Meet Suzette Opara. She is a South side Chicago native, whose business may been displayed at your prom, wedding, or graduation. Post a has made a name for herself on Chicago’s South side without any real advertisement. Yes, no ads..that’s how good her hand stitched dresses are.
Suzette Opara rises before the sun rises to begins work of hand-sewing and removing beads and sequins, carefully cutting silk, lace and jersey-knit fabrics into shapes that eventually create the perfect dress.
Side the talks about her career, telling Chicago Tribune “This career chose me,”. Opara works under the name 828 Collection. “I never set out to pursue fashion or design gowns. I played around with sewing … I found it was a way to make women feel special and beautiful — like the queens they are.”
Opara designs and makes wedding gowns and formal dresses for special occasions. In recent years, she has produced dresses for clients to be worn at the Stellar Awards, a ceremony celebrating gospel music artists. She has also made gowns for women attending events related to both the Oscars and the Grammys. She has been flown to Phoenix to drop off dresses and to London to deliver her creations, which can cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
