At just 14, Murrysville native Maddie Ziegler wears a lot of hats: dancer, reality TV star, budding actress and muse to Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Sia, to name a few. This fall, she added “fashion designer” to that list with the launch of Maddie, her new clothing line for teen and tween girls.
The debut collection features 30 fit-for-fall pieces, including a casual-chic bomber jacket with metallic sleeves, baseball tees, high-waisted jeans, flannel shirts and accent pins to accessorize the looks. Find them at Nordstrom.com and online at MaddieStyle.com for $15 to $89. The collection is carried in six Nordstrom locations; in Pennsylvania, find it at King of Prussia Mall near Philadelphia.
Maddie skyrocketed to fame on Lifetime’s “Dance Moms,” which chronicled her training at her dance school in Penn Hills with the tough-loving Abby Lee Miller. After exiting the show, she went on to be a judge on Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation,” a “SYTYCD” spin-off for young dancers. In keeping with her dancing roots, the clothes are a stylish take on sportswear with the tagline, “Wear what moves you.”
“As a dancer, we always love comfort, so it inspired me to make a casual line that you can easily move around in without feeling restricted,” she told the Post-Gazette in a recent email interview while on tour with Sia. “I’m kind of a tomboy when it comes to my everyday style, so that definitely gave me inspiration.”
She teamed with veteran apparel manufacturer Kahn Lucas in New York City to create the line. Plus, she consulted with a style panel of girls who offered feedback on the designs.
“I was super involved in the process,” she says. “From helping in designing to picking the styles and fabrics, I was really able to put my creative input in the whole line.”
And her favorite pieces?
“I love everything,” she gushes, “but the one that stands out to me the most is the sweatshirt tunic. I’m actually wearing it right now.”
While this is Maddie’s first clothing line, she’s no stranger to the fashion industry. Last year, dancewear label Capezio tapped her to be the brand ambassador for its collaboration with Betsey Johnson. She’s walked the runway for the likes of Ralph Lauren, appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine and has become a familiar front-row face at New York Fashion Week.
“I definitely look up to Christian Siriano because he makes gorgeous clothing,” she says. “When I saw his show at fashion week my jaw dropped!”
It’s a lot to juggle, she admits, but she manages to fit in design meetings on her days off from dancing and acting. It helps, too, that her family and friends back home in Pittsburgh are “super supportive,” she says, “which makes me so happy.” (These days, she spends most of her time in Los Angeles when she’s not on tour.)
The line has been in stores for barely a month, but Maddie is already brainstorming ways to grow it. People can check out design sketches, behind-the-scenes photos and videos and style tips from Maddie by following @MaddieStyle on Instagram.
“I would love to expand the line by coming out with different collections for each season,” she says. “I’m working on some secret things at the moment, which I’m really excited about.”
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
Clarification, Oct. 26, 2016: The prices were updated to reflect the latest price range for the collection.
First Published: October 23, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
