PORTLAND, Maine — Tucked away in a beautiful mill in Maine, Roxi Suger and her team have nurtured a line of clothing called Angelrox – which combines color and comfort into clothes designed for every woman. Fashion and design have always been front and center – ever since Roxi started sewing at age 8. She was taught by her two beloved grannies, and by her own admission, she was immediately hooked. The seeds for her incredibly successful business… were sewn.
Angelrox is a collection of pieces, stretchy and soft, designed to be layered, wrapped, mixed and matched. It won’t surprise you that her other passion as a young girl was dance – her clothes evoke a sense of freedom and movement.
An important part of the allure of the clothing is the fabric, knit mostly from bamboo with a touch of spandex, wrapping customers in clothing that feels both luxurious and comfortable.
The designing, the creating, cutting, stitching, it all happens in a former textile mill in Biddeford.
Angelrox launched about 20 years ago. Living in New York City, close to the fashion industry, Roxi began to build the business, incubating her line and teaching at Parson’s school of design. She never imagined she would live anywhere else but New York City. But while visiting family in Maine, Roxi and her husband Julian knew moving here was the direction they wanted to go. Julian joined the business and oversaw the renovation of their first space, the Sugar store on Alfred Street. When the space in the mill became available, they moved in, embracing the history and the energy of the setting.
Angelrox relies on what she calls positive sizing - -rather than using traditional sizes S, M, L or 6, 8, 10 – she uses names like feather, bird, wing, song, and joy - hoping to shift the perception of how we look at ourselves and our bodies, and her customers have responded. The positive sizing has been the catalyst to expand the collection. And each season she adds a few new styles, and carefully curated colors – earth colors like the ocean, clay, spruce, and mahogany will be joined by pink hues this spring - so new pieces can complement the older ones.
As Roxi walks about the space, she emphasizes the work ethic, the energy and positive spirit of each team member. It feels like family, and she uses words like hardiness, spirit, and humility to describe the people around her. Roxi and her husband have found a home in Maine – establishing their beautiful workspace in a Biddeford mill, and sinking their roots deep into that community.
“Usually for us what is the deepest thing that resonates are…the…customers and their stories and how the simple things we’re doing can layer a little bit of extra comfort or joy or confidence or beauty to their lives … that’s what touches every single one of us the most. We are more amazed than ever at the forces and the souls that have to align to make one individual’s dream come true. It’s never singular, it’s collective.” To learn more about the clothing line Angelrox, you can visit their website at www.angelrox.com.