There are no sneak peeks before the big show. That’s the unspoken rule.
But come Friday at Waterfront Hall near Heritage Port, the pinnacle of the second annual Wheeling Fashion Week will feature the original designs of Ingrid Loy, the owner of Nini’s Treasures at The Highlands. And, while those “looks” are for Friday evening only, Loy does like to tease.
Think “USA!” and West “By God” Virginia.
“I have been in love just with the United States ever since I was a kid,” explained Loy, whose daughter, Alexa, has served as Miss Military Star for the past year. “My father was a Marine and red, white, and blue have been my passion (colors) my whole life. Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in class meant a lot to me because I just thought it was so cool, and giving back to our veterans has always made so much sense to me. And that’s what this is for me.
“It’s giving back to the veterans and giving back to this country that we live in, and I just want to be a part of that,” she said. “And, of course, I am so proud to be from West Virginia. West Virginia gets a bad rap, but West Virginia is amazing. I’m proud to be from West Virginia.”
Loy and her husband, Chris, purchased Nini’s Treasures in November 2024, and she’s evolved the shop into one of the most unique boutiques in the tri-state region. Special events, online sales, brands management, and now her design partnership with Edgington Studio owner Emily Rouse are examples of the retail innovation she’s implemented.
“It is a dream come true. It really is,” Loy admitted. “I thought maybe there would be a day when I’d own the boutique with a lot of shiny pretty things, but now I’m becoming part of people’s story when they’re buying gifts for weddings, buying gifts for the bride, buying gifts for graduation, and Mother’s Day.
“So, that means I’m part of people’s story, and I’m getting to really know people,” she said. “But another part of a dream that I had was to design my own things, and now I’ve connected with Emily and we’re in that process. I can’t want to see it all come to fruition and doing it right here in Wheeling makes it so much bigger.”
House of Rouse
For more than four years, she was doing “IT” in the fashion world of New York City, and then the pandemic brought her – and her clothing label – home to Wheeling where she opened Edgington Studio in July 2020.
That’s where her line of designs, named the “House of Rouse”, are developed and manufactured along with a consistent flow of contracted production lines. The “Rouse” fashion line was created in 2019, and it’s contemporary knitwear for women.
“It’s the stuff that you wear every day,” Emily explained. “But it’s meant to be transitional through seasons and your routine so you can wear it to work and then go out that same night.”
Rouse and Loy initially connected a year ago as Emily was preparing for the inaugural Wheeling Fashion Week, and not only will Ingrid have her “looks” featured during the runway show but she’s also hosting the “Accessories – Then & Now” event at Nini’s Treasures on Tuesday from 5-7 p.m.
“We are finishing the sample pieces of Ingrid’s designs, and then once they’re shown on the runway during our show (this Friday), we’ll get the customer feedback and decide where it goes from there,” Rouse explained. “The customers at the show will determine any changes that need to be made, and the quantities needed.
“The connection that I’ve made with Ingrid and Nini’s just makes sense,” she said. “It feels natural with her, and anyone else who wishes to do something like this should let us know. That’s how this works.”
Dreams are funny. One day you’re playing make-believe merchant, and the next you’re a boutique owner who’s designing her own line of clothing.
“I played a game when I was a kid that you could have called ‘Boutique’, and it involved all of the clothes that were in the laundry room. I would set up it all up like store, and all my mom cared about is that I would put everything back to where I got them because she had everything sorted,” Loy recalled. “I’d have a men’s section, I’d have a kid’s section with my sister’s clothes, and I would set up a boutique in my laundry room.
“Our laundry room had sliding glass doors out to our back porch, so I had a little ‘Open’ and ‘Closed’ signs, I had a little register, and I would play boutique,” she explained. “And I sold item to my imaginary customers, and I even bagged up the orders.
“So yes, I’m literally living out my dream, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity.”
