Credit: Delaney Staack
Jounte Armantrading has always been confident in her feminine style. The 24-year-old Tampa artist felt her love for pearls, lace and Jane Austen made that clear, but she was curious what others thought. So, she conducted an experiment where she asked people for their first impressions of her. Others, it turns out, saw her as much more masculine.
“From that, I went to the masculinization of women of color, to women of color as a whole and how we’re all different but placed in strong leading roles—never really the damsel or the princess or the fair lady,” Armantrading told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Credit: Courtesy
A year into running her fashion shop, The Sonder Atelier, Armantrading’s runway show at FloridaRAMA next week is a love letter to the princess she believes anyone can be through style.
“I feel like the more I got masculinized, the more feminine my art became—and who knows where it’s gonna go right now?” Armantrading said.
Armantrading’s craft doesn’t include sewing or creating clothes. Instead, she hand-paints illustrations on selected or custom upcycled clothing and transforms each garment into a wearable and distinct statement piece.
Armantrading said she chooses clothes from stores like Tampa Thrift and Red White and Blue, and she pays attention to noticeable trends sported by the Tampa citygoers she sketches. She goes for lighter fabrics that make the most sense in Florida’s sweltering summer. The loose, flowy silhouettes she picks also mimic the state’s swampy and beachy environments.
With childhood story inspirations like Eloise at the Plaza and Fancy Nancy, Armantrading’s designs echo the soft, swift lines and stylized faces found in fashion illustrations.
“I just love whimsical, fun hyper-femininity to the point where it’s completely absurd but in the best way, and I think those are my biggest inspirations,” she told CL.
By painting all faces and hair textures, Armantrading reclaims the protagonist narrative for women of color who also want to embrace being girly.
Her fashion show this month is centered around iconic princesses in pop culture—from Princess Diana to “The Princess Diaries”’ Mia Thermopolis—and how they redefined the archetype.
“Being called a ‘princess’ has become a way to call a woman spoiled and privileged… but that is not its true meaning,” Armantrading wrote in her sketchbook. “When I think about what it means to be a princess, I think about the Disney characters I grew up watching that taught me about bravery and kindness.”
Armantrading said she hopes her show can also bring together local fashion lovers looking to break ground in the industry without leaving Tampa Bay for global fashion capitals or faraway design schools.
“Depending on how well it goes, I’ll bring more creators who have fashion pieces that they want in, and people who are models, movie makers, photographers—we can all come together and start building these spaces,” she told CL.
Armantrading’s show also offers VIP tickets, which include preferred seating and a chance for guests to have their clothing customized by her.
This article appears in June 25 – July 01, 2026.
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