.

Rockhill’s mother is her “rock star.” She is an only child and very close to her mother. At the age of eight, Rockhill was found in her closet cutting clothes. She was never punished but rather encouraged to express herself, to dream big and go for it. She loved the puzzle of putting outfits together, the complexity of it and the emotion the end result evoked. She says, “It’s not how do I look, but how do I feel,” that drives her to design timeless creations. 

Rockhill bought her first sewing machine seven years ago to make pairs of pants for her little girls and immediately fell in love with fabric.  “Fabric makes me giggle,” she says. Her designs exploded in the marketplace and can now be bought online at nicolepaloma.com or in stores in Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi and Kentucky. 

Her inspiration comes first from the feeling of the season. “Spring and summer are fresh and breezy, fall and winter are earthy and grounded,” she says. Next, she chooses specific music that evokes that feeling, a color scheme and fabric and plays it repeatedly throughout the design process. Her designs are full of timeless neutrals that “allow a person to show up instead of the clothing.” The fabrics she chooses are classics such as silks, linens, cotton, jersey and lace. 

Rockhill describes her designs as “effortless elegance, comfortable, classic, flowy Victorian pieces, as well as vintage and edgy contemporary.” Her designs appeal to 15-year-old girls as well as 65-year-old women. Even after thousands of designs she still gets a kick out of seeing what she has made. 

In her spare time, Rockhill enjoys yoga, meditation and taking long walks on the beach near her Grayton Beach home. She believes life itself is her mentor. The lessons she’s learned about herself, humanity, children and things really important influence her life view. 

Fall 2014 is still uncertain in Rockhill’s mind but she believes she will play up couture and take it to another level. She says, “It starts with a feeling that mulls around for a while.” Believing her designs will be significant, she is very excited about what is coming. She is also contemplating a line for men but waiting for the right time.

You can get a sneak peek of the design process for each line at each of the designer’s working studios. Judith March is located off of County Road 393 in Santa Rosa Beach, and Nicole Paloma is located within her store in The Shops of Grayton in Grayton Beach. See their latest creations modeled on the runway during South Walton Fashion Week (Oct. 6–12).