Yarmouth native and Maine College of Art and Design grad Katie Rose Champlin is excited to preview her circus-inspired brand, Flowbot, on the runway at Stitch 2025. While many designers and sewists find their way to the sewing machine at a young age, Katie was instead busy hula hooping, fire dancing, and working as a professional circus performer. Her passion for garment construction and fashion began with sewing costumes for herself and fellow performers, which eventually led her to MECA&D, the New York Garment District, and a love for fashion outside of the ring.
After graduating from MECA&D, Katie worked in diverse areas of the fashion industry that inform her work today, including a stint at an incubator for fast-fashion brand Shein, and her time working to reshore garment manufacturing in New York. Working with skilled sewists in NYC taught Katie the value of in-person collaboration, especially when sustainability is a goal. Recently, Katie has been putting that experience to good work by leading the design team at iconic Portland brand FlynHats in the creation of a new line. The designs transform overstocked t-shirts into a unique line of apparel for the May 2025 opening of Flyn’s brick and mortar location in the Old Port. The pieces in the FLYNup collection are sewn locally from upcycled materials, reducing waste while creating one-of-a-kind garments.
Alongside her exciting collaboration with Flyn Costello, Katie has been hard at work creating her own new brand, Flowbot. Stitch 2025 will be the first in-person preview of the Flowbot line, set to debut publicly this summer. Coming full circle from her first forays into circus costume construction, Katie takes inspiration from the whimsical nature of the circus and the surreal world of dreams, blending color and imagery with rich textures and bold silhouettes. The Flowbot line will include unique upcycled pieces, a dedicated section of vintage circus t-shirts, and, further down the line, original designs featuring Katie’s own custom prints.
As Flowbot grows, Katie is particularly excited to offer her designs for pre-order or made-to-order, which will allow her to be intentional with fabric choices and cut down on waste right from the start–a clear win for sustainable fashion! The big-tent vision for Flowbot goes even beyond fashion, including launching a line of circus props and becoming a connector for circus events, helping to make circus activities and shows more accessible across Maine. In addition to designing and sewing her own line, Katie offers services that support sustainable fashion in Maine, including alterations and mending, sample making, and apparel design/product development. We’re so excited to welcome Katie and Flowbot to the runway and the style market at Stitch 2025!
Find Flowbot online:
Video content created by Zack Bowen Photography at Maine Studio Works, Portland, Maine.