Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Discover ANAM Designs' Story
Founding Designer: Asia Southwick
It all started with a Girl Scout vest. At eight years old, Anastasia "Asia" Southwick taught herself to sew so she could add her own patches to her vest. Years of practice culminated in high school when she designed and created her own prom dress on a budget her mother worked hard to provide. That same drive and resourcefulness propelled her forward. After two years of vocational training, Asia earned her AA in Fashion Design from Bauder College in Atlanta in 2004, turning a childhood hobby into her destiny.
While juggling traditional jobs with freelance sewing, she launched ANAM Designs, short for Assume Nothing About Me. In 2014 she debuted ANAM Swim, and by December 2016 she committed full-time. In 2018 she opened a sewing studio and co-working space in the heart of Atlanta.
Expertise
ANAM Designs is a full-service studio for product development, custom clothing, lingerie and loungewear, plus hands-on garment instruction. Asia’s specialty is stretch-fabric engineering for swimwear and performance pieces, including dance uniforms, with a sharp focus on fit, durability, and feel. Her client work includes credited projects recognized on IMDb, reflecting a wide professional range.
The Journey
Asia built this company the old-fashioned way, self-funding and staying resilient. She’s navigated the creative grind, quieted self-doubt, and rebuilt her momentum after a 2012 accident. That grit shows up in the work, and it’s fueling some of her most intentional collections to date.
Community & Commitment
ANA M Designs is community-minded by design. Asia prioritizes collaborating with local talent and small, underrepresented vendors whenever possible, because she believes great fashion should create opportunity. None of this happens in a vacuum; long-time clients, her mother’s steady encouragement, and a tight circle of friends who model, do makeup, and give unfiltered feedback keep the studio moving and growing. Each year, Asia also sponsors a student with a free prom dress through the studio, regularly looking for ways to pour skills, time, and resources back into the people who support her.
