In the cotton fields of North Carolina, Michelle Bradley Robinson found the roots of a creative vision that would take shape through design, atmosphere, and storytelling in House of MBR.
Story by Cara Clark, Photos by Katelyn Edmondson
Michelle Bradley Robertson grew up where the horizon feels endless — eastern North Carolina, where cotton fields soften the landscape, and color made an impression without her consciously knowing it. Everything she would one day shape into House of MBR was already present in that landscape — waiting to be absorbed and reimagined: the shifting blues of the sky as the sun traced its daily arc, the evolving greens of the cotton plants, and the soft, cloud-like bolls that burst forth from pods.
Before her fashion house was a brand or a collection, there was a dreamer at a window, sketching what she saw and imagined.
“My mother is an artist, although not professionally," Michelle says. "She was a stay-at-home mom, and she loved to sketch. I learned from her just by watching and enjoying it. I don’t really remember a time when it began — I just always was. I’ve always gravitated toward creativity and design, so I would definitely say it comes from her.”
Raised between her mother’s creativity and her father’s fields of peanuts, cotton, and soybeans, she grew up on a farm where imagination wandered untethered. She and her two siblings spent long afternoons climbing through towering cotton and peanut trailers, unbothered by the whisper of insect legs or the dry rasp of roughened peanut shells against their skin.
“We had so much fun,” she says. “We would jump in and hit the cotton spikes, but we didn’t mind. And we would play in the peanuts while they were drying in the trailers under the sheds. I'm so grateful that we got to grow up without cell phones. It's just a moment in time that I want to preserve somehow. It was a great way to grow up.”
Those beginnings echo through everything she creates with vivid bursts of color and occasional muted pastels — from sweeping shapes and swirling forms to the quiet presence of birds, horses, and beautiful creatures. Nothing about her work feels overworked; it feels instinctive, as though each piece unfolds in a grand adventure. As an abstract impressionist artist, she approaches fashion much the same way she approaches painting: beginning with feeling, following the pull of color, and trusting the creation to reveal its form.
Michelle explains, “Color is always the starting point for me — color and the way different shades work together. I find inspiration everywhere, especially outside. I’m always noticing the sky against the trees, how the seasons shift, the tones in blooms. In my mind, I take those combinations a step further. Sometimes it’s about pairing something unexpected with something beautiful so the beauty stands out even more. My work has a lot of detail and a lot of color, but that’s what brings it together and makes it feel alive.”
Michelle's deep connection to the outdoors is not just an influence; it’s a reflection of her life and love of animals and open spaces. Many of her designs incorporate bird dogs in motion or equine scenes, rendered with precision and softness, reflecting a lived familiarity with that world. They capture the tempo and beauty of the outdoor lifestyle from childhood, including memories of her father teaching horsemanship.
“I did not love to ride horses as much as I love to take care of them and love them,” she says. “They were like my babies. And I'm not going to lie and say we did not sneak one into the back door of our house. We had two French doors that opened wide enough that we could bring the pony into the house and walk him around. My parents didn’t know then, but they do now.”
Retro Style Reimagined
Michelle’s vivid ideas come to life in her recent collection, Summer ’65, which feels grounded in memory but not stuck in it. The collection was photographed at the acclaimed Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, a setting that mirrors the mood — elegant, a little nostalgic, and effortless in its beauty. There’s a subtle retro thread running through the pieces, from the silhouettes to the palette.
The collection feels personal and vivacious with a sense of the wistful. Design names such as Bouvier quietly reference enduring fashion icon Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. At the same time, the Bardot carries an equally timeless sense of Hollywood glamor and romance reminiscent of actress Brigitte Bardot, with the balance of polish and ease that defined an era.
Those influences create a collection that nods to mid-century legends — the bumped up hair and pillbox hat — without imitating them, capturing both refinement and freedom.
“I’ve always been drawn to that era,” Michelle explains. “It felt like a slower, simpler time when people truly connected. You saw your neighbors, you spent time together, and life wasn’t as complicated. Today, everything moves so quickly, so if I can capture even a small piece of that feeling through my art and fashion, it brings a sense of joy.”
Bold Prints, Bright Spaces
That appreciation for storytelling through design extends naturally into her interiors, where her eye turns toward history as much as color. It’s not a departure from her fashion work, but a deepening of it — another way to translate her instinct for scale, movement, and layered beauty into lived spaces.
“I’ve been working on a lot of interior design files, and I always gravitate toward hand-painted murals — Zuber and de Gournay, and my favorite is the Zuber décor chinois,” Michelle says. “I was married in an old home in Rocky Mount, where the dining room had that Zuber décor. I remember thinking it was the most beautiful wallpaper I had ever seen. I have a panel of it now hanging along my staircase. I love anything broad and vine-like — I’m drawn to large-scale designs — so you’ll see more of that influence in my interiors. They’ll feel very maximalist, but always with a strong vintage bow.”
That influence is easy to trace in her work. Her prints, whether worn or placed within a room, carry a sense of narrative — expansive, detailed, and immersive, as though each pattern is meant not just to decorate, but to transport.
There’s also something compelling about the timing of her journey. This wasn’t a straight path or an early leap into the industry. The idea for a line stayed with her for years — something she carried quietly before finally bringing it to life.
“I would sit upstairs in my room at a small desk by a dormer window, looking out over the cotton fields,” Michelle recalls. “I spent so much time sketching, mostly fashion. It was always a dream of mine, but as I got older, other things took priority, and I never pursued it.”
The idea stayed with her, jewel tones and earthy hues stirred by a close relationship with nature as they swirled and settled into patterns and styles in varying ways in her creative mind.
“I felt as if there was something missing in the fashion industry, and I wanted to do something about it,” Michelle explains. “I would tell my friends all the time that one day, I would create a knockout line of clothing that was truly meant for everyone, in every size, without discrimination. Caftans and easy cotton pieces with a vintage, upscale polish and a bold artistic touch. Pieces designed to stand the test of time and feel different from anything else out there — less focused on trends and more focused on the art of conversational, joyful dressing.”
She did just that. What’s striking is not only that she built this maison de couture, but also how complete it feels, as if it were born of something that had been quietly taking shape all along. Her work reflects all of it: the fields, the sketches, the years of observation, and that innate sense of color. Whether it’s a dress, a print, or something for the home, there’s a consistency and a point of view that feels both personal and lasting — like those treasured memories growing up on a family farm.
