Designer Stacy Johnson started her fashion career on Seventh Avenue apprenticing for Calvin Klein and Cynthia Rowley before breaking out on her own in 1998 with Stacia. Taking the unconventional route, she opened a Stacia boutique and atelier in Brooklyn and retailed her custom creations directly to the consumer. One of the first online e-tailers in 1999, stacianewyork.com extended her reach far beyond NYC. From 2004-2014, she ran her Stacia wholesale business in Santa Monica, CA with one-of-a-kind space-dye knits that sold in 300 stores across the country, online at shopstacia.com, and at her Montana Avenue boutique.

Almost 20 years later having gone through the Dot-com bust, 9/11, and the Recession, her business is still surviving the roller coaster fashion industry. Today, she lives the quintessential beach lifestyle with her family in Pacific Palisades, CA and has stepped back from the rigorous fashion wholesale & retail machine. Balancing lifestyle, family, and a passion for fashion has led her to focus her designs on "what I need now" and Stacia limited edition products that let her flex her creativity. To learn more, visit shopstacia.com.

Her years of experience in fashion have inspired her to write Mabel the Fashion Muse, a children's picture and activity book that gives future designers an authentic look at a fashion design career, and empowers young girls to adopt an entrepreneurial spirit. For the book's illustrations, she has meticulously scoured through old photos from her Brooklyn atelier and boutique to illustrate the book's setting and bring her Parson's college dress form, Mabel, to life for young readers. Follow @mabelthefashionmuse to learn more about Mabel, the vintage dress form, and her fashion adventures in NYC.