MORGANTOWN — A Rogue Under Pressure provides women with fast, easy dress and gown alterations.
Dental hygienist-turned-designer Melissa Turner has been running her business full-time for over four years.
Her business, A Rogue Under Pressure: Dress and Gown Alterations, offers alterations for bridesmaids, prom, homecoming, formal and pageant dresses, as well as casual and special occasion dresses.
A Rogue Under Pressure operates from the comfort of Turner’s home basement. The room is bright and colorful, and is filled with arcade games and her favorite characters such as Rogue, Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch.
“I feel like you’re coming to a place that is fun and lighthearted,” said Turner.
Turner’s studio provides clients with a large private changing room with a light-blocking curtain and large mirrors.
A Rogue Under Pressure’s goal is to create a positive environment and a safe space where clients feel at ease.
“When you walk in you are safe,” said Turner. “I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable.”
Turner also promotes body positivity, “I’m not going to tell you that you can’t get into your dress because you weigh too much or this or that.”
“You’re going to be in a very fun and bright environment.”
Before becoming a full-time seamstress, Turner was a dental hygienist for several years. “I loved dental hygiene,” said Turner. “I had some personal stuff happen that led to a change.”
Turner learned basic sewing through Girl Scouts while in elementary school, but she has also got her skills from her grandmother and aunt, as well as her high school home economics teacher.
For over 10 years, Turner made roughly 250 costumes based on anime, Marvel Comics, television, and movie characters. She has also won several awards and was featured in magazines.
From there her passion for design, fashion and sewing grew, which sparked the idea of becoming a seamstress.
Turner mentioned that she wanted the name for her clothing line and business to be unusual.
“I’ve had a long-running joke from high school that I don’t do well under pressure, especially in math, but Math Under Pressure didn’t sound like a good name,” said Turner. “My favorite superhero is Rogue. So I thought, why not ‘A Rogue Under Pressure’?”
Turner is a WVU alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene and fashion design and merchandising, as well as a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications. She has also studied abroad in London.
Turner made all of the art for her business herself; she has also designed characters for WVU Libraries and taught fashion students how to use Adobe Illustrator to create Fashion Flats for clothing designs.
A Rogue Under Pressure, at 2102 Peach St., operates by appointment only. Clients can email Turner at rogue24@gmail.com or text through Facebook Messenger for pricing and to schedule an appointment.
For more information about A Rogue Under Pressure: Dress and Gown Alterations check out its website http://www.arogueunderpressure.com/, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.
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