About

Our mission is sustainable luxury. We strive to create a culture of quality, sustainability, and careful consumerism.  We believe that if you buy quality, with a timeless style, you can buy less. ​

SUSTAINABILITY is a way of life for us.

​As lifelong creatives, we have always strived to use, reuse, and re-imagine materials we already possessed, or could readily find. Part of this practice is rooted in being budget conscious just like true sustainability should be. We were also aware of the waste and destructiveness of the fashion industry and wanted our business to be different. We are committed to sustainability in all facets of our lives. We chose to be a zero waste studio from the inception of Disco Dolls Designs, Having strong personal ethics it was a natural choice that these would be applied to our business venture. We have recently created a non-profit called The Sewist Society in order to address the waste that fiber creates in our world.

Leigh Anne balzekas

FASHION: LEIGH ANNE BALZEKAS: Leigh Anne graduated from the fashion design school at Florida State University in 2003. She continued her fashion education and experience after moving to Chicago post graduation. She freelanced in every part of the industry trying to gain knowledge across her field. Photo shoots, film costuming, fashion line production, art wear shows, and event design and production. Leigh Anne worked for several years costuming for independent films, as well as television. She also worked with several event and fashion startups as a stylist and event planner. She produced fashion shows, art shows, booked talent, and made them look great too. After many years in Chicago, Leigh Anne and her husband decided to make a bold move to Tampa, FL. When she created The Disco Dolls with sister Kristine and friend Beth, it was chance to bring all of their talents together. Leigh Anne has always been passionate about where and how clothes are made and finds many of the practices of the fashion industry unsettling. With The Disco Dolls Designs clothing line she's working to bring her vision to life with the help of her partners. She also does one of a kind commissions for any occasion: weddings, evening wear, costumes, as well as everyday clothing. ​

Kristine Ownley

Beth Emery

HAIR + FASHION: KRISTINE OWNLEY: Kristine began her hairdressing career with Aveda in 2003. She was a member of the first class of the Aveda Institute in Florida. She worked in the Aveda network for seven years, as a hair color and styling specialist.  Since leaving Aveda, and starting The Disco Dolls Studio, with her sister Leigh Anne and friend Beth in 2010, she has continued to advance her craft and training.
In the clothing studio, Kristine works with Beth and Leigh Anne, dyeing fabric and cutting patterns, as well as cultivating the look and feel of the collections.  When not at the studio, she likes to ride bikes, attend concerts, and travel with her husband Bill and 3 dogs Marvin, Olive, and Louie. 

ART + FASHION: BETH EMERY: Beth Emery was born and raised in the New York City area. She has since lived all over the country, but is proud to now call Tampa, Florida home. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Florida State University with a Bachelor's in Studio Art, and attended University of Missouri - Kansas City for graduate work in studio art with an emphasis on painting. Beth has been commissioned to paint illustrations for a Veterinary Science manual and has participated in over 30 fine art shows that have placed or earned top awards. Through The Disco Dolls Studio, Beth offers commissioned portrait painting. Beth's passion and romance with color comes together with Leigh Anne and Kristine in the clothing studio blending liquid hues, developing patterns, sewing, and conceptualizing the direction of The Disco Dolls Designs. ​

our fabrics

We almost exclusively use bamboo, and bamboo blends. All our fabric comes from mills that are inspected regularly, and maintain fair trade standards. Like hemp, bamboo is another highly sustainable crop as it does not claim farming land, grows very fast and needs minimal care. It is a much better CO2 extractor and oxygen emitter than trees, and all bamboo products are completely biodegradable and recyclable. ​The raw material bamboo is certified organic. Our bamboo yarn is certified by Oeko-Tex Standard 100 which is safe even for baby products. In addition, our fabrics meet international Restricted Substance Limits standards. For our bleaching process, we do not use chlorine bleach, only hydrogen peroxide bleach, and no optic brightener is used. ​ The dyes used on our fabrics are all Procion low impact, fiber reactive dyes. These dyes are nontoxic, safe, and eco friendly. They require only low temperature water processing and only salt and soda ash as auxiliary agents.