BUSINESS

This Cape Verdean native's designs are a hit at The Drawing Room in New Bedford.

Seth Chitwood
Standard-Times

NEW BEDFORD — The Drawing Room is curated with unique pieces that customers won't necessarily find in other stores, which is why Aidil Timas Grogan's designs are a perfect fit for the shop.

"It makes me so happy to be there," said Grogan, who owns Arcane By Aidil Timas. The recently relocated shop on William Street is the first to debut Grogan's dress and handbag line.

"It has been a good opportunity for me to put my things out there," she said. "It is my piece of art. I love when somebody appreciates it — It makes me super happy."

A native of Cape Verde, Grogan is inspired by African patterns and textiles as well as using upcycled materials.

"I love to make dresses, but I make everything. It depends on my inspiration," she said. "I also have this passion for bags. It's a piece of art that I can give so much detail to."

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In the past year, Grogan said she's made at least 20 outfits and around 50 handbags. She recently debuted her line at a fashion show in Providence.

She also loves to restore and upcycle antique furniture. 

Designing her first dress at age 12

Growing up in a house where her mother, grandmother and aunt sewed and tailored clothing, Grogan said she used to hide under the table and steal pieces of fabric to design clothes for her dolls.

When she was 12, she designed her first church dress, which she also embroidered. 

"I was interested in learning everything that I could like embroidery, crochet — stuff like that I was interested in knowing."

Aidil Timas Grogan designs and makes her own clothing and accessories at her home in New Bedford.

In 1994, after the birth of her first child, she relocated to Portugal where she worked with a designer named Annette doing alterations.

"I saw her career and I saw her sketching, I saw her making patterns on the mannequin. So all of that was like a college for me," she said.

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Annette not only inspired Grogan, she also urged her to go to school for fashion design.

"I wasn't taking it that serious at the time, I was still trying to figure out what to do in life," she said. "And then you have someone telling you you're good at this, you sort of pay attention all of a sudden."

Aidil Timas Grogan spins the take-up wheel on her trusty sewing machine as she makes another item she has designed at her home in New Bedford.

In 2003, Grogan moved to Rhode Island and soon after, she met her now-husband John Grogan. A mother of six children, she launched Arcane in 2014, and in April 2022, moved from New Hampshire to New Bedford. She hasn't been back to her hometown in Cape Verde since she arrived in 2003.  

Without her family, she said she wouldn't be able to create her designs. "I need to feel in peace and feel good about them so I can focus on my art. This is kind of like a therapy for me... for my soul, my mind. It just brings me to another place."

Sails by day, dresses by night

During the day, Grogan works full time at North Dartmouth's Sperry Sails making sails for sailboats. At night, Grogan takes over her kitchen table and turns her dining room into her design studio kicking her supportive family into the TV area for dinner.

"Maybe in the future, I'll find a nice place to work," she said, adding that she's been eyeing a studio in Kilburn Mill.

In the foreground a dress Aidil Timas Grogan has made, while she works on her latest designs at her home in New Bedford.

"It's been very well received in the new space," said Anthi Frangiadis, owner of The Drawing Room. "We've already sold several of her pieces. And it's fun to be able to add a wearable components to our artful collection."

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Frangiadis said she curates her store to with unique pieces that customers can't find anywhere else in New Bedford and each piece of is one-of-a-kind, handmade.

"I make it for myself first. I need to love that piece, so when I make it that's what I'm expecting the people to see when they look at it," Grogan added.

"I have to love it first, before I can give it to someone else."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.