I absolutely love being an artist and outerwear fashion designer, born and raised in pristine Alaska! As a child, I fell in love with painting, beautiful textiles, outdoor sports, creating, and fashion design. My father always took our family on tremendously wonderful outdoor adventures into the backcountry wilderness. Everywhere I went, I would take along a treasured little bag of embroidery threads and fabrics---and a sketchbook. Packed carefully in my backpack, I could then create small stitched and drawn landscape paintings whilst sitting amongst the tundra! By the age of eight, I began designing and sewing my own clothes to wear; just knowing somehow that I wanted to be an artist and designer someday!
Adventurous at heart, after graduating from UC Davis in Design, I began my professional career as an artist and fashion designer in San Francisco. Brilliant costumes from around the world found on the pages of National Geographic intrigued me since I was a young girl and this love of ethnic textiles led me to travel abroad for over a year through the highland regions of Latin America to research textiles and costume of the native peoples.
In 1992, I returned to my homeland Alaska to establish my original handcrafted outerwear line Denali Wear™ the Original Art to Wear Outdoors™. When I was a young girl, I had only one well worn red winter coat but dreamed of having beautiful colorful coats to wear in the seemingly endless winter of Alaska. So, my passion as an artist and fashion designer became one of enlivening the outdoor landscape with colorful, functional outdoor wear by creating timeless, beautifully constructed designs for customers that would help brighten their day and something special they might cherish for a lifetime. For over 15 years, my storefront studio boutique, Tracy Anna Bader Design Studio and Denali Wear, was located in the heart of downtown Anchorage, Alaska. I retired the shop several years ago, but sure do miss it everyday!
I believe in following your heart, trying your best, doing good and living your dreams! I think that with excellent, thoughtful design we as designers, engineers and artists can help build a sustainable world for generations to come. As part of my mission, I also teach, volunteer and work in public service, as well as work on projects and commissions. Mostly though, I am a proud mom to my three talented, beautiful children!